Rolex and the first self-winding automatic watch.

padi65 · Rolex and the first self-winding automatic watch.

Well quite a long time ago a watchmaker called Perrelet invented the first self winding mechanism around 1770.Later Breguet improved it and called his winding system perpetuelles.Now perhaps this is where Rolex got the idea to call there automatics Perpetual.But John Harwood from the Isle of Man UK around 1923 took out a UK patent for the very first automatic winding wrist watch.Now he went on with backing to produce many thousands of these watches.But mainly owing to the depression in the mid 1920s to 1930s in the UK he went bust.Now old Hans of Rolex being a very clever but very shrewd man bought and took up this patent for the Rolex Watch Company. And in the very late 1920s to early 1930s incorporated it into the first true oyster design case .And also with the newly acquired waterproof screw down crown patent.Now Wilsdorf bought and acquired this patent from Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret.They first applied for a Swiss patent in 1925 for a screwed stem system and was registered to them.But Hans of the Rolex watch company quickly negotiated to have the Perregaux and Peret patent assigned to him. Wilsdorf then obtained a British patent on October 18, 1926 for the twin lock screwed stem system .

Perregaux and Peret patent screwed stem system

And with the Oyster case and this acquired patent auto wind mechanism that only wound around 300 degrees then.But Rolex improved the design by 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 Rolex really took off the rest is just pure marketing genius by Hans.

Wilsdorf came up with the name oyster while he was having a dinner party and having a hard time getting into an oyster. He made a remark to his guests that he hoped the new design of watch case would prove to be as resilient as this oyster mollusk

GinGinD

Thanks, padi! Great info as usual.

Jeannie

jdc

as ever a fountain of knowledge

SLS

Great info! I think "shrewd" was putting it mildly! Thanks Padi

Scott

Lion

I love to learn more history about the Rolex company and how they have progressed through the years. Thanx Peter!!!