PERPETUAL SPIRIT
The unceasing quest of for excellence, innovation, refinement and pushing the limits of exploration and philanthropy
From its timepieces to its initiatives, every aspect of Rolex is built on a fundamental belief in unlimited human potential, continuous improvement and lasting excellence, always pushing the boundaries and taking the long-term view. Its watches are built to last. So is the company’s contribution to future generations. Such is the “Perpetual Spirit” of Rolex, ignited by its founder Hans Wilsdorf.
He was not just a visionary entrepreneur whose stream of inventions, such as the first waterproof wristwatch, changed the world. He was also an altruist, whose enduring philanthropy has left a mark that goes far beyond watchmaking. For nearly a century, the word “Perpetual” has been inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. More than a word on a dial, it is a philosophy ‒ an unceasing quest for excellence, to explore and to share human knowledge to build a better word ‒ one that defines the past, shapes the present and directs the future of Rolex.
Each watch produced by Rolex reflects more than a century of innovation and refinement in engineering, design and functionality. The founder’s spirit inspires constant progress. He dedicated his life to creating wristwatches so precise and reliable that explorers depended on them, whether at the top of mountains, on the high seas, in polar ice or in the heat and dust of deserts.
Wilsdorf’s vision was long term, and the advances he led, in design, materials and science, have made his watches, too, perpetual. In the 21st century, his achievement is upheld in the culture of the company, where his values are safeguarded and the highest standards of excellence permeate every aspect of production. At Rolex, every craftsperson, engineer and scientist is proud to protect and develop the quality for which the brand is known.
Today, as we witness the devastating effects of our throwaway culture, Wilsdorf’s vision appears resoundingly modern. With its Perpetual rotor, the Oyster needs no external source of power, winding itself automatically through the gentle action of the wrist. The Oyster Perpetual is a watch for our time, built to last
and made to keep. Underneath its tough sapphire glass lies the startling mechanical beauty of the self-winding movement ‒ tiny, tiny elements of hundreds of components produced with exquisite rigour and perfectly composed in their waterproof case to keep reliable time forever.
Its belief that continued improvement and lasting excellence will benefit future generations has driven Rolex to push the boundaries of the possible in every aspect of the brand on and on. In the pursuit of perpetual excellence, nothing is left to chance ‒ from the specialised equipment that the company has developed to produce and test the watches, to the laboratories where research and development is carried out and the ateliers that are continually optimised to enable the highest quality of work. Every watch is developed into the best it can be. And nothing better illustrates the story of the company’s ambition for perpetual excellence than its technical mastery of waterproofness.
In 1926, Hans Wilsdorf released to the world the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch. A little more than 30 years later, in 1960, Rolex sent a timepiece to the bottom of the deepest part of the oceans, the Mariana Trench, on board the Trieste. There have been two such journeys now. The most recent was in 2012 when explorer and film-maker James Cameron descended to the deepest part of the Trench with another experimental watch, the Rolex Deepsea Challenge, attached to a hydraulic arm on his submersible. Just as on the first journey, the watch kept perfect time at almost 11km down, resisting the pressure of more than 12 tonnes on the crystal, and emerging from the water unscathed. Rolex has made watches for every realm, from diving to driving, to mountaineering; for flying, yachting and exploration. They have been constantly updated through the years, with new features, to improve functionality and enhance their wearers’ safety.
Testament to the steady introduction of new inventions, new designs and engineering methods are the more than 500 patents that Rolex has issued over the years.
They cover details ranging from inserts in the bezel to the most refined inner workings of the watch. One such refinement is the Chronergy escapement. With its alternating beats producing the unmistakeable ticking of a mechanical watch, it plays a key role in the movement’s measurement of time. It is a triumph of micro-technology whose complex and exacting production process calls on all of Rolex’s vast know-how and ingenuity.
At the same time, new procedures have enhanced the aesthetics of the watches ‒ without, of course, compromising their legendary strength. The GMT-Master II’s red and blue Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert involved years of research and development: it took a combination of complex chemical compounds and a special process to finesse the coloured bezel. After heat treatment, it is so hard that it is virtually scratchproof.
There are many other inventions that attest to the excellence of Rolex’s research into materials. Among these are the exclusive Everose gold with its resonant pink hues, and Oystersteel, a unique steel super-alloy that has added greater scratch and shock resistance, along with a lustrous sheen after polishing.
With all its operations carried out in Switzerland, Rolex is able to maintain complete control over quality. Work takes place over four sites, where the essential components are designed and made. From the casting of the gold to the crafting of the minutest spring and pivot; the manufacture of the casings to final assembly, every step of the process is completed in-house. What is more, every movement is certified by the Swiss Official Testing Institute (COSC), before being encased. Then, Rolex gives the fully assembled watch stringent tests to see if it merits the label “Superlative Chronometer”, represented by a green seal that comes with every timepiece, accompanied by a worldwide five-year guarantee.
Above all, a Rolex watch is a thing of beauty and value. At a time when few things are guaranteed to last, it is a treasure made to cherish, a reminder of values that we need to uphold and pass on. A mark of optimism and an investment in the future, it
is Perpetual.