There are luxury watches and then there is Rolex. The Swiss company founded more than hundred years ago continuously reinvents the art of timepiece design and manufacturing with the release of every new model. Rolex is known as a watchmaker that uses its own steel and precious metal variants.

Rolex boasts one of the most comprehensive and high-tech assembly processes ever, while maintaining the human touch in every stage. Your Rolex will always retain a high value – in short, you are buying not just an expensive watch, but a treasured piece that will be handed down generations.

Not many people know that Rolex was founded in England. It gained its fame as an industry leader after shifting operations to Geneva, the world capital of horology. Rolex came up with the first waterproof watches and other industry innovations include an automatically changing date dial and the first chronometer certification for a watch.

Are you looking for a Rolex? Always make sure you are browsing in trusted sites like frostnyc.com so you can have the widest choices and an assurance of authenticity. In the meantime, you can learn about the Rolex watches that made the brand what it is today. Here are some of the most iconic Rolex watches ever.

The Oyster Perpetual

Introduced in 1931, the Oyster Perpetual was the showstopper. The automatic watch ran on the natural movements of the wrist, a technology that was incomprehensible by most at the time. The Oyster refers to the shell of the watch. This waterproof and sturdy casing was designed by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf and the name comes from an oyster shell that is difficult to pry open.

Rolex Datejust

In 1945, Rolex introduced the Datejust, one of the most resilient models that are available to this day in modern and classic avatars. It is now pretty normal to see the date on the dial of a good automatic watch. This was the hallmark feature of the Rolex Datejust and it became established as a sophisticated choice for a dress watch. Datejust models for women are slimmer and smaller with dials as small as 28mm. The largest dial for the men’s watches is 41mm. Bono, the singer of U2, is one of the most well-known wearers of the Datejust.

The Submariner

If one were asked to list recognizable Rolex watches that come to mind immediately, high chances are that the Submariner, which was introduced in the 1950s, would be mentioned. The Submariner is a dive watch and its design has inspired other future timepieces with the marine theme. The Submariner at the time of its release was a groundbreaker – timepieces that can withstand a depth of 100 meters were not known. It takes the base design of the Oyster Perpetual and the 1680 model introduced the date on the Submariner dial. The Submariner dial case diameter is 40mm. Justin Theroux, the prime minister of Canada wears a 1971 gold Rolex Submariner.

Rolex GMT-Master

The watch for the original jet-setter – that is one way we can describe the posh GMT-Master. The GMT-Master introduced a host of new functions by using the core design structure of the casing and dial. The watch’s design origins were part of a collaboration with the Pan Am airlines and the GMT-Master is considered an aviator watch. The fourth hand on the dial shows the wearer the time in different time zones while the bezel is a blue and red combination to differentiate between daylight and night. The watch was introduced in 1954 and more than six decades on, it remains a style statement with a functional aesthetic.

Cosmograph Daytona

Every avid watch lover needs to have a chronograph in the collection. The earliest Daytona watches were hand wound while a second series in the late 1980s was of the self-winding variety. The watch is named after the famous racecourse in the USA. The dial has three subdials – one that marks seconds up to 60, one that marks a half hour period in minutes and the third measures up to 6 hours in hours. The object of one of the most famous watch auctions was a Daytona. The watch, which belonged to actor Paul Newman, was sold for 17.75 million dollars.

Rolex Sea Dweller

It would have been right at home in the Aquaman movie – that is just how impressive the Rolex Sea Dweller is. This range is for the deep sea diver and the sea dweller can handle depths of more than 1000 meters. The large hands on the dial are something that is seen in professional Rolex models and the hand-made dials feature 18K gold markers. The bezel is ceramic and a luminescent display ensures that the wearer can read the time in low-light or dark environments. English footballer and now a US-based celebrity, David Beckham, is known for wearing a Deepsea Rolex Sea Dweller model.

Rolex Explorer

The Rolex Explorer is considered a symbol of the pioneering spirit of the well-versed traveler, the one who crosses uncharted frontiers. The basic mechanism of the Explorer is a self-wound one and it has the famous Oyster case which can withstand a water depth of up to 100 meters. The twinlock winding crown is another special hallmark of Rolex watches that one can find in the Explorer.

A very important non-visible feature of most Rolex watches is the ability of the case to absorb shock. The Explorer boasts the Paraflex system, an unparalleled mechanism developed by Rolex’s famous science lab. The latest Explorers also have the Superlative Chronometer certification, making it one of the most accurate timepieces available in the world.

There are many more luminaries in the Rolex Hall of Fame.  The Day-Date, released in 1956, added day reading to the Datejust models. The Milgauss is a watch that can withstand magnetic fields, made for physicists and scientists. Each of these Rolex watch designs is etched forever as a trendsetter in the world of timepieces. The best watches we see in regular stores from myriad brands have all been influenced by the biggest and most well-known watchmaker in the world.

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