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The Rolex watch company has for a hundred years been at the pinnacle of timepiece manufacturing.

The name is known the world over for producing some of the most expensive watches, it’s true. But there’s much more to a Rolex than a high price.

Founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, the company’s product – like that of so many innovators – was initially scoffed at. Wristwatches were chiefly worn, when they were worn at all, by women.

Men preferred pocket watches, with some declaring they would sooner wear a dress than a ‘wristlet’, as they were known.

Rolex played a major role in changing all that, helped along by some world events, such as WWI. Men in combat had little time for fumbling with a pocket watch. Yet they needed accurate timekeeping to coordinate troop movements, artillery barrages and other activities.

Several manufacturers responded to the challenge by offering a reliable wristwatch that would stand up to punishment and retain accuracy. Rolex was a leader among them.

The tradition, established by Rolex, of submitting timepieces to astronomical observatories and laboratories for validation continues to this day. Rolex is still a leader in patents in horology.

Many of those revolve around the famed Submariner, favored by the original James Bond on film over 40 years ago. The name has drifted occasionally (going by the moniker of Frogman, Skin Diver and others), but the quality never has.

Anyone who receives the trademarked miniature anchor in a box with one of these watches can be assured of the finest in timekeeping quality and style.

There are several other examples.

The Cosmograph Daytona continues the tradition for high precision, absolute reliability and elegant style. It stands toe-to-toe with any other.

Rated to 100M, the screw-down back on the case of the Daytona is matched by a Triplock screw-down crown as well. These help keep the watch water tight with less need for gaskets that can fail over time.

The Daytona’s face continues the Rolex habit of making watches that are both elegant and functional. Easily readable through the sapphire crystal, the white background and gold-hint hands march around, highlighted by Super Luminova for low-light visibility.

Look for one with slender hands, narrower than the current thick hands available, and you have in addition a collector’s piece on your wrist.

Leading the team is the Rolex Oyster, with a tradition that goes back to 1931. It was the world’s first watch to sport a self-winding mechanism – the famed Auto-Rotor, adopted by Rolex. Durable, stylish and scratch resistant, it offers the ultimate in timekeeping value.

New kid on the block, the Yachtmaster was first introduced in 1992. Since 1997 it has sported the ‘Rolesium’ (stainless steel with a platinum finish) material.

And ‘sported’ is the right word. These watches are every sportsman’s dream. Hardy, reliable, attractive and ready to sail. Demand is so heavy, you may actually have to wait to receive yours. But it will be worth it.

With thicker hands, a solid platinum bezel and the Rolex Maxi dial, you’ll have no trouble seeing the time as you sail past the finish line well ahead of the pack.