Armed with the vision of leading the world towards triumph and a greater ambition, the world leader in creating the finest watches, Rolex sponsors several sporting events around the globe. The incredible sport of sailing has had the support of Rolex for over three decades now. Collaborating with organizing committees from the shores of United States and England to the blue waters of the Caribbean and the China, Rolex has aided the transformation of sailing into a world class sporting event. The effort to increase the opportunities for exceptional sailors has been immensely successful with numerous awards and sailing events that honour and provide a platform for their development. The latest venture as a part of Rolex’s global design is the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week. Set amidst the quaintly beautiful island of Ilhabela, located about a 140 miles from Sao Paulo in the Brazil, the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week brings together numerous teams from around the world to compete in this one of a kind regatta.
Fusing the tenacious vivacity of the Caribbean sailing events and the high level of competition of the European sailing regattas, the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week delivers the best of both the worlds. As one of the biggest sailing events ever organized by Rolex, the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week attracted the most talented sailors from around the world. The entire island of Ilhabela in Brazil transforms into a large sailing village where almost every one is involved with the eminent Rolex event.  A total of 205 boats loaded with teams from around the world set sail from the starting line to compete in the 55 nautical mile challenge of the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week. The flurry of the 22 knot winds in the Brazilian winter set the boats in motion as the crew on the competing boats tried to utilize every technique in order to harness the wind better. Battling the shifting winds and the strong currents of the high seas, sailors on board their S40, ORC International and ORC Club classes fought it out against each other in the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week.

The chief umpire for this Rolex sailing event was Alfredo Ricci, who is also a part of the jury members for the Rolex Capri Sailing Week as well as the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds. Stunned by the amazing level of competition and the immense scale of the sailing event, Alfredo Ricci was fully aware of the astonishing scope and range of the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week. Marcelo Massa representing the famed Massa family won the ORC International Class onboard the Loyal in the sailing event while Fabio Filippon onboard the Katana II triumphed in the ORC Club class.

The remarkable success of the sailing event was a clear indication of the surging growth and popularity of Rolex sailing events around the globe. The strikingly vivid surroundings of the Brazilian waters bustled with activity as sailors charged down the waters of the sea in an effort to clinch the Rolex award. In tune with its philosophy of promoting excellent sporting events around the world, Rolex attained yet another ambition as a part of its grand global design.

Built to radiate exquisiteness the watches from the world-renowned premium watch making company Rolex are synonymous with class, sophistication and incredible craftsmanship. From its inception in 1905 till now Rolex has proved time and time again that every watch that it crafts is built with absolute perfection and earnest devotion. Rolex as a brand has grown tremendously and now has the capacity to manufacture 2000 watches per day. Counted among the top hundred most valuable brands of the world by BusinessWeek magazine this prominent luxury watch brand generates a revenue of about 3 billion US dollars. Rolex is the brainchild of Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis who together formed the ‘Wilsdorf and Davis’ company in London.

From humble beginnings in 1905 till now Rolex has etched its name permanently in the history of the world. The continual practice of pursuing excellence and perfection has resulted in Rolex being associated with meticulous engineering and unbelievable functionality a practice that evolved to become a tradition and a trademark. Rolex employs the finest materials and the best craftsmen to construct its masterpieces. Hans Wilsdorf was an orphan who later worked in a Swiss watch manufacturing company. Hans always dreamt of setting up a high quality watch-manufacturing firm that produced quality and functional watches at a lower price. It was with this ambition that he set up a subsidiary company of Rolex called Tudor in 1946.

Originally, when the brand was under the name of ‘Wilsdorf and Davis’ its primary business activity was importing Hermann Aegler’s Swiss movements to England. Hermann Aegler was a watch manufacturer from Bienne who partnered with Wilsdorf and Davis to export his products into England. Wilsdorf and Davis placed these imported Swiss movements into cases that were manufactured by Dennison and other manufacturers. After completion these finished watches were usually sold to other jewellers who stamped their own names on them. The initial watches that were manufactured by Wilsdorf and Davis had the initials WD etched on the inner part of the caseback. It was in 1908 that the term ‘Rolex’ was coined and an office was set up in La Chaux-de-fonds in Switzerland. Later, down the line in November 1915 ‘Rolex’ was registered as a company name. There are numerous stories and theories that have arisen on determining how the term ‘Rolex’ originated and what it actually means. Some theories suggest that Hans Wilsdorf had been inspired by Rolls Royce and merely added the suffix of the popular watch brand ‘Timex’ to it. While some theories suggest that Rolex is the sound the watch makes when it is wound up. Yet another theory suggests that Hans Wilsdorf wanted the company name to be easily pronounceable. No matter what these theories claim none of them have been confirmed by either Hans Wilsdorf or Alfred Davis. This added mystery adds a quaintly mystifying touch and allure to Rolex as a brand.

Although most people around the world associate the origins of Rolex with Switzerland, it was in England that this world-renowned brand was conceived. During World War I the government of England had imposed a heavy import duty on luxury import items. This in turn increased the cost of case metals that was driving up the manufacturing cost. Due to the manifold increase in the cost price of manufacturing a watch Hans Wilsdorf shifted his watch-manufacturing unit to Geneva in Switzerland in 1919. Initially known as the Rolex Watch Company it was later christened Montres Rolex SA and further renamed Rolex SA.

From its inception in England, to its shift to Switzerland, Rolex boasts of a rich heritage that has stormed the markets and transformed itself into a brand that exudes elegant form and precise functioning.

There is hardly an individual or a brand that could possibly question the qualities of a premium Rolex watch.. However, time and again, Rolex watches have been subjected to rigorous tests and challenges by rival brands or companies, which luckily, Rolex has always managed to refute and emerge the glorious winner.

One of the finest examples for this claim can be drawn from the Mercedes Gleitze incident. Mercedes’ association with Rolex watches has been a pretty long one now. Mercedes, hailing from England, created history with her double attempts to cross the English Channel which had freezing cold water-, and all the while she wore her Rolex watch!. Her first attempt to cross the English Channel took place on October 7, 1927. Mercedes created history and became the first woman to swim through the English Channel. However, her success came along with strong criticism and allegations from certain critics who doubted Mercedes’ calibre and even her feat.

In a bid to silence her critics, Mercedes volunteered to cross the English Channel again. As compared to her first attempt, Mercedes’ second attempt attracted a lot of attention and even sponsors chiefly because of the controversy it had generated.. Encashing on the available opportunity, Rolex’s Wilsdorf decided to propogate the then-newly launched Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch. Mercedes was requested to wear the premium Rolex watch while crossing the channel which she willingly did. Mercedes wore the watch as a time piece around her neck while crossing the channel.

Although her second attempt to cross the channel didn’t materialize and Mercedes had to be pulled out of the water in an unconscious state, she managed to win accolades for her brave attempt. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual emerged as the clear winner of this second attempt. After she was pulled out of the water in an unconscious state, Mercedes was still wearing the Rolex watch around her neck, which surprisingly was still ticking away to glory even after having remained immersed in water for a considerable period of time.

After this alleged publicity stunt, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches became an instant hit the world over.. People, all over the world, were impressed with this water-proof, dust-proof and cold-proof watch which could endure the harshest conditions. Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch was the first of its kind to boast of being waterproof up to 330 feet underwater.

Mercedes’ second attempt to cover the English Channel didn’t prove as beneficial for her as it did for the Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch. Wilsdorf had succeeded in procuring the perfect platform to launch their revolutionary waterproof watch in the guise of Mercedes’ second attempt and as they say, the rest is history. However, it will be unfair to say that it was a well timed marketing gimmick which helped to popularise this watch. Rolex Oyster Perpetual proved itself subsequently over the years to emerge as the clear favourite of watch lovers all over the world due to its unmatched quality and performance.

Rolex the world renowned billion dollar watch manufacturer has the unique characteristic of exploring beyond the known and through this ongoing process of discovery it creates masterpieces that have no equivalent. Action is more powerful than words and this sums up what Christian Bale is as a person. Enamouring the world with remarkable performances Christian has an inherent quality to explore and venture out to portray characters with such realism that audiences are left completely spellbound. True to its nature the Rolex Explorer from the workshops of Rolex was the first watch ever to ascend the overwhelming peaks of Mt. Everest in 1953 on the wrist of Sir Edmund Hillary. Constructed to face extreme conditions the Rolex Explorer performs precisely no matter what the circumstances.

Like his Rolex Explorer, Christian Bale is one of those few actors who has been able to mesmerise the audiences around the world by playing every role with incredible ease and perfection. From the multi-million dollar Batman movies to American Psycho and The Prestige Christian he plays each character with flawless dedication.. Rolex has been in the business of watch manufacturing for many decades and in this time it has perfected the art of crafting watches to such a level that through its every make it reinforces its unbeatable style and performance. Christian has been cited by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most creative people in the world of entertainment and among the top eight most powerful cult figures of the decade. Christian’s confidence in his ability enables him to perform each role with expertise and remarkable ease. Rolex crafted the Rolex Explorer with utmost dedication and stayed true to its principal of using the finest materials in constructing this extremely reliable and durable watch. Right from its toughest test on the great slopes of Mt. Everest the Rolex Explorer has braved extreme conditions and defied any pre-conceived notions about its dependability and performance. One of Christian’s toughest tests came at the premier of American Psycho at the Sundance festivals but after the movie was screened even the most hardened critics were completely in awe of his incredible performance.

The Rolex Explorer uses an extremely durable alloy of steel known as 940L which is especially used in the chemical industry to withstand the extreme corrosiveness of the chemicals. This stainless steel watch uses a sapphire crystal that ensures that the watch is resistant to scratches and is able to withstand the daily wear and tear. At the heart of most Rolex watches like the Rolex Explorer lies a self winding oyster mechanism that ensures flawless performance every time. Christian’s robust dedication in developing himself to such a level that the characters he portrays are able to withstand all criticism and judgement is based on true passion in being the finest actor around is quite similar to the commitment of his Rolex watch to perform under any circumstances. The Rolex Explorer is an unbeatable and durable watch that defies every standard and performs with extreme reliability.

Rolex is a premium watch brand, which only the multimillionaires or the rich and the famous can afford to have. This is the reason why a large number of individuals who admire this brand can only dream of owning a Rolex watch, as they have limited financial resources.

Rolex seems to adopt the philosophy that anything, which is unattainable, becomes all the more desirable for an individual. Needless to say, Rolex has been able to command a commendable fan following all over the world. Rolex’s popularity was proved once again recently at a sales auction held in Birmingham, UK.

A Rolex watch was able to fetch a price as high as 10,500 pounds. The watch, which sold at this high price, was a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date. One of the main reasons why the Rolex watch was priced so highly was primarily because the watch was one of the main highlights of the total 472 items, which were placed in the auction. Fellows and Sons, Birmingham conducted the auction.

The managing partner of the sale commented that exclusive watches, such as Rolex always end up attracting a large amount of attention and also an excellent price in these sales which are conducted by them on a regular basis.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date watch comes wrapped in an 18k white gold case and a shining silver dial. The watch is in the form of a bracelet and displays the date at the 3 o clock position.The watch happens to be the only product in the sale auction to fetch the highest bid amount.