Sealed For Greatness

HOW A HERMETICALLY SEALED CASE, A SELF-WINDING ROTOR, AND THE FOUNDER OF ROLEX CHANGED THE WRISTWATCH FOREVER.

- FARHAN SHAH

IN 1927, HANS WILSDORF DECLARED, “We make the best wristwatch in the world.”

A century later, that assertion remains true—and the numbers back it up. A 2025 report by Morgan Stanley and Luxe Consult reveals that Rolex remains the top Swiss watchmaker in terms of sales with an implied market share of 33 per cent. More importantly, the horology juggernaut has never relinquished the crown.

The foundation of this dominance was laid a year before Wilsdorf's declaration. Back then, the founder of Rolex dreamed of adding the wristwatch to the technological innovations transforming society. Pocket watches were commonplace at the time. They could be kept safely hidden underneath the jacket or in a pocket, protected against the elements and therefore, external damage.

Wilsdorf believed that the wristwatch was the future and persevered to engineer one that could be worn without worry. He created the Oyster case, a hermetically sealed environment that protected the internal mechanism from “climate, dust, water, damp, heat, moisture, cold, sand or grease”.