Unlike many of his fellow prisoners, most of whom ordered the cheaper, smaller and easier to hide Air King model, Nutting ordered a Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph. This more complex model, at the time, cost £1,200. Although Nutting himself didn’t take part in the escape, it is believed he used the watch to time the movements of the guards as the others made their way down the tunnel. Wilsdorf himself corresponded with Nutting while he was held captive and, at the end of the war, Rolex invoiced the corporal for just £15.
Away from the theatre of war, Rolex has also been a staunch supporter of exploration. The Rolex Oyster was the world’s first waterproof and dustproof watch. It was therefore fitting when, in 1960, a unique edition of the Oyster called the Deep Sea Special reached the very depths of the Earth’s ocean. Strapped to the hull of the diving bell Trieste, the timepiece made the 10,916 foot descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench where it operated under a pressure equivalent to 1.25 tonnes on every square centimeter of it’s structure.
At the other extreme, Sir Edmund Hilary is reported to have worn a Rolex during the first ever successful attempt on the summit of Everest. Higher still, Jack Swigert wore a Rolex into space during the ill-fated Apollo 13 flight in 1970. The spacecraft ran into serious danger when an oxygen tank exploded causing catastrophic life support failure. Although the crew returned to Earth unharmed it took very careful timing to propel the craft around the moon and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.
While Rolex continues to sponsor intrepid explorers the brand also has strong associations in the fields of art and sport. Indeed, the company currently supports a huge variety of sporting events, teams and individuals in disciplines that include sailing, motorsport, tennis and, of course, golf.
In 1967, Arnold Palmer became a Rolex ambassador, marking the start of the brand’s association with the game. Today, the Rolex roster of golf sponsorships has grown to include the names of some of the game’s best known players: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa.
