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5 Surprising Facts About Rolex: Swiss Watch Buyer's Guide and Information

Here are five surprising facts about Rolex watches. Are they the best? Are they a non-profit company? Debunking the "sweeping second hand" myth? Is the Submariner the original diver's watch? Do Rolex watches last forever?

Rolex is one of the most storied names in watchmaking, and certainly the most recognizable as it is familiar to even those who are the least concerned with luxury watches. The brand's iconic crown logo is recognized the world over as a symbol of luxury, quality, prestige, taste, and precision. Even those who have never worn a Rolex or even given one a second thought can tell you that the company's watches are made in Switzerland, carry high price tags, and are among the best in the world. But are they really the best? Below you will find the answer to this question and four more surprising facts about Rolex's business operations, watch movements, trademark timepiece, and durability.

Rolex, the Best Watch in the World?

Rolex is, without a doubt, the most recognizable watch brand in the world and they are universally recognized as a status symbol, but is a Rolex the best watch? There are different measures by which one can judge the quality of a watch: timekeeping precision, exclusivity, reliability, innovative design, pioneering engineering, complications, and meticulous craftsmanship. Rolex as a brand performs above average by most of these metrics but is not atop any of the aforementioned measures of watch quality. The brand is akin to BMW in that they manufacture a high number of timepieces annually and that they are of high-quality and carry status. But, like BMW, they do many things well but are not the pinnacle of the industry in terms of reliability, craftsmanship, or innovation; Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin are like the Rolls Royce and Ferraris of the watchmaking world.

Rolex is a Non-Profit Company

While most of the other big names in watchmaking are owned by conglomerates seeking to diversify their corporate portfolio and maximize profits, Rolex holds a special place in the watchmaking world and in the entire world of luxury goods. Rolex is not owned by a family or by stockholders, but rather by two family trusts. These trusts annually disperse a fixed amount of money to the remaining members of the founding family, but the remainder, or "profits," go to charitable causes focusing on high school education and training watchmakers.

Sweeping Second Hand Myth

There is a common misconception about how to spot a genuine Rolex. Most people believe that checking for the sweeping second hand, which is a tell-tale sign of a mechanical movement, is a sound way of differentiating fakes from authentic Rolex timepieces. Rolex has been more committed to the craft of mechanical movements than its peers like Tag Heuer and Omega, but less so than the truly exclusive high-end makers like Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Rolex has manufactured quartz, or battery-operated, timepieces, albeit in limited numbers. The other reason this myth needs to be debunked is that many counterfeits feature mechanical movements nowadays. The only way to be absolutely certain that you are dealing with an authentic Rolex watch is to buy from an authorized dealer or have the watch in question inspected by a certified jeweler with Rolex expertise.

Submariner: The First Diving Watch?

The Submariner is widely considered the archetype of diving watches and by extension it is considered the originator of the watch style. The facts, however, show that the Submariner was an early entry into the segment, the second diving watch on the market, to be precise. The first diver's watch? The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms wrist watch is the original diver's watch, although it is overlooked by the masses due to the ubiquity of the Rolex Submariner and the company's deep marketing efforts.

Rolex Watches Last Forever

Rolex, and other fine watches, are perceived by many people as products that last forever. Many people buy them with the intention of handing them down to their children someday. What first-time mechanical watch buyers often forget or purposefully neglect is that, like all things mechanical, these timepieces do require maintenance in order to run accurately, or at all. You must change your car's engine oil at prescribed intervals or your engine performance will suffer and eventually you will experience severe mechanical failure. The same rules apply to the gears of a mechanical watch. Most watches only need to be serviced every few years, but these routine services are key to ensuring that your Rolex is still ticking decades from now. Also, letting the watch sit in a drawer shortens the lifespan as the watch's oils settle in certain crevices and fail to lubricate other surfaces. A mechanical Rolex watch, like other fine mechanical watches, will keep accurate time for over a hundred years, provided you maintain the timepiece's movement.

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