Western clocks and watches had entered China as early as the Ming Dynasty. Even China’s local clock-making industry gradually emerged, mainly distributed in Guangzhou, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, the first to open ports, and the imperial capital Beijing. After the 1950s, foreign capital gradually fled. Swiss watch brands can only be distributed in small batches through state-owned companies in mainland China. Domestic Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin brand watches occupy the primary market.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Switzerland could produce high-precision instruments, scarce in the new China. China is rich in agricultural products, silk, and other textiles, and more importantly, a vast market brought by its huge population. In 1968, to promote foreign trade exchanges between China and Switzerland. With the financing of both parties, the Swiss Instruments and Watches Exhibition was held at the Beijing Exhibition Hall. An original catalog from that year was recently obtained, precisely 55 years ago. Luxury replica watches.
It introduces advanced Swiss precision instruments, watches, and clocks. At that time, only a few cheap Swiss watches were sold through state-owned companies. Swiss brands did not officially enter the mainland. They brought the latest products at the time. It turns out that Omega’s Seamaster back then was called Seamaster, and Speedmaster was translated as Speedmaster. Best fake watches.
Breitling’s pilot timing is not much different from today’s.
And Rolex’s oyster case is also called the “oyster pattern for immortality” type.
Rolex’s most famous sports model is the ‘Submariner’ series, which originated in 1953 and is commonly known as the “Submariner” but is not the originator of Rolex sports models. In 1953, the Everest expedition led by Sir John Hunt succeeded. Rolex launched the “Explorer” series in 1953 to commemorate this event. Even the early Rolex Submariner still has some traces of the Explorer series, equipped with the Explorer’s iconic 369 dials.
The Explorer model Ref.1016 was in production then, and this year’s new 40mm Ref.224270 spanned 70 years and has almost remained unchanged in appearance. Eye-catching Mercedes-Benz hands + 369 digital dial + luminous scale + Oyster waterproof case, everything happened yesterday.
In addition, the Date-Just and Day-Date series have mostly stayed the same compared to today.
It becomes a classic after passing through the years, and Rolex remains unchanged in response to all changes.
In this historical archive, the most precious passage is here. The fourth exhibit is the “Rolex PICCARD BATHYSCAPH,” equipped with an oyster pattern case and can withstand the pressure of 35,798 feet of water depth, equivalent to a force of 8 tons per square meter. Many watchers may be confused when seeing “PICCARD BATHYSCAPH” for the first time. Why do they feel that Rolex does not have this series, but Blancpain next door has a Fifty Fathoms BATHYSCAPH?
The current official name of this watch is “Deep Sea Special,” or DSS for short. In 1953, Rolex launched the ‘Submariner’ series, commonly known as the ‘Water Ghost,’ which was waterproof to a depth of 200 meters. In addition to this mass-produced and commercially available product, Rolex is also developing and designing an experimental model with more robust waterproof capabilities, namely the “Deep Sea Special.” On November 30, 1953, a Rolex DSS watch strapped to the outside of Auguste Piccard’s submarine successfully dived to 10,334 feet/3,150 meters below sea level, setting a world record. On January 23, 1960, the Rolex DSS watch reached 35,798 feet/10,911 meters under the sea. This record was not broken until 59 years later, in April 2019, by Omega’s 10,935 meters.
The number of “Deep Sea Special” used for accurate testing was minimal, and only four are currently in public view. To promote this feat, Rolex produced dozens of “Deep Sea Special” display pieces given to significant dealers, museums, and influential figures. One major difference from the test version is that the display case’s bottom cover is engraved with inscriptions related to January 23, 1960, and 35,789 feet/10,908 meters.
This historical file is precious because the number shown here is 35798, not 35789. DSS is divided into two versions: one is a prototype table that is used for experiments, and the other is a display product. The depth of the original advertising annotation prototype table of that year was 35798. If the exhibit were used during the exhibition in China in 1968, the 35789 engraved later would not match it.
The “Swiss Instruments and Watches Exhibition” held at the Beijing Exhibition Hall in 1968 was a significant event coordinated by the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss Watch Industry Federation, and it was very grand. Because of this, Rolex was probably willing to take out the “Deep Sea Special” for natural experiments. Unfortunately, brands had to submit information in advance when editing this catalog, so there were no photos of DSS watches at the exhibition. There was only a description in Chinese and English for us to recall today.
Series: Oyster Perpetual
Band Width: Around 13mm
Dial Color: Black Dial
Model: 177200
Gender: Ladies
Band Length: 18cm
Brand: Rolex