First Rolex Submarine.

[padi56]

Now old Hans Wilsdorf was a clever man,and wanted to increase sales worldwide and especially in tropical climates.So he tried to make a watch that was waterproof,now the evolution of the first oyster case was started.His idea was very simple,he would fit a case inside a case,and he called it the Submarine watch.Now this worked,but had certain drawbacks you had to open the case to wind it,and the outer case had a threaded screw on bezel to protect the watch.This was not very user owner friendly and caused wear on the hinges and bezel threads.So he started to look for a new idea for a truely waterproof wrist watch.

So later in 1925 he heard that two watchmakers one was Paul Perregaux other Georg Perrolet they had taken out a Swiss patent for the first twin lock screwed stem system crown.Now Hans Wilsdorf of Rolex grasped that a hermetically sealed case, together with careful fitting of the crystal and a special stem mechanism, would produce a better water proof wristwatch.He quickly negotiated to have the Perregaux patent assigned to him. Wilsdorf then obtained a British patent on October 18 1926.And then soon after the Rolex Oyster was born and became a commercial success..
Then in 1927, a stenographer, Mercedes Gleitze, swam the English Channel with the unheard of accompaniment of a wristwatch –the Rolex Oyster— on her person for the entire 15 hour, 15 minute,swim and the rest is Rolex history and a great first big advertising first for Rolex a fully waterproof watch,and then we had to wait 30 odd years for the rebirth from Submarine, to the first Submariner as we know it today.

First Rolex Submarine.



Paul Perregaux patent screwed stem system 1925,which Hans Wilsdorf of Rolex acquired,to make the first oyster cased Rolex.

[red98a4ss]

Awesome post very informative thank you!

[Snow-Dweller]

Thanks

[14060m]

Cool
Thank you

[Racerdj]

Very informative.

[soho]

Thanks for the info Peter.

[cop414]

Great watch history lesson to wake up to Peter, thank you!

[travisb]

Great history!

[mjclark32]

[Bangel]

If nothing else, the outer submarine case sounds like it was good for protecting the inner case against scratches....

Great educational post Peter. Thanks for sharing.

[nick c]

Cool

[KINGROLESAR]

A great read with very interesting historic info and insight. Thank you, padi

[Director EDTF]

Thanks for sharing that bit of Rolex History Padi!

[Nidal]

We like to have educational material, please keep it coming Peter


Nidal

[Keith1]

A fun history read on my favorite watch. Thank you Peter!

[Rags]

Thanks for the info...

[franzy]

Thanks for sharing Peter- very interesting!!

[bridgs]

Thanks for teaching me something today!

[nickb732]

Thanks! Always nice to learn a thing or two.

[teqp]

Thank you for the lesson Padi, good information

[vitalsignsrn]

Awesome..thanks.

[FTX I]

Thank you sir.

[thomaspp]

Great post!

[padi56]

Another interesting little bit of history now in today's market perpetual its just Rolex speak for being automatic winding,but Perrelet first invented the first true self winding mechanism around 1770.Later Breguet improved it and called his winding system perpetuelles,now maybe this is where Rolex got the idea to call there automatics Perpetual.And it was a guy called John Harwood from the Isle of Man in the UK,now he in 1923 took out a UK/World patent for the first truly automatic winding wrist watch.

He had backing from several interested parties to produce many thousands of these watches,but mainly owing to the very hard industrial depression in the mid 1920s to 1930s in the UK he went broke and out of business .Now old Hans Wilsdorf of Rolex being a very clever but very shrewd man bought and took up this auto-winding patent for the Rolex Watch Company,and in the very early 1930s incorporated it into the oyster design case. This with the newly acquired waterproof screw down crown patent that he got from Perregaux and George Peret the first oyster cased Rolex automatic winding watch was born . Now in those very early automatic oyster days it only wound around 300 degrees .Now Rolex did improved the design with the help of Hans brother in-law,who made it more efficient by winding a full 360 degrees,and a power reserve then of around 36 hours.After the auto watch and the oyster case later the oyster type bracelet, Rolex really took off the rest is just pure marketing genius by Hans Wilsdorf of then the RWC.

[MonBK]

Great post Peter but you forgot to mention that Mercedes wore the "wristwatch" around her neck.

[Jake B]

Nifty...Good read, Peter.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Great post Peter but you forgot to mention that Mercedes wore the "wristwatch" around her neck.

...and that she only wore it on her second 'vindication swim', which she failed to complete.

http://www.qualitytyme.net/pages/rol...m_gleitze.html

[padi56]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Great post Peter but you forgot to mention that Mercedes wore the "wristwatch" around her neck.

Thats quite true that's why I stated it was on her person as there is quite some debate about this. Although some pictures do show watch worn around her neck myself not 100% convinced this was so on the complete swim.

[Frogdog]

Interesting read! 👍

[crowncollection]

Great write up Peter I just happen to have one in 18ct.