Show navigation
If the Rolex Datejust is one of the most popular and highly collectable watches that withstood the test of time, than Rolex Submariner has to be one of the most iconic models that Rolex has produced. There is an old saying: "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery".
Over the course of Rolex history, the company gave multiple commemorative release watches to deserving historical figures. Call it what you will, but Rolex marketing knew that the best way to bring attention to the brand was to strategically place their product on the wrists of heroes.
Much like Rolex, Tudor was founded in 1946 by Hans Wilsdorf. Although Rolex watches were in high demand, many couldn’t afford them. Tudor was created to bridge the gap by offering dependability, craftsmanship, and reliability of a Rolex watch under a different name and at a significantly lower price.
Rolex has a watch for every occasion, every profession, and for every environment. Just like there are specific dress, casual, diving, and navigation models, there is a model that is specifically designed for those who spend their time in a highly magnetic environment such as a power plant, a research lab, or a hospital. Everyone who ever wore an analogue watch knows the kind of havoc that magnetic interference can wreak on your timepiece. In the mid 1950's Rolex saw a real need to produce a watch capable of withstanding magnetic fluctuations, thus Rolex Millgauss was born.
Swiss watchmaking tradition originated in the days of Calvinist reformation that spread through northern Europe like wind fire. Simply put, Calvinism derived from the Lutheran Church yet was opposed by them. The religious beliefs of both movements were incredibly similar and yet differed on a few points causing tension between the two factions. The leader of Calvinist reformation, John Calvin, was asked to aid in the Church of Geneva reformation at which point a push to a more strict, "no excess" movement began. As part of the church reformation process in Geneva a ban was placed on wearing jewelry and luxurious attire effectively putting out every jeweler and goldsmith out of work and creating a demand for other, more functional , church approved accessories.
Not too long ago we use to romanticize the idea of a pilot. Boys use to dream of being just like those strong, tall , perfectly manicured Pan Am gentlemen, walking tall to the gates of various airports. Those men who wore a crisp white shirt, tailored, perfectly pressed pilot uniform, gold bars on the shoulders, surrounded by stunning women as their crew, that was the image that we grew up with. The image of a Pan Am pilot ready to fly the world and do it with exceptional style. And although Rolex Air King is currently one of the favorite watches among the commercial airline pilots, it had a very different beginning.
In the early 1990's Rolex introduced a completely new watch to its collection -- Rolex Yacht-Master. The Yacht-Master was based largely on the Submariner design and used a Submariner movement Cal.3135 but was not meant as a diving watch. Yacht-Master was intended to be on the luxury end of the tool watch scale where the Submariner is the epitome of the tool watch world. Rolex conceptualized the Yacht- Master in the mid 1960's and produced two known prototypes that were reminiscent of the Rolex Daytona. The two prototypes are considered priceless and according to some sources, one belong to Eric Clapton and another belongs to an Italian Rolex collector.
Rolex GMT is another watch with a rich aviation history. The abbreviation GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time and is used by pilots and military to navigate across time zones. The GMT time standard was adopted when the flight distances increased and began to transcend continents. The concept of GMT, is based on solar time which is determined by observing the sun’s passage in the sky. There are two types of solar time: apparent solar time - or the time that is determined by the use of a sundial and mean solar time - which refers to the solar time shown by a mechanical device (a clock).
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust was the first wristwatch to feature a chronometer movement and an automatic calendar in the aperture. Released in 1945, Datejust reference 1600 are among some of the most revered and thought after Rolex timepieces that were associated with some of the most iconic moments in our history.
