The see-through case back will be welcomed by watch lovers who can now appreciate their inner beauty
ROLEX IS REGARDED by many as the king of watchmakers. Its name was registered as a trademark in 1908, but today it is so much more than a trademark. It has even been described as social phenomenon and as a 'status symbol of the 20th century'.
Over the years Rolex has developed watches and movements that are so popular that they rarely change dramatically. Changes tend to be small, subtle and infrequent. It was a great surprise, therefore, that when the doors opened at BaselWorld a few weeks ago the company revealed some great new models.
In 1928, Rolex gave birth to one of its most successful families of watches, the Prince. It was a rectangular design with two dials one above the other. The top dial shows hours and minutes and the lower dial displays seconds. It became a huge success and earned a place in horological history. Rolex continued to produce the Prince until 1953.
At this year's BaselWorld, Rolex revealed a new generation of Princes which are now part of the Cellini range.
The new collection has pioneered the novel concept of using technical know-how to enhance design and ensure total balance between the aesthetics of the watch - the movement, the case, the dial and even the strap. Everything about this Rolex Prince is new. The new movement is rectangular, which means it can make use of all the available space inside the case to ensure performance and reliability.
Each movement has been awarded a chronometer certificate confirming that it has passed a series of demanding precision tests undertaken by the Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres.