Cinema's Biggest Supporting Act

Rolex's affinity with the film industry is one that speaks to the brand's pursuit of excellence and creativity

- Ho Yun Kuan

Rolex has occupied a hallowed space in cinema since the golden age of Hollywood, being synonymous with both sophistication and power, and has been intimately involved with the silver screen's momentous milestones.

In 1926, Rolex achieved a historical breakthrough in watchmaking with the Oyster. Featuring a hermetically sealed case, it was the world's first waterproof and dust-proof wristwatch. Less than a year later in 1927, cinema, too, enjoyed a breakthrough by way of The Jazz Singer, the world's first talkie, marking the end of the silent movie era.

Watchmaking history saw its next chapter written in 1931 with the birth of the Perpetual movement; this made the Oyster Perpetual the world's first waterproof automatic-winding wristwatch. Cinema soon followed with its own triumph in 1932: thanks to innovation by Technicolor, Disney's animated short, Flowers and Trees, treated viewers to scenes in glorious hues; colour filmmaking had arrived.