Rolex has registered a name that may point to a new movement technology. A Swiss trademark application for STELLOXI published last week covers Class 14, including watches and watch components. The filing does not say what Stelloxi is.
Rolex’s silicon hairspring, introduced in 2014, was named "Syloxi" and is made from a composite of silicon and silicon oxide. Currently used on small- and medium-diameter Rolex models and its thinnest watches, the material resists magnetic fields and helps compensate for temperature changes. The similarity in name raises the possibility that Stelloxi could be another silicon-based hairspring or movement component, though "Stell-" (from Latin stella, star, perhaps?) is even further away than "Syl-" for "silicon."
A Rolex patent previously covered by Coronet replaces the conventional mainspring with a spiral made from hundreds of repeating, linked elements designed to store more energy in the same space. Conventional mainsprings deliver force that can vary depending on how tightly they are wound. Rolex’s new design evens that out by shaping the links and curves to provide a steady energy, potentially allowing a watch to run longer or power additional functions (a moonphase?) without a larger barrel.
The patent says the spring could be made from silicon or silicon carbide, optionally coated with silicon oxide. None of that establishes Stelloxi as the name of this invention. But a new Rolex hairspring in need of a name, silicon and silicon oxide, and a Syloxi-like trademark make for an intriguing connection.