Into The Deep

A journey inside the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner.

- Lynette Kee

More than 100 metres below the water surface, hard hat divers glided across the seafloor with diving helmets perched atop their shoulders. Inside their helmets were ticking pocket watches mounted right next to the depth meter within the peripheral view of the divers. The only thing that kept their faces and watches dry were precarious air bubbles, formed by tubes that trapped air from the surface, and maintained by desperate prayers that these contraptions would work. This was a period in the 1820s.

As the world transitioned to industrialisation in the early 20th century, measuring time became increasingly important to ensure the success of deep-sea exploration. It was then that Rolex created the world’s first waterproof watch, with an ingeniously crafted sealed case to protect the watch movements from dust and moisture. The watch — as well as its case — was christened “Oyster” because “like an oyster, it can remain [for] an unlimited time underwater without detriment to its parts,” said Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex.

A year following the release of the Rolex Oyster in 1926, English swimmer Mercedes Gleitze swam across the English Channel with the watch strapped to her wrist. Her emergence 10 hours later with a perfectly working Rolex Oyster was not just a triumph for sport but also for the brand, standing as ultimate testament to its technical supremacy. With pragmatism shaping the core of his instincts, Wilsdorf viewed that achievement not just as a victory but also an opportunity to extend the Oyster’s capabilities and he began experimenting with a new design language that would become answers to the complex problems within the realm of exploration.