Pre-Owned
Rolex Watches

Stop anyone on the street and ask them to name a luxury brand, and Rolex will often be your answer. The level of recognition the brand possesses was not earned overnight—it is the product of over a century of dedication and skill.

Formed in London in 1905 by watchmaker Hans Wilsdorf, the manufacturer has since scaled not only the ever-growing peaks of technological advancement, but also peaks of a much more geological nature, too. With the Deepsea Special plumbing the depths of the Mariana Trench and the Explorer reaching the summit of Mount Everest, Rolex watches have been in just about every hostile environment imaginable.

Where precision and robustness are required, you need look no further. The brand’s fastidious nature to perform better than its competitors started in 1910, when one of its watches became the first ever to receive the Swiss Certificate of Precision.

The innovative brand’s achievements continued in 1927 when Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel wearing the world’s first waterproof watch, the Oyster. With new features such as a screw-down crown, it pioneered the modern diving watch. The publicity that followed launched Rolex watches to dizzying heights.

In 1931, the self-winding Perpetual movement was patented, a simple yet ingenious design that continues to power every automatic watch to this day.

As well as stretching the boundaries of innovation, Rolex watches also push the envelope when it comes to real world testing. In 1960, just seven years after the launch of the iconic Submariner watch, Jacques Piccard travelled 35,814 feet to the bottom of the Mariana Trench with a prototype Deepsea Special. It was strapped to the outside of his bathyscaphe, and it survived. If that wasn’t proof enough of the rugged endurance of the brand’s watches, Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay relied on his Explorer model during the record-breaking 1953 Everest expedition.

But Rolex watches aren’t just for those exploring the most dangerous corners of our cosmos—they are for professionals, too.

In 1955, the manufacturer developed the twin time zone GMT-Master for Pan Am’s pilots who were flying further than ever before, while 1963 saw the birth of the Cosmograph Daytona, a chronograph watch for racing drivers.

In addition to its Professional collection, Rolex also makes watches with a more aesthetic leaning, such as the Day-Date and the 1908, while the discontinued Cellini line also offers more dressier options.

Rolex is more than just a luxury brand. It produces beautiful watches while commanding a pedigree that can only be dreamed of by its rivals. It is, was, and always will be iconic.

And what better way to purchase a Rolex than pre-owned through Watchfinder. A second-hand Rolex Datejust offers a simple way to get additional value on your purchase, and a pre-owned Rolex Submariner could make a great gift for a loved one.

Where are Rolex watches made?

Rolex watches are made in Switzerland across four specialised facilities. Three are located in and around the canton of Geneva in the far west of the country, and one is in Bienne in the canton of Bern. These four sites accommodate more than 9,000 Rolex employees.

Movements are assembled at the Bienne facility, whereas product development, design and production take place at the main Rolex headquarters in Les Acacias, Geneva. This is also where the company’s administrative departments—from aftersales service to sponsorship—are based, as well as the Executive Board.

Plan-les-Ouates, also in Geneva, produces the watch cases and bracelets, and is also the location of the Rolex foundry, which makes Rolex’s 18k gold, including, of course, its unique Everose gold.

Lastly Chêne-Bourg is where Rolex produces its dials and ceramic bezel inserts, and selects the diamonds and other precious gemstones used in the decoration of some of its most exclusive models.

A huge fifth site at Bulle in the canton of Fribourg, currently under construction, is due to open in 2029 and is expected to house an additional 2,000 employees. Comprising four production buildings connected by a central building, it will cover 100,000 square metres.

How many Rolex watches are made a year?

As a privately held company, Rolex has no obligation to publish its production figures and has always kept its annual output of watches a closely guarded secret. However, industry experts estimate that the brand manufactures between one million and 1.25 million watches annually. This could rise significantly in 2029 when it opens its fifth site.

Is Rolex a non-profit organisation?

No, Rolex is not a non-profit organisation, although it is considered a charitable one.

Rolex’s co-founder Hans Wilsdorf had no heirs to take over the company, so to safeguard its future he created the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a private family trust based in Switzerland.

While profits are often used to support charitable causes, this foundation is run as a commercial enterprise and is extremely profitable, although it does not publish its financial statements showing net profit margins.

What movements are in a Rolex?

Rolex has used its own movements, designed and assembled in-house, since 2004 when it purchased the Aegler factory that had exclusively supplied its movements for decades.

Although it has used quartz-powered and manual-wind movements in the past, it now uses several mechanical self-winding—or automatic—movements across all its collections.

The most widely used is the Calibre 3235, offering a date complication in addition to the standard time. This is found across collections including the Submariner, Datejust, Yacht-Master and Sea-Dweller. It is a descendant of the long-running 3135, often described as a “work-horse” movement due to its legendary reliability