Visionary Man Timepieces

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Rolex. The brand that marches to the beat of its own drum and owes nobody anything. (Dealers, you're welcome to share)

Finally, I am very excited to have you with me today as I discuss what many consider the most iconic luxury watch brand in the world. Rolex was established 112 years ago in 1905 by a German and Brit Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Contrary to what most people think, it all started in London not Geneva,. Today, the company is privately owned by the Hans Wilsdorf foundation and has grown into an 8.8 billion dollar brand. Last year it generated almost 5 billion dollars in sales making Rolex ranked 64th most valuable brand in the world. I strongly believe that a true luxury brand should have a crown for its logo and Rolex has always been a brand I looked up to.
Here are the fifteen top things about Rolex.

1. Rolex name doesn’t mean anything, it just sounds expensive. Hans Wilsdorf, one of the two founders of Rolex wanted to choose a name that would be resonant and easy to pronounce for all people of all languages. He knew it should be short and had to look good when embedded on a watch he decided it should be five letters long so he started making thousand of combinations from all the letters in the alphabet. He nailed down around a hundred names but none of them really struck a chord with him until one day as describe the man himself “ONE MORNING, WHILE RIDING ON THE UPPER DECK OF A HORSE-DRAWN OMNIBUS ALONG CHEAPSIDE IN THE CITY OF LONDON, A GENIE WHISPERED ‘ROLEX’ IN MY EAR” and history was made so now you know the name is of divine inspiration but it didn’t actually stand for anything when it was made up they picked it because of its simplicity and because it sounds expensive.

2. They moved from London to Geneva not because it’s where the best watches in the world are made but in order to cut down on taxes. The business was started in 1905 by a 24 year old with his brother-in-law . They used to import the individual pieces and put them together themselves, three years later they decided to make the pieces themselves. Rolex officially left London in 1919 because the war. Import taxes were rising fast and Switzerland made perfect sense for its neutral position and the fact that skilled labor was available in the region. Not only that but as we’ve mentioned before , Switzerland is also a tax haven so it was the obvious choice to make the move.

3. Rolex is actually a charity organization. When I wanted to check Rolexes financial records for this article, I discovered something interesting. Rolex is actually registered under a charity in Switzerland. Let me shed some light on this. Rolex is owned by the Hans Wilsdorf foundation. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation was founded in 1944 following the death of Wilsdorf. All of the ownership shares of Rolex have been transferred to the foundation along with clear and strict instructions on how to handle the finances for the company according to Swiss law private charities do not need to disclose their respective charitable activities and as per the company the donations are kept a secret there has been no confirmation regarding whether anyone has ever received a charity donation from this foundation. Now before you guys change your impression of Rolex, it's important to keep in mind that the company was the only thing Hans had in his life. He owned all the shares and didn't have children so his goal with this move was to ensure the company will survive. Even today the company doesn't have owners or shareholders! They are just custodians so they don't own any of it. The employees are paid incredibly well and since there's no pressure to generate profits for shareholders, the company can simply reinvest all of it to escape taxes and perpetuate their efforts to perfect their craft.

4. It takes almost one year to make one Rolex watch. This is what makes Rolex watches so expensive believe it or not the watches are all handmade despite rolling out thousands of watches every year from its factory each Rolex watch is still individually crafted. There is the same hallmark dedication to quality each individual watch is rigorously tested in stress and pressure tests to ensure they meet Rolex’s high standards. It takes 13 hours to build a Toyota and a year to build a Rolex. This tradition of excellence continues today and this is probably why Rolex remains a coveted brand by watch enthusiasts all around the world.

5. The second most expensive Rolex watch in the world is the 1950 Rolex GMT master which was sold for 3.5 million dollars. The 1958 Rolex GMT master was sold just a few months ago at Philips auction house in Geneva. The most expensive Rolex was the Dyatona Paul Newman selling for $17,000,000 at auction and it’s only going up next time around.

6. The cheapest Rolex is called the air King and it costs $2,200 yes you can buy an original brand new Rolex for only twenty two hundred dollars it gets the same level of attention but it isn't as complex as the rest of the rolex watches

7. The first ever waterproof wristwatch was built by Rolex in 1926. The Rolex Oyster created in 1926 is the first actual waterproof and also dust proof wristwatch ever to be made.

8. Rolex was the first ever wristwatch to receive a class-a chronometer certificate. Class A Chronometer certificate is the end all, be all certification for watches.

9. Rolex proved that their watches can survive anywhere on earth. After the war ended, Rolex’s reputation grew after a British Himalayan expedition led by Sir Edmund Hillary reached the top of Mount Everest for the first time in 1953. Despite the harsh conditions and high altitude the Rolex watches being worn by all the team members never broke down or even lost a second. In 1960, the US Navy sent a specially designed research submarine down to thirty five thousand seven hundred and ninety eight feet below sea level in what we know as the Mariana Trench. It so happens to be the deepest spot over Earth's crust. A Rolex was attached to the outside of the vessel and shockingly it ran without losing a second despite enduring extreme pressures. Just to flex again, they went ahead and repeated the gig in 2012 when Rolex took part in the deep sea challenge expedition led by filmmaker James Cameron who made Titanic and Avatar in partnership with National Geographic. They had it outside the submarine and operated it via a robotic arm the watch performed excellently. This is when the James Cameron Deepsea Dweller was born.

10. This is how you tell if a Rolex is a fake. Don’t try! Take it to an expert and have them check it out. Fakes are incredibly close.

11. Rolex was caught in a scam of almost 1 billion dollars as they mixed with Bernie Madoff. In 2008 the watch world was stunned when Hans Wilsdorf Foundation’s CEO Patrick Heininger stepped down for personal reasons. He and his father Andre had run the organization since Wilsdorf’s death in 1960 and there were no warning signs that their dynasty was about to end. Turns out Rolex had a very serious investment in Bernie Madoff’s 65 billion dollar Ponzi scheme.

12. A Rolex watch helped solve a murder committed by Canada's most wanted criminal in 1996. The crime happened in London. Albert Walker Johnson was a high school dropout and scam artists from Paris Canada who scammed 70 clients out of 3.2 million dollars through her mortgage and investment scam, wanted by Canadian police he fled to England with one of his three daughters he started a new investment business with another Canadian expat named Ronald Joseph Platt. When Platt moved back to Canada, Johnson assumed his identity with his 15 year old daughter posing as his wife to avoid Interpol but when Platt returned to England in 1996, Johnson decided to kill him. He would have gotten away with it too if he was smart enough to take off Platts Rolex before dumping him in the English Channel. After two weeks in the water, the only identifiable thing was his still working was the waterproof Rolex. Through serial and service records, the police identified the body as Platt’s and it didn't take long to track down Walker. Walker now in prison serving a life sentence.

13. Rolex is the official timekeeper for the Wimbledon tournament. The partnership between Rolex and tennis dates back to 1978.

14. Rolex has over 60% profit margin on all of their watches. This type of information is confidential but to the best of my knowledge here's the breakdown of the economics behind a ten thousand dollar Rolex watch. The manufacturer builds the watch for $3,000 it sells for $6,500 and makes $3,500

15. The most expensive Rolex you can find directly from the manufacturer is a Rolex GMT master 2 men's diamond ice watch priced at a little over a half million dollars. They basically took an already expensive Rolex watch and covered it with as many diamonds as they could.

I am curious to know what your favorite Rolex is.

Visionary-Man Timepieces

Used to look at my phone at traffic lights. Now I just admire my Rolex

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We're happy to offer this beautiful Breitling

Brand: Breitling

Model Name: Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronograph 46mm Stainless Steel Blue Dial Watch

Model Number: A13320

Year: 2010

Gender: Men's

Movement: Original Breitling automatic self-winding automatic chronograph movement.

Caliber: Breitling 13

Jewels: 25

Case: Stainless steel case 46.0 mm in diameter. Breitling logo on crown.

Bezel: Stainless steel rotating bezel with blue insert.

Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with a protective coating.

Dial: Blue dial with silver stick hour markers and luminous hands. Three blue chronograph registers with white outline. Date window at 3 o'clock position.

Bracelet: Original Breitling stainless steel mesh bracelet with folding deployment clasp. Will fit up to a 7 3/4" wrist.

Condition: Excellent condition. The case and bezel are near mint with only a few light marks on the bezel insert. The crystal is excellent with no scratches or marks. The band has been polished so it looks like new and is very tight. Overall this is a gorgeous Breitling Superocean in excellent condition.

Engravings: None

Box & Papers: Yes

Working Condition: Tested and timed on timegrapher. Keeping excellent accurate time.

Authenticity: 100% authentic

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