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Well, in search of when the Rolex crown was introduced I found a nice piece of Rolex history on the internet..
Please correct the text if there are mistakes in it..:thumbup:
*1881 Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex is born in Bavaria, Germany.
*1905 Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis form Wilsdorf & Davis in Hatton Garden, England. Importing
Swiss Movements, sources dials and manufactures watches and watchcases.
*1908 The Rolex Watch Co. is registered as a company.
*1910 A Rolex becomes the 1st wristwatch to obtain First Class Chronometer Certificate from the
Horology Society, Switzerland.
*1912 The Rolex Watch Co. begins manufacturing watches in Bienne, Switzerland.
*1915 The company names is officially changed from Wilsdorf & Davis to
The Rolex Watch Co.
*1919 Wilsdorf returns to live in Switzerland.
*1920 Founds Montres Geneva, Alfred Davis is no longer part of the company.
*1925 The Rolex crown logo is registered as a trademark.
*1926 Rolex patents the screw down crown known as the Oyster.
*1927 Mercedes Gleitze becomes the first British women to swim the English Channel on October 21,
whilst wearing a Rolex. One month later the new Oyster is launched on front page newspaper
advertisements in the London Daily Mail.
*1931 Rolex patents an automatic rotary winding mechanism, the Oyster Perpetual.
*1935 Whilst wearing a Rolex Sir Malcolm Campbell sets a new land speed record in his Bluebird.
*1945 The Oyster Perpetual Datejust is launched, the 1st automatic, waterproof Chronometer with the
date visible through a window in the dial.
*1952 The 1st explorer prototype, model 6098 is launched. In May 1953 Sir John Hunts Mount
Everest team are issued with prototype Explorers.
*1953 A large test watch known as the Deep Sea Special is attached to the exterior of Prof. Auguste
Piccard's bathyscaphe, FNRS-2 which reaches a depth of 3131.80 meters. The Watch remains
waterproof.
*1953 The Turn-O-graph model 6202 is introduced.
*1953 The Rolex Submariner is launched at The 1954 Basel spring watch fair, in Geneva.
*1954 The Milgauss & GMT-Master are introduced.
*1959 The Submariner 5512 with protective crown guards is introduced.
*1960 Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf Dies.
*1960 The 1st Cosmograph is launched model 6239.
*1966 The Seadweller 1665 is introduced, with a helium Gas escape valve making it the first
commercially available watch for use by saturation divers.
*1966 The Submariner 1680 featuring a Date is launched.
*1971 The Explorer II is launched.
*1986 By 1986 half of all Swiss certified chronometers produced have been manufactured by Rolex.
*1990 Rolex produces its 10,000,000 chronometer certified watch.
*2003 Rolex celebrates the Submariners 50th anniversary by launching the 16610LV model with a
green bezel at the 2003 Basel watch fair.
Please correct the text if there are mistakes in it..:thumbup:
*1881 Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex is born in Bavaria, Germany.
*1905 Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis form Wilsdorf & Davis in Hatton Garden, England. Importing
Swiss Movements, sources dials and manufactures watches and watchcases.
*1908 The Rolex Watch Co. is registered as a company.
*1910 A Rolex becomes the 1st wristwatch to obtain First Class Chronometer Certificate from the
Horology Society, Switzerland.
*1912 The Rolex Watch Co. begins manufacturing watches in Bienne, Switzerland.
*1915 The company names is officially changed from Wilsdorf & Davis to
The Rolex Watch Co.
*1919 Wilsdorf returns to live in Switzerland.
*1920 Founds Montres Geneva, Alfred Davis is no longer part of the company.
*1925 The Rolex crown logo is registered as a trademark.
*1926 Rolex patents the screw down crown known as the Oyster.
*1927 Mercedes Gleitze becomes the first British women to swim the English Channel on October 21,
whilst wearing a Rolex. One month later the new Oyster is launched on front page newspaper
advertisements in the London Daily Mail.
*1931 Rolex patents an automatic rotary winding mechanism, the Oyster Perpetual.
*1935 Whilst wearing a Rolex Sir Malcolm Campbell sets a new land speed record in his Bluebird.
*1945 The Oyster Perpetual Datejust is launched, the 1st automatic, waterproof Chronometer with the
date visible through a window in the dial.
*1952 The 1st explorer prototype, model 6098 is launched. In May 1953 Sir John Hunts Mount
Everest team are issued with prototype Explorers.
*1953 A large test watch known as the Deep Sea Special is attached to the exterior of Prof. Auguste
Piccard's bathyscaphe, FNRS-2 which reaches a depth of 3131.80 meters. The Watch remains
waterproof.
*1953 The Turn-O-graph model 6202 is introduced.
*1953 The Rolex Submariner is launched at The 1954 Basel spring watch fair, in Geneva.
*1954 The Milgauss & GMT-Master are introduced.
*1959 The Submariner 5512 with protective crown guards is introduced.
*1960 Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf Dies.
*1960 The 1st Cosmograph is launched model 6239.
*1966 The Seadweller 1665 is introduced, with a helium Gas escape valve making it the first
commercially available watch for use by saturation divers.
*1966 The Submariner 1680 featuring a Date is launched.
*1971 The Explorer II is launched.
*1986 By 1986 half of all Swiss certified chronometers produced have been manufactured by Rolex.
*1990 Rolex produces its 10,000,000 chronometer certified watch.
*2003 Rolex celebrates the Submariners 50th anniversary by launching the 16610LV model with a
green bezel at the 2003 Basel watch fair.
