In 1910, a Rolex watch was the first wristwatch in the world to receive the Swiss Certificate of Precision, granted by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne.
Four years later, in 1914, Kew Observatory in Great Britain awarded a Rolex wristwatch a class “A” precision certificate, a distinction which until that point in time had been reserved exclusively for marine chronometers.
From that date forward, the Rolex wristwatch was synonymous with precision.
The Oyster soon boasted yet another outstanding feature. In 1931, Rolex invented and patented the world’s first self-winding mechanism with a Perpetual rotor.
This ingenious system is at the origin of every modern automatic watch.
The self-winding mechanism consists of a half-moon-shaped oscillating weight, which pivots freely on its central axle in one direction, then the other with the natural movements of the wrist.
It transmits uninterrupted natural energy to the watch. The oscillations of the weight create energy that is stored in the mainspring. Today, a Rolex watch enjoys the autonomy of approximately 50 hours.
The Perpetual rotor system of the Oyster movements is recognizable by two red reversing wheels that allow the rewinding of the movement regardless of the rotation direction of the oscillating weight.
Very few people in the world are allowed inside a Rolex Oyster. Only authorized Rolex retailers have the necessary know-how, skills, and equipment to gain access.
Hermetically sealed to the case with a massive torque of five Newton meters, the back of any Oyster, as this case-back demonstrates, creates an environment that protects the movement from shocks, pressure, dust, water, and any other intrusive element.
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