About Rolex

Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, founded Wilsdorf and Davis, the company that would eventually become Rolex SA, in London, England in 1905. In 1908, Wilsdorf registered the trademark `Rolex` and opened an office in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Rolex moved its base of operations to Geneva, Switzerland in 1919. The first self-winding Rolex wristwatch was offered to the public in 1931 (so-called the bubble back due to the large case back), preceded to the market by Harwood which patented the design in 1923 and produced the first self-winding watch in 1928, powered by an internal mechanism that used the movement of the wearer`s arm. This not only made watch-winding unnecessary but kept the power from the mainspring more consistent resulting in more reliable time keeping. Rolex was the first watch company to create a water-resistant wristwatch that could withstand pressure to a depth of 100 m (330 ft).

About The Mid-20th Century

Explore expertly curated styles from the 1940s to 1980s.

About Timeless by Fred Leighton

Fred Leighton has been a trusted authority and curator of vintage jewelry for more than 40 years. Our valued clients have sought this curatorial expertise in their search for treasured timepieces, and we are pleased to finally present our exclusive collection of vintage and authentic pre-owned modern styles from iconic makers such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet.