Rolex models explained: from the Oyster to the Sky-Dweller

Almost all Rolex models are based on two inventions: the waterproof Oyster case of 1926 and the automatic rotor of 1931, which together gave the Oyster Perpetual. From it came classic watches such as the Datejust (1945) and the Day-Date (1956) and tool watches for particular professions: the Submariner and Explorer (1953), GMT-Master (1954), Milgauss (1956), Daytona (1963) and Sea-Dweller (1967). Later came the Explorer II, Yacht-Master, Deepsea and Sky-Dweller.

Facts

Oyster and Perpetual

Hans Wilsdorf started the firm in London in 1905 with his brother-in-law Alfred Davis and moved it to Geneva after the First World War. He bet on the wristwatch when most people still wore pocket watches, and in 1926 came the waterproof Oyster case, with a screw-down crown and screw-down case back. When Mercedes Gleitze wore a Rolex during an attempt to swim the English Channel in 1927, it became publicity for the whole idea.

In 1931 Rolex patented a semicircular rotor that swung freely and wound the mainspring as the arm moved. The Oyster Perpetual combined the two inventions. The early automatic watches had a domed case back that made room for the rotor and are therefore called Bubblebacks.

Datejust, Day-Date, Air-King and Cellini

The Datejust came for Rolex’s fortieth anniversary in 1945 and was the first automatic chronometer wristwatch with the date in a window. The Jubilee bracelet was made for the model, and the magnifying lens over the date, the Cyclops, came in the 1950s. The Day-Date of 1956 also showed the day of the week spelled out and is made only in gold or platinum; it is called the President.

The Air-King is a simple Oyster Perpetual without a date, one of several watches that in the 1940s were named after aviation as a tribute to the pilots of the Royal Air Force. The Cellini of 1968, named after the Renaissance goldsmith, is Rolex’s dress watch in gold without the Oyster case.

The tool watches of the 1950s

In the 1950s Rolex made watches for particular professions. The Submariner was shown in 1953 and went on sale the following year, a diver’s watch with a rotating bezel that became the model for almost all later diver’s watches. The Explorer, with a black dial and the numerals 3, 6 and 9, came in 1953, the same year that Mount Everest was climbed for the first time, and Rolex had supplied watches for the expedition.

The GMT-Master of 1954 was made for the pilots of the airline Pan Am. An extra hand goes round the dial once in 24 hours and points to a two-colour bezel, usually red and blue, that shows a second time zone. The Milgauss of 1956 had an inner case of soft iron that protected against magnetic fields of a thousand gauss, for scientists and engineers.

Daytona and Sea-Dweller

The Cosmograph Daytona came in 1963, a chronograph for racing drivers with a tachymeter scale on the bezel, named after the racetrack at Daytona Beach. From 1988 it had an automatic movement based on the Zenith El Primero, and from 2000 Rolex’s own calibre 4130. Watches with the dial that Paul Newman wore have become among the most sought-after wristwatches of all.

The Sea-Dweller of 1967 was made for saturation divers who live in pressure chambers for days. The helium in the breathing gas penetrates the watch, and a valve that Rolex developed with the company Comex releases it before the crystal bursts when the pressure is lowered.

From the Explorer II to the Sky-Dweller

The Explorer II of 1971 has an orange 24-hour hand for cave explorers and polar travellers, who cannot tell whether it is day or night. The Yacht-Master of 1992 was Rolex’s first new sports watch for a long time, with raised numerals on the bezel. The Deepsea of 2008 withstands pressure down to almost four thousand metres.

The Sky-Dweller of 2012 is a watch for travellers with an annual calendar and a second time zone on a rotating disc. The bezel is turned to select which function the crown will set, a system that Rolex calls Ring Command.

References and dating

Each Rolex model has been made in many references, with four-, five- or six-digit numbers that are found between the lugs at twelve o’clock, beneath the bracelet. The reference tells you which version of the model it is, and a serial number at six o’clock shows roughly when it was made. Explorer reference 1016, for example, was made from 1963 to 1989 almost unchanged.

Details such as crown guards, date windows, dial text and luminous material distinguish the decades. How to date a wristwatch in general is shown in the guide to how to date a wristwatch, and the history of the Submariner is in the guide to the Rolex Submariner.

How to recognise it

Exercise

Which Rolex model was made for pilots flying between time zones and has a two-colour bezel?