Marketing the Oyster

Rolex invented the first truly waterproof watch case in 1926. Rolex called it's waterproof case, the "Oyster". Rolex has persistently marketed its Oyster over the years, sometimes the results are amusing.

Mercedes Gleitze. Rolex likes to say that "in 1927, a young woman named Mercedes Gleitze swam across the icy waters of the English Channel wearing a Rolex Oyster."

In 1927, Miss Mercedes Gleitze, successfully swam across the English Channel in 15 hours. Two weeks later a Dr. Dorothy Logan claimed to have also swam across the English Channel in 13 hours. Dr. Logans swim was shown to be a hoax. This cause people to question Miss Gleitze’s claim. Because of this, Miss Glietz decided to swim the channel again, her Vindication swim. Rolex, desirous of marketing its Oyster watch supplied Ms. Gleitze with a gold Rolex Oyster watch for her Vindication swim. This attempt was a failure, but her effort was enough to convince the public that she had accomplished it before as she had claimed. So while Miss Glietz did swim accross the channel, she did not do it wearing a Rolex. When she did bring a Rolex she was seven miles short. Still the Rolex did survived the 10 hours and 24 minute attempt across the Channel.

Also, Miss Glietz did now wear the Rolex it one her wrist. It was hanging round her neck by a riband during this swim.

Submariner. In 1953 Rolex created the Submariner, the first watch ever to be sold which guaranteed water resistance to 100 meters. In 1956, the Submariner was made available with a water resistance rating of 200 meters. This was not the end of first. In 1971, Rolex created the Sea-Dweller 2000, the first watch ever to be sold which guaranteed water resistance to 510 meters. In 1980, Rolex released the Sea-Dweller 4000, the first watch ever to be sold which guaranteed water resistance to 1220 meters. In 2008, Rolex announced the Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA, the first mechanical watch ever to be marketed which guaranteed water resistance to 3990 meters.

Rolex watches can go deeper than any person wearing them ever could.

Subwatch. In 1953 a Rolex Deep Sea Special, a huge 57mm x 40mm x 39mm watch was attached to the outside of a deep sea diving submarine and descended to a depth of 10,335ft. This initial depth record was broken 7 years later when in 1960 the Bathyscaph ‘Trieste’ took another Rolex Deep Sea Special to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench. The watch had withstood a depth of 35,800 feet.

The Rolex Deep Sea Special was never slated for commercial manufacture. Only seven Rolex Deep Sea Special's were ever built. It looked like a typical Rolex with a snow globe as the crystal glass. The Rolex Deep Sea Special is one of the most ridiculous watches I have ever seen. But it was not built to be worn by people. It was created solely for one purpose, to be strapped unto submarines and break records.

Crushed Oyster. In 1972 with an add came out in the January edition of the magazine Skin Diver claim that at 2000 feet of water pressure a Rolex watch case would be bent on the crystal and case back by the water pressure, so severely, that a movement inside the watch would be crushed, but that the case was still watertight.


It's broken, but it is dry!

Okay, we enjoyed poking some fun at Rolex. Seriously though, the invention of a waterproof watch was a great acheivement, one we wanted to acknowledge.