With all the technological advancements and innovations regularly emerging from the world of haute horlogerie today, it is almost hard to fathom a time when mechanical wristwatches were seen as finicky timekeepers, valued more for their looks than their reliability. Harder still to imagine that this era was as recent as the early 20th century — a mere two generations ago. But it was Rolex that changed everything.

Deeply dissatisfied with the unreliable state of horology in his day, founder Hans Wilsdorf made it his life’s mission to transform the wristwatch from a mere piece of jewellery into a reliable instrument capable of keeping up with the movements of individual wearers and the vagaries of their increasingly active daily life. To accomplish this, he focused on three key innovations:

The first was to be able to produce small movements as precise as marine chronometers, the absolute references of the period. The second, to develop a robust and waterproof case to protect the movements from external factors such as dust, moisture, splashes and perspiration. And the third, to fit the watch with a self-winding system that would offer the wearer greater convenience on a daily basis. By 1931, he had achieved all three goals.

Modern-day Rolex has not only carried that spirit of uncompromising excellence into the 21st century—it has expanded on it. Today, every Rolex watch bears the title of “Superlative Chronometer,” a promise of exceptional quality expressed through eight core pillars: precision, waterproofness, autonomy, robustness, simplicity, craftsmanship, comfort, and durability.

Setting New Standards

Precision is the eternal pursuit of all watchmakers, but few have taken it as seriously as Rolex has from day one. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to obtain a chronometric precision certificate from an official rating centre, and just four years later, it received a Class ‘A’ certificate from the Kew Observatory in England — the highest authority on chronometric precision at the time. Today, that authority is the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), and while all Rolex movements are COSC- certified, that alone was not enough. In order to be declared a ‘Superlative Chronometer’, the finished and assembled watch must then pass the Superlative Control tests. This certification, unique to the Rolex Manufacture, guarantees an exceptional precision of –2/+2 seconds per day, surpassing COSC’s standard of -4/+6 seconds per day.

Rolex proudly holds the distinction of being the inventor of the world’s first waterproof watch, the Oyster, introduced in 1926. However, it has never rested on this particular laurel. In 1953, Rolex enhanced this innovation by introducing the Twinlock crown, which paved the way for the Triplock crown in 1970, followed by the Ringlock system in 2008. Furthermore, it is not just the watches that are impervious to water and dust; the environments in which these watches are manufactured also maintain closely monitored humidity and air purity levels.

Watches in the Oyster Perpetual collection have a minimum water resistance of 100 metres, but Rolex has built in a safety margin of up to an additional 10 percent for base models and an extra 25 percent for diving watches. The Deepsea Challenge models, boasting an incredible water resistance of 11,000 metres, are additionally tested in ultra-high-pressure tanks to ensure they can withstand pressures at depths of 13,750 metres. The Oyster Perpetual designation signifies that a watch is not only waterproof but also self-winding, with an average autonomy of about 72 hours when unworn and unwound.

Quality In Simplicity

Rolex watches are meant to be worn, which is why the Manufacture goes to great lengths to safeguard its timepieces against the rigours of daily life. This begins with the selection of only the highest quality materials, such as its proprietary Oystersteel and RLX titanium cases, as well as the vivid and scratch-proof high- tech Cerachrom bezels and bezel inserts. The robustness of Rolex watches is also assessed through tests that reproduce exposure to extreme conditions. There is a device that subjects the watches to a pressure of 4.5 tonnes; one that drops them from 20 different positions; as well as one that pounds them mercilessly. These tests ensure that the superlative performance of each watch will remain undiminished, whether it is strapped to the wrist of a mountaineer, a navigator, a deep-sea diver or a polar explorer.

Since its creation, Rolex has been driven by the conviction that mechanical simplification is a measure of performance and reliability. The Cosmograph Daytona, for instance, despite being a showcase of timing expertise par excellence, is composed of only 314 components. The same goes for the development of the Saros annual calendar. Unveiled in 2012 on the Sky-Dweller, this annual calendar requires only an additional four gear trains and two gear ratios to display the date. Even operating the Sky-Dweller is an exercise in simplicity, thanks to the Ring Command system, which allows the wearer to effortlessly set the date, month, local time, and reference time using the rotating bezel and crown.

Metiers d’art (artistic crafts) is evident in every detail of a Rolex watch, regardless of how utilitarian the model may be. From the way the middle cases catch and reflect light to the optimised geometry and curvature of the watch case and bracelet, every millimetre adheres to Rolex’s exacting standards of aesthetic artistry. Even its glamorous gem-set watches follow the same principles, with craftsmen selecting only the highest-quality stones and setting them with exceptional mastery and polish.

Tested and Proven

The comfort of the wearer, a quality brought to the fore by the advent of the wristwatch, has become an essential part of the quest for excellence that Rolex has embarked upon. Continuous improvements in wearability have resulted in innovative features like the Oysterlock safety clasp and the additional Easylink, Rolex Glidelock and Fliplock extension systems.

While wear and tear are inevitable, Rolex is committed to mitigating their effects. The sheer variety of machines the company has developed for stress-testing its products is staggering. Some machines are dedicated to shaking bracelets, while others continuously open and close the clasps. There are machines that soak watches in chlorine and salt, spray them with sand, and subject them to intense heat or cold. However, machines cannot replicate every scenario, so prototypes are worn by real people for years before the final watches are ready for series production.

This extreme — some might even call it draconian — approach to quality control has always been a priority at Rolex. And so every Rolex watch is, in every sense of the word, a superlative masterpiece.

This article first appeared on WOW’s Legacy Issue #75

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