The record breaker among luxury watches
At a time when wristwatches were still viewed with suspicion - "How could a watch in such a tiny case, which is exposed to risks such as dust, dirt, impact and pressure on the wrist, be accurate and reliable?" - the visionary Wilsdorf placed all his hopes in his Rolex. The name - so it is rumored - could be derived from the French "horlogerie exquisite". As a creative mind and shrewd early brand strategist, Wilsdorf paved the way for a classic with a memorable label and a clear logo, the five-pointed crown. In addition to outstanding quality standards that are still valid today, he set standards as a smart businessman. He knew what made his customers tick: from 1920 onwards he countered the reservations of the time by issuing convincing accuracy certificates. As early as 1926, after the launch of the waterproof Rolex Oyster, marketing professional Wilsdorf took advantage of the aura of prominent contemporary witnesses for his own advertising purposes. When the British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze set out to cross the English Channel, she was accompanied by a Rolex Oyster. Mercedes had to give up shortly before the finish due to the weather, but even after 8 hours in the cold channel water, the Oyster was in good spirits and as accurate as the proverbial Swiss watch. Wilsdorf quickly promoted his tremendous image success in a sensational PR campaign on the front page of the London "Daily Mail". From then on, things went steeply uphill. The Rolex Submariner, introduced in 1953, with a water resistance of up to 100 m, later up to 300 m, was followed by the Sea-Dweller (which is now water resistant to 3,900 m) and the Oyster Perpetual Day Date. Another Rolex moment of glory came on January 23, 1960, when Jacques Piccard dived to a depth of 10,916 m in the Mariana Trench - of course with a Rolex on his wrist.
What makes the Rolex Submariner a classic in the underwater world?
At the Basel Watch Fair in 1954, the sensation was complete: a wristwatch with a black dial and luminous numerals, hands, second counters, a non-slip rotating bezel, scratch-resistant sapphire glass and a double-secured Twinlock crown attracted all the attention: the Rolex Submariner - "The Diver's friend." Later, the dial and bezel were also designed in blue and green, the bracelets made of steel, white or red gold and in a bi-color version. The Submariner Date was supplemented with a prominent date display in the viewing window. A label becomes a classic because it never changes its shape, design and functional quality over the decades and yet is met with new enthusiasm in every generation. Fresh and immortal through premium standards, originality and bold novelty. As a vintage model, luxury watch classics such as the Submariner hardly lose any value, and sought-after watches and rarities achieve increases. A criterion that HORANDO always keeps in mind when you buy a watch online.
The Submariner recipe for success: Reaching for the (underwater) stars
When you buy a watch online, you come across a luxury watch that not only serves extreme sportsmen and diving professionals in the British and Canadian Navy. It is in the underwater world, however, that it really shows its capabilities. With the rotating bezel and the 60-minute graduation, which clearly identifies diving and compression times even in low-light environments, and the serrated and therefore easy-to-grip outer edge (diving gloves!), it can save lives in case of doubt. Make friends with it - it is never too deep (but also not too shallow) for a Rolex Submariner.
