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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Geneva, Switzerland (originally founded in London)

Rolex

Partially verified

Water-resistant, self-winding and chronometer-certified wristwatches

History

Beginning as a London importer of Swiss movements cased for the British market, the firm moved to Geneva after the First World War and concentrated on certified precision, sealed cases and self-winding, producing the Oyster case and the Perpetual rotor mechanism.

Major innovations

  • Screw-down Oyster case for water resistance
  • Perpetual self-winding rotor with bidirectional winding in series production

Known markings

  • 'Rolex' on dial and movement
  • Reference number between the lugs on older cases
  • Case-maker marks inside the back

Serial numbers

Case serial and reference numbers are the primary identifiers; published approximate serial-to-year ranges are collector-compiled rather than published by the manufacturer.

Collecting significance

One of the most heavily counterfeited and heavily 'improved' names in the field; dial, hands, bezel and movement must each be assessed for period correctness.

Photographs

Rolex mural watch, Dubai airport
Rolex mural watch, Dubai airport — Yann Forget, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Rolex Submariner watch 16613
Rolex Submariner watch 16613 — User:Eternalsleeper, Public domain. Wikimedia Commons file page
Rolex 2019
Rolex 2019 — Madrox, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. Manufacturer technical documentation for current calibres
  2. Serial-to-date tables for vintage references are community-compiled and should be treated as approximate.

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.