Who here hasn’t heard of Rolex? Rolex is the king of luxury and sport watches in the world of chronographs. Every watch enthusiasts claims to know the details of a Rolex watch and their creation. However, there are some things that every Rolex owner should know about the brand.
Rolex has kept their processes fairly secret since their inception. However, the “chosen ones” who were invited to visit the legendary halls of the brand have shared their memories with the world. Here are some amazing facts you should know about the legendary and accurate timepieces of Rolex.
Expensive and Hard Steel
While most brands would have opted for something less costly or easy to mold, Rolex decided to go with an expensive and hard-to-machine steel because it looks better than the rest.
Most companies create their timepieces with a type of stainless steel called “316L.” Rolex, however, uses a special variant of stainless steel which is known as “904L.”
Rolex introduced their first 904L steel watch in 1988 with a few variants of the Sea-Dweller. By 2003, Rolex had turned their entire production from the ordinary stainless steel to the robust 904L.
904L steel is more resistant to rust and corrosion than other steels. The most significant thing for Rolex is that 904L steel can handle (and hold) polishes extremely well when molded correctly.
Private Science Lab
Rolex has their own internal Research & Development department. This science lab serves the purpose of formulating inventions and create state-of-the-art calibre movements along with other effective and efficient manufacturing techniques.
From chemistry beakers to gas spectrometers, Rolex has got everything covered. From researching lubricants to creating powerful and unbreakable domes, Rolex does it all in-house and doesn’t wait for the world to progress. It has its own definition of evolution.
Hand Assembled and Hand-Tested
Everything that comes out of Rolex is hand-made and hand-tested. The fine Swiss brand prefers human touch more than oily machines.
Rolex does use machinery in the process of watchmaking, but those tasks are limited to sorting, filing, cataloging, and very delicate procedures that involve the type of care you want a machine to handle.
Everything from assembling movements to designing and creating bracelets is human-made. Even today, all Rolex watch hands are still set by hand via a trained technician.
An In-House Foundry for Gold
It should come as no surprise that the finest Swiss watchmaker, Rolex, makes its own gold. All the gold and platinum used in Rolex watch is created and molded in-house. When the 24k gold comes into Rolex, the in-house foundry turns it into 18k yellow, white, or Rolex's Everose gold.
Large furnaces are used to heat up and blend the compounds under hot fire, which are then transformed into cases and bracelets. Since Rolex controls the production of their gold, this ensure the premium quality gold being used in the watches.
Super-Secure Rolex Labs and Headquarters
If you were to compare Rolex with a heavily guarded fort, Rolex may win. The Rolex foundry employs the best security practices from around the globe and their safe is located a few floors underground.
The employees at these labs have to continuously keep their ID badges docked into the stations while working. Every single item and product is scanned and catalogues several times to eliminate any chances of foul play.
The huge underground safe at the foundry requires a password and an iris scan for access. Rolex parts are transferred in extremely discreet unmarked (and heavily armored) vehicles.
One Rolex Watch Takes One Year
Imagine the product if it takes one year to create one Rolex watch. You can only imagine the quality of the end-product which has gone through a wide range of tests and quality assurance checks in a year.
Rolex creates nearly a million watches a year, but amazingly, the production method does not take shortcuts. Rolex takes an entire year to create one watch. This happens because everything is created in-house, and once the watch is hand-assembled, it has to undergo a variety of extreme testing phases to ensure the quality and efficiency.
What Do We Have to Say?
Rolex goes out of its way to give their fans the best timepieces in the history. It is safe to say that their manufacturing process and in-house practices are worth taking a look. The facts mentioned above are just a few of what Rolex really has to offer.
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From leather watch straps to vintage watch straps, from military single piece watch straps to enticing Apple watch bands, DaLuca Straps has got everything covered. You can find homemade and custom watch straps as well. Pair your Rolex with the watch strap of your choice today.