Game, set and watch; Rolex recalls 40 years of working with tennis industry

The roots of Rolex’s affinity for sports and human achievement can be traced back to the pioneering origins of the company In 1927, the year after Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf developed the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, the Rolex Oyster, he equipped a young sportswoman, Mercedes Gleitze, with the innovative wristwatch to swim the English Channel At the end of her arduous swim, after more than 10 hours in the water, the watch emerged in perfect working order.

Mercedes Gleitze was effectively the first Rolex Testimonee, a witness to the performance of the Oyster who also demonstrated its real-life qualities, the Swiss watchmaker describes in a briefing celebrating 40 years of working with the tennis industry and its leading players. Since then, Rolex has accompanied many of humanity’s greatest feats, defying the elements and exploring the globe’s most forbidding frontiers This support for passionate athletes, artists and brave explorers in their attempts . Source