Rolex Submariner

Rolex is a war cry for style aficionados. But how did this extraordinary luxury watch get its name? It was intended to be recognizable and effective in advertising, according to the wishes of the company's founder Hans Wilsdorf. He exemplified the internationality of the brand early on. He moved from the Franconian town of Kulmbach to the French-speaking part of Switzerland and, after initial successes as a seller of precision watches, set up his own business in London. In 1908, the Rolex brand name was officially registered. Today, it is considered by many to be a U.S. watch, in part because U.S. actors such as Paul Newman and Sean Connery wore it - but its home is in Switzerland.

The record breaker among luxury watches

At a time when wristwatches were still mistrusted - "How could a watch be accurate and reliable in such a tiny case, exposed on the wrist to risks such as dust, dirt, shock, pressure?" - the visionary Wilsdorf placed all his hopes on his Rolex. The name - rumor has it - could be derived from the French "horlogerie exquisite." A creative mind and shrewd early brand strategist, Wilsdorf paved the way for a classic with a memorable label and a clear figurative mark, the five-pointed crown. In addition to outstanding quality standards that are still relevant today, he created benchmarks as a smart businessman. He knew what made his customers tick. He addressed the concerns of the time from 1920 onward by issuing convincing accuracy certificates. As soon as the waterproof Rolex Oyster was presented in 1926, marketing professional Wilsdorf took advantage of the nimbus of prominent contemporary witnesses for his own advertising purposes. When the British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze set off on her Channel crossing, she was accompanied by a Rolex Oyster. Although Mercedes had to give up shortly before the finish line due to weather conditions, the Oyster proved to be in good spirits and as accurate as the proverbial Swiss watch, even after 8 hours in the cold Channel water. Wilsdorf quickly publicized his grandiose image success in a sensational PR campaign on the front page of London's Daily Mail. From then on, things went steeply uphill. The Rolex Submariner, launched in 1953 with water resistance to 100 meters, later to 300 meters, was followed by the Sea-Dweller (which today is water-resistant to 3,900 meters) and the Oyster Perpetual Day Date. Another Rolex finest hour came on January 23, 1960, when Jacques Piccard dove to a depth of 10,916 m in the Mariana Trench - with a Rolex on his wrist, of course.

What makes the Rolex Submariner a classic in the underwater world?

At the 1954 Basel Watch Fair, the sensation was complete: everyone's attention was drawn to a wristwatch with a black dial and luminous numerals, hands, seconds counters, an easy-grip rotating bezel, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and a double-secured twinlock crown: the Rolex Submariner - "The Diver's friend." Later on, the dial and bezel were also designed in blue and green, and the bracelets in steel, white or red gold, and in bi-color. A prominent date display in the viewing window was added to the Submariner Date. A label becomes a classic because it never changes shape, design, or functional quality over the course of decades, and yet continues to generate new enthusiasm in each generation. Fresh and immortal through premium standards, originality and bold novelty. As vintage models, luxury watch classics like the Submariner hardly lose value, sought-after watches and rarities achieve growth. A criterion that HORANDO always keeps in mind when you buy watches online.

The Submariner recipe for success: reaching for the (underwater) stars

When you buy a watch on the internet, you will encounter a luxury watch that not only serves extreme athletes and the diving professionals of the British and Canadian Navy faithfully. In the underwater world, however, it reveals its true capabilities. Its rotating bezel and 60-minute graduation, which clearly identifies dive and compression time even in low-light environments, and its serrated and therefore grippy outer rim (diving gloves!) can save lives when in doubt. Make friends with it - it's never too deep (but also not too shallow) for a Rolex Submariner.