Rolex was founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London; the manufacture later moved to Geneva. Wilsdorf's vision was an elegant yet exceptionally accurate and dependable wristwatch, at a time when the wristwatch was still not taken seriously as a timekeeper.

In 1926 the brand introduced the Oyster case, the world's first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch case, whose reputation was sealed by Mercedes Gleitze's swim across the English Channel in 1927. The Perpetual self-winding rotor followed in 1931, becoming the foundation of the modern automatic watch.

Across the 20th century Rolex created its icons one after another: the Datejust, the Submariner for divers, the GMT-Master for travellers and the Cosmograph Daytona for racing. Every Rolex is built around its own chronometer-certified calibre and passes the brand's stringent in-house testing.

Today Rolex is the benchmark for investment-grade luxury watches: timepieces that are handed down through generations and hold their value.