The 9-carat yellow gold “Mercedes Gleitze Rolex Oyster,” most likely made in late 1926, is regarded as the world’s first practical waterproof wristwatch. It will go up for sale Nov. 9 as part of Sotheby’s Important Watches auction in Geneva.
Geneva—One of the first Rolex Oysters ever made is going up for auction at Sotheby’s Geneva next month.
The Oyster model debuted in 1926, its name a nod to Rolex’s pioneering hermetically sealed case, the first of its kind to protect against water.
In a move to publicize this innovation, the brand provided one of the first Oysters ever created to British professional endurance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze (1900-1981), who wore it during her 1927 “Vindication Swim,” a repeat attempt to swim across the English Channel.
The watch is being offered at Sotheby’s Important Watches Live Sale in Geneva, scheduled for Nov. 9.
The auction house said it will be the second time the watch, which is estimated to garner more than $1.3 million, has been auctioned in a century.
Rolex founders Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, registered the trademark “Rolex” in 1915, intent on creating a durable and practical waterproof wristwatch to replace pocket watches.
At that time, “hermetic” watches—timepieces sealed for protection from dust, moisture, and humidity—had been made with screw-down lids and bezels, but they weren’t practical for daily portable use.
Rolex instructed its makers to experiment in this area, and their work led to the brand filing and acquiring a series of patents for new waterproof case and crown systems between 1922 and 1925.
However, they hadn’t yet perfected a design that allowed for a watertight seal.
In 1925, Wilsdorf found and purchased patents from Swiss inventors Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret for a screw-down crown system to which he added a clutch mechanism paired with a fully sealed case.
The following year, Rolex combined all these innovations to create the Rolex Oyster, which became the Rolex Oyster Perpetual in 1931.
The 9-karat yellow gold Rolex Oyster Mercedes Gleitze wore during her Vindication Swim (pictured) likely was made in late 1926, before the Rolex obtained the patent for the winding crown in early 1927. Sotheby’s said it’s one of only a handful of pre-patent Rolex Oyster watches ever to appear on the market.
Wilsdorf, looking for a way to publicize the new watch, had his eye on Gleitze, whose numerous attempts to swim across the English Channel were getting a lot of press.
On Oct. 7, 1927, a little more than a year after American Olympic swimmer Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, Gleitze became the first British woman to achieve the same, doing so in just over 15 hours.
Three days later, open-water swimmer Mona McLennan, also known as Dorothy Logan, made a rival claim that led people to question the legitimacy of Gleitze’s achievement.
During Mercedes Gleitze’s Vindication Swim, a flotilla carrying friends, family and musicians, as well as members of the press, followed her as she navigated the English Channel. (Photo courtesy of Sotehby’s)
Although Logan later admitted it was a hoax, Gleitze already had declared she would defend her title with another crossing on Oct. 21.
Wilsdorf asked Gleitze to wear the Rolex Oyster during what became known as the “Vindication Swim,” and she agreed, wearing the watch on a ribbon around her neck.
Unfortunately, the icy and choppy water led her to abandon the swim after 10 hours and 24 minutes.
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The collaboration, which took place years before there were any brand ambassadors, marked the birth of modern sports sponsorship, Sotheby’s said.
Gleitze also was the first athlete whose sporting achievements were used to verify the engineering prowess of a product, the auction house said.
A few days after the event, on Oct. 25, 1927, Gleitze remarked, “You will like to hear that the Rolex Oyster watch I carried on my Channel swim proved itself a reliable and accurate timekeeping companion even though it was subjected to complete immersion for [10 hours and 24 minutes] in sea water at a temp of not more than 58 and often as low as 51.
“This is to say nothing about the sustained buffeting it must have received. Not even the quick change to the high temp of the boat cabin when I was lifted from the water seemed to affect the even tenor of its movement. The newspaper man was astonished and I, of course, am delighted with it.”
After the Vindication Swim, Gleitze only ever wore her original Oyster, despite offers from Rolex to wear other models, preferring for the watchmaker to maintain her “companion.”
Sam Hines, Sotheby’s global chairman of watches, said the event marked a turning point for Rolex.
“From that moment forward, Rolex aligned itself with the pursuits of adventurers, athletes and professionals operating in the most demanding environments on Earth. Gleitze’s Channel crossing, nearly a century ago, laid the foundation for what would become a legacy of tool watches built for real-world performance,” he said.
“The Oyster was instrumental in the transition from pocket to wristwatches and the Mercedes Gleitze played an important role in this transition, rendering it one of the most significant wristwatches still in private hands.”
Gleitze’s Vindication Swim inspired the innovation-focused Rolex Award for Enterprise, launched in 1976 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster.
To this day, Rolex associates the Vindication Swim with the debut of the Rolex Oyster.
The Mercedes Gleitze watch will be offered at Sotheby’s Important Watches Live Sale, which will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva on Nov. 9.
