Portrait: Rolex — the watch of the beautiful, rich and powerful
When most people hear the term “luxury watch,” they probably immediately think of Rolex. No wonder, because the iconic watch brand has over a hundred years of history, can boast of so many innovations and has already been worn by many celebrities. Learn about Rolex's history and why luxury watches are always a good investment.
The story of a luxury brand
Rolex watches are the most famous timepieces in the world. They are cult, myth, investment and collector's item at the same time. As proof of this, all you have to do is look at the Statistics on the popularity of luxury watch brands Throw: Rolex was the clear number one in Germany in 2023 with 87%. But what makes the Swiss brand so legendary? It all began with Bavarian founder Hans Wilsdorf's formative passion for watches. Born in Kulmbach, Wilsdorf completed a commercial apprenticeship and began his professional career as a foreign language correspondent at Cuno Kourten, a leading import and export company that also traded watches, among other things. Wilsdorf's fascination for watches and their precision was awakened and he founded a Swiss watch retailer in London in 1905. Even then - in the age of pocket watches - the young visionary was convinced that the future would belong to wristwatches. That is why the entrepreneur had the brand name “ROLEX” entered in the commercial register in 1908. He himself wrote about choosing the name “ROLEX sounds good, is easy to remember and is also pronounced the same in all European languages.”
Since wristwatches were generally regarded as too fragile and inaccurate back then, Wilsdorf did everything he could to refute the prejudices with technically masterful timepieces. With success: A Rolex watch was the first wristwatch to receive a Swiss chronometer certificate in 1910. In 1914, the British Kew Observatory was the first wristwatch to award a Class A precision certificate, an award that was previously reserved exclusively for marine chronometers.
With the Rolex brand, Wilsdorf had in mind not just a watch, but a symbol of excellence and innovation — values that still shape the brand today. Rolex has continued to innovate over the decades. These include the first waterproof wristwatch (“Oyster”) and the first watch with an automatically changing date. The interior of a Rolex also conceals groundbreaking innovations. Among them, the so-called Chronergy inhibition. It has a good 15% higher efficiency than conventional inhibitions and extends the power reserve of a four-hertz Rolex watch to around 70 hours.
Rolex also did pioneering work in the marketing sector. First of all, Rolex was the first watch brand whose name was emblazoned on the dial. Advertising genius Wilsdorf also recognized that celebrities are extremely effective as brand ambassadors. That's how he convinced Mercedes Gleitze, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, to wear a Rolex Oyster around her neck while braving the waves. Rolex was also always present during the first conquest of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay and when exploring the Mariana Trench. In this way, the watches were associated with the achievements of outstanding personalities from various fields, such as sports, research, or culture, whose spirit radiated into the brand.
The most famous Rolex watch models
Today, the wearers of the luxury watch include celebrities from sports, politics and show business. In the film industry, Robert Downey Jr. with his green Submariner “Hulk” and Will Smith, who a Submariner and a Sky-Dweller Made of Everose gold, to fans of the brand. Mark Wahlberg often shows himself wearing stainless steel Daytonas, but also owns valuable platinum and white gold models.
Rolex is also popular in the sports world. Roger Federer wears various models as brand ambassador, as do Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova. Golfers such as Tiger Woods and Bernhard Langer as well as soccer greats such as David Beckham, Pelé and Oliver Kahn are also enthusiastic wearers. The brand can also be found on the wrist of Michael Jordan, Mark Webber and Lindsey Vonn.
Celebrities are specifically choosing the most iconic models, which include these Rolex watches:
- Rolex Submariner (1953)
The Submariner is probably the most famous Rolex and is often regarded as the classic among diving watches. It was developed specifically for divers and was the first watch that was waterproof to a depth of 100 meters. With its timeless design and robustness, the Submariner has achieved cult status not only among divers, but also among watch enthusiasts and collectors.
- Rolex GMT Master (1955)
Die GMT Master was developed in collaboration with Pan Am to meet the requirements of long-distance pilots. This watch can display two different time zones at the same time, making it particularly popular with frequent travelers. The “Pepsi” version with its red and blue bezel is one of the most distinctive and sought after models.
- Rolex Daytona (1963)
Die daytona was developed for racing drivers and is closely linked to motorsport. It offers a precise stop function and a tachymeter scale to measure speeds. In particular, the models worn by Paul Newman are extremely popular among collectors today. The “Paul Newman Daytona” is considered one of the most valuable and sought after watches in the world.
- Rolex Sky-Dweller (2012)
The Sky-Dweller is the updated version of Rolex's GMT-Master II. It was developed for world travelers (and world stars). With the Saros annual calendar and the Ring Command system, it shows two time zones as well as the date and month at the same time and allows them to be adjusted with a simple movement of the wrist. The Sky-Dweller recently made it into the limelight through an appearance in the video for “Staying Alive,” in which she was emblazoned on the wrist of rapper Drake.
Timelessly well invested
Luxury watches are not only sought after prestige and collector's items, but also popular as an investment. Because of solid demand combined with a tight supply, a Rolex, Omega or Patek Philippe is stable in value and offers attractive return prospects in the long term. For example, the Rolex Market Index despite declines in 2023/2024, which were due, among other things, to strong equity markets, by over 70% since 2017. However, not every private investor can afford one or more luxury watches as an investment. Especially since there are also costs for safe storage and regular inspection. That is why offers FINEXITY offers digital shares of selected, top-class watch models on its marketplace, which can be traded flexibly for as little as 500 euros. In this way, even retail investors can supplement their portfolio with a “timeless” and very attractive tangible asset.
