In collaboration with Kenzo Dijkstra - watch expert
Rolex watches are worth gold. A glance at our auction shows us that a Rolex can easily cost a few thousand euros. But Rolex watches were not always worth so much money. The founder of Rolex (Wilsdorf) used its watches for the 'common man'. As we know now, time has changed. Read more to find out how Hans Wilsdorf conquered the world with his Rolex and how much a Rolex is worth nowadays.
Origin
The young Wilsdorf knew already that he wanted to become a watchmaker. In the time he began, in the early 20th century, mostly pocket watches were popular. Wrist watches were seen as an ornament for women. Wrist watches would also not work accurately and won’t be waterproof. However, in 1905 the innovative entrepreneur decided to focus on wrist watches. The Rolex was born!
Hans Wilsdorf. Source: Rolex magazine
Quality over quantity
The focus of Wilsdorf was mainly in quality. In 1914 he proved that by being the first wrist watchmaker that obtained the class-A certificate for chronometric precision, awarded by The Kew Observatory in Great Britain. From that year on, Rolex was synonymous for chronometric precision.
Rolex Oyster
The most famous clock of Rolex is the Oyster. The Oyster owed its name to the secrecy of an oyster. The claim that your watches are waterproof and dustproof is one thing, but to proof it is the next step. Therefore Wilsdorf invented a memorable PR stunt. Wilsdorf heard that Mercedes Gleitze wanted to be the first woman to cross the English channel by swimming. He asked her to wear his Rolex and by that prove that the watches are resistant to harsh conditions. After more than a ten hour long swimming tour, the watch still worked perfectly. He received a lot of publicity and the Oyster is today still being sold.
Rolex Datejust
The Rolex Datejust was the first wristwatch model in the world that adjusted the date automatically. This Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust below comes from the 50 's, and delivered the seller via Catawiki no less than €6,000. The proof how timeless and popular Rolex watches really are.
Diamond Rolex Datejust
The below displayed Rolex Datejust watch, is made of fine materials including gold and diamonds. The diamonds highlight how fancy it is to own a Rolex watch. Wondering for what insane price this watch was sold in our auction? Find out here.
The Oyster and Datejust, prove how innovative Rolex was for its time, this is also one of the reasons why Rolex watches are so popular with collectors. Do you have a Rolex watch and do you want to put it for auction via Catawiki? Offer up your Rolex for one of our watch auctions and bring it to the attention to millions of potential buyers around the world. Are you looking for that one unique Rolex watch that is missing in your collection? Go to our Rolex auction to discover which ones will be in auction this week.