ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL

When it comes to the Rolex story, the birth of the Oyster Perpetual is a true and proper revolution, a kind of story within a story. To better understand the more significant aspects of its evolution in time, it is important to analyse the name Oyster Perpetual, explaining its meaning and individuating the steps in its history.
First of all, the name Oyster refers to the patent of the first waterproof case, made possible by the invention of the screw-down crown. The Triplock, or Twinlock, depending on the model it is found on, was created in the early 1920s and registered in 1926.
The first screw-down crowns were produced up until 1941 for 8-3/4’ movements, measured 6mm in diameter and bore the Oyster Patent logo and a Swiss cross cut in half. Following versions, up until 1945, were smaller in diameter (5mm) but have the same logo, albeit with a simpler cross. From 1944 until 1946 the words ‘Rolex Oyster’ were embossed on the crown, and from 1946 to 1955 the Swiss cross joined them on watches with a 9-3/4” or 10-1/2” movement. In 1950 the words ‘Rolex Oyster’ on the crown were superimposed but separated by a small square with a line in the centre.
The non screw-down ‘Super Oyster’ crown did not last long and was frequently replaced with the more reliable screw-down crown. As stated in an instruction booklet of the period “more than 30 extremely precise operations are needed” to produce a crown.

The general public of the period had the opportunity to observe the effectiveness of the Oyster case when  the British swimmer Mercedes Gleitz swam the English Channel in 15 hours and 15 minutes wearing an Oyster watch. The Oyster proved its perfect waterproofness on other well-known occasions such as Jaber Wolfe’s swims and the immersion of the Trieste bathyscaphe in the Mariana Trench to 10,916 metres.
In the evolution of this line of watches, the first models are hand-wound with differently shaped cases: square design with bevelled edges, “tonneau”, rounded with covered lugs. The first cases were mostly three-piece (bezel, case and backplate), whilst some others were two-piece (case and backplate).
Some of these first hand-wound models were produced up until the 1960s, especially for the Asian market.
The passage from Oyster to Oyster Perpetual came about in 1931, the year in which the company patented the automatic movement with a Perpetual rotor. For the first time it was possible to wind the watch simply with the movement of one’s wrist, without the need to wind the watch up manually every day. To be precise, the Perpetual rotor consists of an oscillating weight that pivots on an axle in both directions and provides constant energy to the mainspring, guaranteeing precision and reliability.
In a 1950s advertising campaign to the question “Why a self-winding watch?”, Rolex replied “to render the movement more precise”, explaining how the new patent was not affected by constant changes in pressure.
The marriage of the Oyster case to the Perpetual movement sparked the production and sale of a long and successful series of models. The archetype of which was the reference 1858, nicknamed ‘Ovetto’ in Italian for the oval shape of its case, or Bubbleback in English, also for its dome shaped case back.

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