Description
Pre-Owned Rolex Platinum Meteorite self-winding automatic watch features a 39mm platinum case with a diamond bezel surrounding a silver dial on a Pearlmaster bracelet. Functions include hour, minute, second, day, and date. The watch has a 100m water resistance. Try on and enjoy this Rolex Platinum Meteorite and other pre-owned luxury timepieces at our La Maison Yamron Boutique located at the Waterside Shops in Naples, FL ->
The Story
Throughout the history of Rolex there have been a number of exciting new developments from the brand. The “Gibeon” Meteorite, a Class IVA meteorite, was first reported in 1838 by Captain J.E. Alexander. However, the meteorite’s history stretches back millions of years before it was ever “discovered” by humans. Scientists believe that the Gibeon meteorite fell to Earth in prehistoric times, landing in the Namibian desert near the town of Gibeon. The meteorite shattered upon entry, and scattered more than 26,000 kilograms of interstellar metal along the east side of the Great Fish River in Great Namaqualand, Namibia.
The Gibeon meteorite most likely originated as a piece of molten planetary core, which was released when the planet broke apart billions of years ago. The meteorite then made its way slowly through space, traveling for millions of years until it landed on Earth. As the molten meteorite traveled, it cooled in the vacuum of space. While slowly cooling, the famous Widmanstätten pattern (named after Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten) formed, leaving the unique ribbons of crystalized iron and nickel composites that are revealed when the material is cut into slices. While this pattern isn’t difficult to artificially replicate, it is virtually impossible to reproduce in a lab setting, making it all that more exclusive. Additionally, the Gibeon meteorite isn’t the only space rock on the planet for companies to source meteorite dials, but it does produce the most attractive patterns.
About Rolex
Rolex is the leading name in luxury wristwatches. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, but relies on 4,000 watchmakers in more than 100 countries. It created the world’s first waterproof watch in 1926.
Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, founded Wilsdorf and Davis, the company that would eventually become Rolex SA, in London, England in 1905. Wilsdorf and Davis’ main business at the time was importing Hermann Aegler’s Swiss movements to England and placing them in quality watch cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from Wilsdorf and Davis were usually hallmarked “W&D” inside the caseback.
In 1908, Wilsdorf registered the trademark “Rolex” and opened an office in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The company name “Rolex” was registered on 15 November 1915. The book The Best of Time: Rolex Wristwatches: An Unauthorized History by Jeffrey P. Hess and James Dowling says that the name was just made up. One story, never confirmed by Wilsdorf, is that the name came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning “exquisite clockwork”or as a contraction of “horological excellence”. Wilsdorf was said to want his watch brand’s name to be easily pronounceable in any language. He also thought that the name “Rolex” was onomatopoeic, sounding like a watch being wound. It is easily pronounceable in many languages and, as all letters have the same size, allows to be written symmetrically. It was also short enough to fit on the face of a watch.
In 1914, Kew Observatory awarded a Rolex watch a Class A precision certificate, a distinction which was normally awarded exclusively to marine chronometers.
In 1919, Wilsdorf left England due to wartime taxes levied on luxury imports as well as export duties on the silver and gold used for the watch cases driving costs too high and moved the company to Geneva, Switzerland, where it was established as the Rolex Watch Company. Its name was later changed to Montres Rolex, SA and finally Rolex, SA.Upon the death of his wife in 1944, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation in which he left all of his Rolex shares, making sure that some of the company’s income would go to charity. The company is still owned by a private trust and shares are not traded on any stock exchange.
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