Created to be the world’s first waterproof watch, the Rolex Oyster is 100 years young and takes on new life with a colorful Jubilee dial.
Watches that are highly resistant to water are commonplace in today’s world, but in the 1920s, they were nonexistent. Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf aimed to change that, setting a goal of creating the world’s first waterproof wristwatch. In 1926, he unveiled just that and named it the Oyster. “Thanks to an ingenious patented system consisting of a screw-down bezel, case back and winding crown, the case was hermetically sealed,” according to the brand, “thereby offering optimal protection for the movement.”
In a stroke of marketing genius, Wilsdorf publicly demonstrated his new Oyster watch’s waterproofness by giving it to a long-distance swimmer to wear while crossing the English Channel. Mercedes Gleitze, the first woman to successfully swim across the Channel, wore the Oyster during her crossing in 1927. After 10 hours in the water, the watch was still running. The next day, Wilsdorf took out an ad in a London newspaper featuring the triumphant swimmer wearing his watch. Gleitze—and her Rolex—made headlines all over the world.
This year’s Oyster Perpetual 36 watch is bursting with celebratory color in its dial. The watch’s lacquer dial is crafted in the brand’s Jubilee pattern, which was first introduced in the 1970s, in 10 distinct colors. The colored lacquer is applied in 10 highly precise separate layers. This is “to ensure that all the shapes and letters making up the motif are positioned perfectly,” according to the brand.
Inner Strength
Like all Rolexes, the watch’s beauty is more than skin deep. The timepiece is equipped with the brand’s 3230 in-house self-winding movement with a power reserve of 70 hours. The movement’s robust shock resistance is enhanced by the brand’s patented Paraflex shock absorbers, and it is also highly antimagnetic. The watch’s case and bracelet are made of the brand’s patented Oystersteel, a steel alloy that is highly anticorrosive.
Like its century-old predecessor, the new Oyster Perpetual 36 is waterproof. Thanks to Rolex’s technological advancements, the watch is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 meters. Its case “provides optimal protection for the movement it houses.” The timepiece’s Oyster bracelet is comprised of three links, an iconic design that dates from the 1930s and is fitted on all watches in the Oyster Perpetual collection.