The Watch that Launched an Empire - The Rolex Oyster
terça-feira, março 04, 2014
In the 1920s when it was introduced, it was the only waterproof wristwatch in the world. It can lay an honest claim to the title of the first modern watch. The Rolex Oyster was the final result of years of development by Rolex and their competitors (Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf wasn’t above buying a patent if it showed promise), and of of centuries of watchmaking before that. Today, when a watch goes into www.
Rolex and its founder, Hans Wilsdorf, knew they had a world-beating watch in the new Oyster. Before the Oyster, wristwatches would fog up—and die quickly, their movements corroded—sometimes just in very humid weather without actually being immersed in water. Dust and other debris made its way too easily into Pre-Oyster cases, too. (In simplest terms, the Oyster used a screwed-down case back with rubber gasket and a screw down crown to prevent the entry of moisture and dust.)
A New Watch and a New Kind of Advertising
In one of the first marketing coups to come after the introduction of the Oyster, Rolex asked Mercedes Gleitze—soon to be the first woman to swim the English Channel—to wear one on a Channel swim. She did and Rolex followed up the achievement with a front page advertisement in the London Daily Mail showing a photo of Ms. Gleitze with the following breathless copy:
Rolex introduces for the first time the greatest triumph in Watch-making – ROLEX ‘OYSTER’ – The Wonder Watch That Defies The Elements. MOISTURE PROOF WATER PROOF HEAT PROOF VIBRATION PROOF COLD PROOF DUST PROOF--Miss Mercedes Gleitze carried an “Oyster” throughout her recent Channel Swim. More than ten hours of submersion under the most trying conditions failed to harm its perfect timekeeping. No moisture had penetrated and not the slightest corrosion or condensation was revealed in the subsequent examination of the Watch.” With their ad, Rolex pioneered the concept of sports celebrity marketing.
Greatest Glory
The Oyster may have won its greatest glory during World War II. It was the favored watch of the immortal RAF pilots or “The Few” as Mr. Churchill called them, during the Battle of Britain. Too expensive to be an issued piece, the pilots nonetheless often spent their hard-earned pay to buy their own personal Rolex Oysters—widely regarded then as the finest hard use watch money could buy. The watch went on to become the cornerstone of the Rolex lineup. Even today, all the top of the line Rolex models share one basic attribute: their Oyster cases. That’s why they all say, “Rolex Oyster” on the dial. Not bad for a watch that was named after an Oyster. Wilsdorf got the inspiration after having trouble opening an oyster at a dinner party. Or so the legend goes.
For any of your Rolex repair needs, or to service any fine watch, be sure to visit www.
Nota: Post elaborado através da parceria entre o Upper East Side Stylist e o Grupo The Watch Buyers Group.
1 comentários
Watch as a symbol of successful men, recently promoted, so going to buy watches,Mens Armani Watches personally like, I do not know how you feel?
ResponderEliminarObrigada pelos vossos comentários. xx***