The expanding bracelet started life in 1906. Wilsdorf
wanted a short easily pronounceable and memorable name and came up with
the name Rolex. The
Rolex watch was on sale for over a year before
the Daily Mail ad. However the Rolex ad was the first national watch
advertisement for ANY watch company, not just Rolex. The whole
page was for Rolex watches but the Oyster ad occupied less than 20% of
the advert, most of the ad was for Rolex lady's cocktail watches.
The first Oysters were never tested; from the mid 1930s
Rolex signed watches "Chronometre" on the dial with or without testing
them. However Rolex have always made Oysters which are NOT
certified, their cheaper lines, of course and their current catalogue
shows the models 14000, 14010, 67480, 14060 as being non certified.
A Rolex Oyster accompanied Sir Edmond Hillary's historic
climb to the summit of Everest in 1953. Sherpa Tensing Norgay wore a
Rolex and this watch is now in the Rolex collection in Geneva.
Rolex is one of the most sought after watches in the
world.
The Rolex founder died in 1960.