Blog posts from Andy Callan

Everyone likes to do something a little special on their birthday, and Rolex is no exception. When the brand itself turned 40, for example, it gave itself a well deserved pat on the back with the release of the Datejust. But the world’s most successful watchmaker also has a history of celebrating the anniversaries of […]

The year is 1963. You have saved up somewhere around $255 and have decided to treat yourself to a Rolex Datejust. Wandering into your local jewelers, you get the strange feeing the salesman is doing his best to steer you away from your original choice and seems hell-bent on directing your attention to one of […]

These days, Rolex is known as the last word in slick, efficient mass production, creating somewhere in the region of a million pieces each year in one of the most advanced, vertically integrated production facilities in the world. But of course, it hasn’t always been that way. Going back a generation or three, the manufacture […]

If you take into account the level of craftsmanship in a Rolex watch, the choice of materials, the exhaustive years of research and development, the generations of heritage behind each one, not to mention their peerless resale value, there is a very strong case for saying they are not actually expensive at all. Yes, the […]

It might come as a surprise (although probably not if you are familiar with the brand) that it was only a couple of years ago Rolex started publishing prices on its website. Until then, it was very much just a place to go to see beautifully shot images of their portfolio, whether you were actually […]

You obviously have two main choices if you are looking to secure yourself a Rolex; purchase one new, or buy one through the pre-owned marketplace. Logic would suggest the easier option would be to wander into your local Authorized Dealer (AD), pick your favorite off the shelf, hand over a credit card and leave with […]

Although the name is a byword for luxurious exclusivity, Rolex has a well established history of also creating watches for those with more modest bank balances. From the outset, founder Hans Wilsdorf was keen to accommodate people who couldn’t quite stretch to a fully-fledged Rolex, and endeavored to get his models onto as many wrists […]

First released in Rolex’s 1950s Golden Age, the Milgauss appeared around the same time as the Submariner, the Day-Date and the GMT-Master. Up against legendary names like that, the watch built specifically for scientists struggled to find its place in the spotlight. It, like the Explorer which also debuted in the 50s, has long remained […]

With Rolex being as secretive as it is, compiling a list of their bestselling watches takes a certain amount of educated guesswork. The company is actually a registered charity, owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, and as such is not obliged to publish anything in the way of sales figures. And they never have. So, […]

For Rolex collectors, this is really the biggest question of them all; which is better—the current lineup of contemporary models, or the brand’s vast archive of vintage pieces? Obviously, ‘better’ is all very subjective, and what some people see as the pros of one, others will see as cons and vice versa. With no wish […]

Although platinum was officially discovered by Spanish explorer Antonio de Ulloa in the 18thcentury, the use of the precious metal as a decorative component can be traced back as far as ancient Egyptian times. Its unique properties and lustrous shine have long been sought after, and its extreme rarity leads to it being among the […]

Of all Rolex’s signature looks, it is possibly their two-tone offerings that are so archetypal of the brand. Like many of the things that today we take for granted in the world of horology, it was Rolex themselves who first came up with the concept, patenting the process in 1933 and coining it Rolesor. Rolling […]