GAME CHANGERS

The evolution of the tool watch

Watches can do so much more than tell time. They help climbers get to the top of the world’s highest peaks, and divers to the oceans’ deepest depths. These marvels of engineering are known as "tool" watches, and Rolex is the category’s undisputed star.

Like all tools, these devices enable humans to accomplish goals, and in Rolex’s case those have often been record-breaking and historymaking. To aid in the success of these missions, tool watches require the highest levels of technology, engineering, science and watchmaking, which the team at Rolex unequivocally possesses.

Over the years, Rolex has been in the enviable position of being able to use the many explorations it has supplied watches for as laboratories to test those very same timepieces. Upon completion of each mission, Rolex was able to examine and probe the watch’s performance and improve and adapt it accordingly. The original tool watches became templates to develop, refine and update, creating the watches that are available today for anyone to put on their wrist and enjoy, even people whose biggest adventure may be entering the boardroom or signing into a Zoom chat.

The 1950s were the golden age when three of Rolex’s most famous tool watches were born. That first full decade after World War II was a time of unparalleled optimism, and out of that spirit came an attendant desire for expansion and the exploration that precedes it. Rolex was there with watches that enabled ground-breaking adventures on land, air and sea.

The Rolex GMT Master was created in 1955 in response to changes in air travel. Long-haul flights were becoming more and more common, and the airlines needed a watch for its pilots that would clock the time back home as well as the time while traveling across oceans and foreign lands. The GMT Master was one of the few watches that could display the time in any two zones around the world, keeping both pilots

1953 The Submariner

Launched in 1953, the Submariner was the first divers’ watch waterproof to a depth of 100 meters (330 feet). Its rotatable bezel allowed divers to read their immersion time.

1953 The Explorer

Inspired by knowledge gained from this fascinating chapter of human adventure, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer, launched in 1953 to celebrate the victorious ascent of Everest, immediately acquired iconic status.

1955

THE GMT-MASTER

The GMT-Master was developed to meet the specific needs of airline pilots. It became the official watch of several airlines, among them the famous Pan American World Airways, better known as Pan Am. Its most distinguishing visual feature was the two-tone bezel which marked daytime from nighttime hours.

1971

The Explorer Ii

Rolex presented the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II, dedicated to polar explorers, speleologists, and all those pushing the boundaries of exploration. The watch featured a distinctive 24-hour hand, an invaluable aid around the poles and beneath ground when you can't tell night from day.