Rolex Wishes Swatch Group Would Join Watches and Wonders

(Photo credit: Watches and Wonders)

This week the horological spotlight will be on 54 exhibiting Maisons, but none of them are part of the Swatch Group, the largest watch company in the world.

Still, Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour, who also serves as the chairman of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, said he wished the Swatch Group were attending. “We would like the Swatch Group to join us. We hope to be able to show them that everyone has something to gain, that Watches and Wonders is a real success and that there is a place for them,” Mr. Dufour said.

But Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek in an interview in March said he was not interested in taken part in such “beauty contests.”

“Today, the world is more direct. There is no added value in being able to get together for a few days to drink champagne and go from one stand to another,” Mr. Hayek said.

Rolex Releases 2024 Teaser Video

(Source: Rolex via YouTube)

Fueling further speculation ahead of Rolex’s forthcoming new watch releases, which are set to be announced Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Geneva at Watches and Wonders — Rolex dropped a 30-second teaser video on its website and social media platforms this morning.

The video is titled “When the Iconic Meets the Unexpected.” Here’s the link to the video on YouTube.

Scandal in Peru Brings Outsized Attention to Rolex

(Photo credit: Luis Iparraguirre)

In Peru last week, a single watch reported by a local podcaster was enough to turn a suspicion into a scandal and push a third of a government to resign.

Out of the 14 watches spotted on the wrist of Peru president Dina Boluarte only one was a Rolex, a 36mm Datejust in Everose Rolesor. Still, that was enough to turn the podcast episode into an accusation of corruption and a scandal now named “Rolexgate” in Peru.

On Friday, armed police officers broke down the front door of the president's house, but the search yielded no Rolex timepieces though other luxury brands were found.

“As a brand, we have no comment to make on the subject,” a Rolex representative said.

Rolex Gave Author 'Carte Blanche' on Book About Its History

(Photo credit: Osaka University)

Dr. Pierre-Yves Donzé, a professor at the Graduate School of Economics at Osaka University, is the author of a new 300-page book on the business history of Rolex, billing itself as the first to be written “from independent historical research.” The book, titled “La Fabrique de l’excellence,” was published last week in French after two years of research. An English edition is in the works, the author said.

Dr. Donzé, a French native speaker who grew up in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, said he had informed Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour of his plans to write on the history of the brand. They had an amicable conversation on the phone for an hour, he said, and Rolex gave him “carte blanche.” The brand didn't review the manuscript before publication.

Rolex said in a statement: “The brand respect the work carried out by Pierre-Yves Donzé, a recognized expert in the field of watchmaking, for the seriousness and credibility of his work.”

Exact Time of Rolex 2024 Collection Unveiling Released

(Photo credit: Watches and Wonders)

Rolex's new collection will drop at exactly 8:30am CET on Tuesday, April 9, which is 2:30am on the U.S. East coast, 11:30am in Dubai, 14:30 in Hong Kong, 15:30 in Tokyo.

“Everything will be revealed on our platforms at 8:30am Geneva time on April 9,” a Rolex representative in Geneva told me.

While the date is often announced through social media, the time is never made public by Watches and Wonders nor Rolex, allowing the media to break the news. The media service of Watches and Wonders confirms “all Maisons are still under embargo until Tuesday April 9 at 8:30am CET.”

A teaser video from Rolex is expected to be released by April 5th.

Rolex: No Comment on Using TikTok

(Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex will launch its biggest communication campaign of the year in less than two weeks, when it unveils the 2024 collection on all its platforms.

Rolex won't be using TikTok though the viral video app has now passed 150 million U.S. monthly users equalling nearly half of America’s population. With $120 billion in global sales, it is also on track to overtake Meta as the world’s largest social media company by sales.

When contacted about posting on TikTok, Rolex said it didn't wish to comment on future strategies. (It took the brand six years after creating an account on Twitter to send the first tweet.)

The U.S. is Rolex's biggest market, but the platform's demographics might be the issue: Almost half of TikTok users in the U.S. are less than 25 years old, and just 14% are 45 and over. Still, Rolex could do worse than campaigning to young adults: At Watches and Wonders last year, a quarter of the people attending were less than 25. The average age of non-professionals attending was 35.

Rolex Has Considered a Milanese Bracelet for Its Watches

(Image source: Rolex via USPTO)

The designer at Rolex responsible for the palm motif dial and the violin dial, has designed a Milanese mesh bracelet for Rolex. That's according to patents filed by the brand in multiple countries. The clasp looks to be magnetic.

While there is no guarantee Rolex will use a patented design, the fact the brand has commissioned the design of a Milanese mesh bracelet — a strap originally popular in the mid-19th century and now coming back en vogue, including on James Bond’s wrist — is the latest sign of Rolex's willingness to break with tradition and include retro-inspired designs in its collection.

Mesh bracelets have a long lifespan compared to leather straps in tropical countries, and they are considered one of the most comfortable because they have no links.

Hans Wilsdorf Foundation to Probe World War II Police Report

(Photo credit: Rolex)

A 1941 Swiss police report describing Hans Wilsdorf as a “fervent admirer of the Hitler regime,” which was revealed in a new book published in Switzerland this week, is prompting the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation to issue a rare statement.

The foundation said Wednesday it takes the book’s allegations seriously and will commission an independent expert to conduct a full historical investigation.

“The foundation was surprised to discover the content of this report which contrasts sharply with what we know about the founder,” the foundation told Swiss newspaper Le Temps. “The foundation wished to explore the issue further by commissioning an initial documentary research which is in progress.”

In the book, titled “La fabrique de l'excellence,” its author Pierre-Yves Donzé, an economics professor, said Rolex had complained to the Swiss federal authorities that Great Britain no longer allowed exports of Rolex watches, prompting the police investigation. Still, the police reported no suspicious activities by Wilsdorf had been found.

Chemical Reaction Prompts Rolex Building Evacuation

(Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex employees fled after an incident prompted the evacuation of one its manufactures at noon on Wednesday.

According to local reports, the Rolex manufacture in Chêne-Bourg, near Geneva, was evacuated after a runaway chemical reaction following the mixing of certain products released toxic fumes in one of its workshops. The intervention is still ongoing but the reaction has been contained, the Fire and Rescue Service said.

It’s unclear what chemicals were mixed, but the site is responsible for the production of dials, including gem-setting, as well as the production of Cerachrom bezels.

Recent patents filed by Rolex have revealed the challenges the manufacture faced of producing certain color combinations for its ceramic bezels, as zirconia must be mixed with other chemical compounds, primarily mineral pigments.

Four trucks, 20 firefighters and one ambulance were dispatched to the scene, according to the Fire and Rescue Service. No injuries were reported.

Archeologists Have Begun Digging on Rolex Land

Time travel. (Photo credit: Chloé Lambert)

Swiss archeologists reported last week their first finds taken from Rolex's recently acquired land in Bulle.

The brand’s future manufacturing site, slated to open in 2029, happens to sit on a 2000-year-old road built by the Romans, as reported in these pages last month. Archeologists are rushing to dig before the road is destroyed by the new construction.

A team of five archeologists said they’ve found a sepulcher and various objects dating from the Bronze and Middle Ages near the ancient road. In coordination with Rolex, the team was given priority to do the excavation.

The finding last Thursday of an ancient sepulcher — a cremation grave with the presence of calcined bones — along the side of the road was a surprise, the archeology team told local newspaper La Liberté. The team said the initial land survey had not revealed the presence of a vestige of this importance on Rolex's land.

A Crown For Every Achievement

(From: Rolex)

As Rolex generates record profits and enlist more Testimonees than ever, this was bound to happen: tennis, golf and ski converged in just one weekend bringing rare exposure to the brand.

The Indian Wells tennis tournament in California is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam, the second largest tennis tournament in the country behind the US Open. Both man and woman winners this weekend are Rolex Testimonees, wearing a Daytona and a 1908, respectively, as they lifted the trophy. I wrote in January that Rolex now sponsors more tennis players than any other kind of celebrities.

Meanwhile in golf, Scottie Scheffler, another Rolex Testimonee, was crowned the champion at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday rocking a white Datejust on Jubilee, the first player to win back-to-back titles.

On the slopes in Austria, Lara Gut-Behrami won the Alpine skiing World Cup overall title, wearing the watch she’s most often spotted with: an Everose gold Daytona.

In Fight Against Emissions, Rolex Launches New Non-profit

(Photo credit: Vincent M.)

Rolex is taking another concrete step towards helping the environment — and this time without fanfare. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which uses profits generated by the brand, has quietly launched a new non-profit organization named “Modus” whose link back to Rolex is hard to trace.

The aim of Modus is to curb transportation emissions, especially in Switzerland, where transportation generates more pollution than the world's average, 31% vs. 24%. This comes at a time when big cities across the world are trying to reimagine the role of automobiles, especially the gas-emitting kind, as city dwellers want cleaner, healthier air and less traffic.

The Modus Foundation will focus on Geneva county and said it will support the exchange of ideas to reduce automobile usage and financially back projects that helps reach the goal of a “carbon 0 objective by 2050,” the foundation said on its webpage.

The Next Rolex 1908 Could Feature a Grande Date

Date with destiny. (Image source: Rolex via USPTO)

A patent filed by Rolex shows the brand could be using a Grande Date complication soon.

In the past, Rolex has been reluctant to use a Cyclops for its non-Oyster watches to indicate the date, such as the Cellini. The Cellini Date had a round sub-register at 3 o'clock with 31 graduations while the Cellini Moonphase used a separate hand to display the date on its outer dial.

If the 1908 line is expanded to include more complications, Rolex's patent points to a Big Date display, which was first invented by A. Lange & Söhne in 1994. In its patent, Rolex said it created a Grande Date complication that minimized amplitude loss, especially when the two distinctive apertures move at the same time, such as from 31 to 01.

In Oscars TV Spot, Rolex Reveals a New Day-Date

(Image credit: Rolex)

Rolex released its new movie-themed ad during the Oscars on Sunday, a one-minute montage of actors wearing Rolex watches. At the end of the clip, a Day-Date 40 in Everose gold with a slate ombré dial comes into view, a configuration not currently in the catalog. The new Day-Date was also on display in the Rolex Greenroom, where nominees and presenters gather before and after stepping onto the stage.

Rolex “soft-releasing” exclusive watches to celebrate partnerships is a new trend for the brand, I wrote in January. Rolex had unveiled then an exclusive Day-Date with a violin dial celebrating its partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic. This had come just months after the release of a Daytona celebrating 100 years of Le Mans, a special Daytona equipped with an exclusive 24-hour chronograph movement, a nod to the race.

A Big Night for Rolex

Reel success. (Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex's partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be on full display Sunday evening as the most nominated living movie director happens to be a Rolex Testimonee.

Martin Scorsese's Rolex Day-Date could be in full view if he’s picked to hold the Oscar statuette. His movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” received 10 Oscars nominations, including Best Director and Best Film, setting a director record among living filmmakers.

Like every year, Rolex created a space where nominees and presenters gather before and after stepping onto the stage, the Greenroom. On display in the Greenroom will be a Day-Date 40 in 18 ct Everose gold with a slate ombré dial, we've been told. Rolex is likely to treat us with a TV ad, too.

As Bitcoin Reaches New Highs, Could Rolex Climb Again?

Ticking up. (Data: WatchCharts & Google)

In the span of one week, the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, S&P 500, Nikkei and Bitcoin all reached an all-time high.

While the collapse in cryptocurrencies, which began in Nov. 2021, was often blamed for the excess supply of the most sought-after Rolexes on the second-hand market, Bitcoin reaching an all-time high this week only begs the question: Will the current record-setting rally in crypto affect the grey market?

With prices hitting a two-year low on Rolex watches while crypto hitting a two-year high, the opportunity to diversify and buy watches seems like a good place to be for some of the crypto profits.

Still, some collectors believe the past Rolex craze won’t happen again. “Perhaps the world was in a bit of a fever — a watch fever, a Rolex fever — at the time, and that fever is broken,” Austin Daniels, a collector who owns a YouTube channel about Rolex, told me.

The surge in Bitcoin’s price comes after U.S. regulators approved investment funds for the crypto token in January. Since the start of this year, Bitcoin’s price has surged more than 60%.

Even Post Season, Rolex Shines in the NFL

Clocking out. (Photo credit: Fox)

Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons in an emotional press conference Monday, his “Super Bowl Rolex” catching the eyes as well as the lenses of the media, including the New York Post and Men’s Journal who wrote about it.

Kelce, 36, whose brother Travis has made headlines for dating music star Taylor Swift, wore a discontinued green-dial, yellow-gold Rolex GMT-Master II, which, as he revealed on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast last month, was a special team commission following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in 2018.

In the podcast, Kelce said Super Bowl rings aren’t comfortable or fun to wear. “You feel kind of like a douche,” he said. “They’re also really big and clunky. Like, it’s already giving me a blister on my finger.” So, some on the Eagles’ team decided to have Rolexes customized commemorating the Super Bowl, he said.