More than a century after Hans Wilsdorf founded the company, Rolex remains the world's best-known name in wristwatches.
By Matt BallAugust 10, 2026
A Rolex Daytona Rainbow 18K white gold automatic watch realized £180,000 ($240,000) plus buyer’s premium in December 2025 at Bonhams, London, England. Image courtesy of Bonhams and LiveAuctioneers.NEW YORK, NY — Rolex, arguably the world's best-known single luxury watch brand, has been producing precision wristwatches for more than a century. It was in 1905, at the age of 24, that German businessman Hans Wilsdorf (1881-1960) founded a company in London specializing in the distribution of timepieces. His dream, however, was to produce a precision watch worn on the wrist. Early wristwatches were not unfailingly accurate, but Wilsdorf foresaw that they could become not only reliable, but also elegant.With the arrival of World War One, Wilsdorf decided it would be wise to change the name of his company. Out went Wilsdorf & Davis and in came a shorter name that would look good on the dial and was easier to say and remember. Having played with jumbles of letters without success, he finally found the word he was looking for. He later remarked: "A genie whispered 'Rolex' in my ear."Wilsdorf's philosophy was "only great marketing is needed to make a company successful" but that did not prevent him from making the best products that he could. He first concentrated on the quality of the movements. The quest for chronometric precision led to success. In 1914, Kew Observatory in Great Britain awarded a Rolex wristwatch a class 'A' precision certificate, a distinction that, until that point in time, had been reserved exclusively for marine chronometers. From that date forward, the Rolex wristwatch has been synonymous with precision.In 1919 Rolex moved to Geneva, Switzerland, a city renowned internationally for watchmaking. Montres Rolex S.A. was registered there in 1920.In 1926, Rolex’s creation of the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch marked a major step forward. Given the name 'Oyster', this watch featured a hermetically sealed case that provided optimal protection for the movement.One year later a Rolex Oyster crossed the English Channel, worn by a young English swimmer named Mercedes Gleitze. The crossing took more than 10 hours, but the watch remained in perfect working order.Rolex invented and patented the world’s first self-winding mechanism with a Perpetual rotor in 1931. This ingenious system is today at the heart of every modern automatic watch.In 1945 the Datejust was launched. It was the first self-winding wrist chronometer to indicate the date in a window on the dial. It was equipped with a Jubilee bracelet created specially for it, and a fluted bezel, making it immediately recognizable as a Rolex. Initially for men, it became available in various models for women within a decade.In 1953, Sir John Hunt's expedition, in which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, was equipped with Oyster Perpetuals.Inspired by knowledge gained from this fascinating chapter of human adventure, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer, launched that same year to celebrate the ascent of Everest, immediately acquired iconic status.A Rolex Pre-Daytona Chronograph, Ref. 6238, a steel manual-wind chronograph that predates the Daytona name and is prized by collectors for its clean, uncluttered dial, brought $28,000 plus buyer’s premium when San Rafael Auction Gallery offered it in April 2026.A Rolex Pre-Daytona Chronograph, Ref. 6238, brought $28,000 plus buyer’s premium in April 2026. Image courtesy of San Rafael Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers.The GMT-Master II was originally developed in the 1950s for Pan Am pilots who needed to track two time zones simultaneously. A Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” (ref. 126719BLRO) in 18K white gold, with its signature red-and-blue bezel and meteorite dial, achieved $38,500 plus buyer’s premium at Worcester Trade Counter LTD in April 2026.A Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” in 18K white gold (ref. 126719BLRO) achieved $38,500 plus buyer’s premium in April 2026. Image courtesy of Worcester Trade Counter LTD and LiveAuctioneers.Among the most visually striking results of recent months was a Rolex Daytona Rainbow in 18K white gold, which realized £180,000 ($240,000) plus buyer’s premium at Bonhams in London, England, in December 2025. The “Rainbow” variant, distinguished by a bezel set with multicolored baguette sapphires graduating through the spectrum, has become one of the most sought-after Daytona configurations on the secondary market.Matt Ball is Publishing Director of Antiques Trade Gazette. He has more than 30 years of experience working for media and technology businesses.
