From SwissWatchExpo…
Spotlight on: The Rolex Rolesor.
An insight to the brand’s patented term.
Whether you’re a Rolex fan or not, you’ve probably come across the highly-recognizable
half gold and half steel watch.
In watch circles, this is simply known as the “two-tone” watch, but Rolex being
Rolex, they call this particular style the “Rolesor”.
Why does Rolex have a special name for it?
And what counts as a Rolesor watch?
Here’s what every watch fan should know about the term:
First, let’s look at the qualities that make a Rolex watch a Rolesor style watch.
Rolesor is Rolex’s term for their half gold, half steel watches.
Stainless steel is used on the watch case and the bracelet’s outer links, while 18k
gold is used on the bezel, crown and the bracelet’s center links.
It applies to all watches that combine steel and 18k gold – whether it’s yellow, pink
or white gold.
However, as white gold is aesthetically similar to steel, a white gold Rolesor only uses gold
on the bezel to make it stand out.
The history of the term Rolesor goes way back in 1933, when Rolex first patented the term.
The first few watches that combined gold and steel didn’t yet follow the style it has
today, but even then, it intended to combine the strength and reliability of steel, with
the luster and nobility of gold.
The term Rolesor is taken from combining “Rolex”, with the French word “or”, which means
gold.
After the patent, Rolex has used the attractive combination on its most popular collections.
In the late 1940s, the Rolesor style made its first outing on the Rolex Oyster Perpetual
Datejust.
Until today, the steel and gold aesthetic is what many have in mind when one says “Datejust”.
It continues to be one of the pillars of the Oyster collection.
Decades later in 2011, they offered the latest version of the Rolesor: the pink Rolesor.
It combines their patented pink gold alloy Everose with stainless steel.
It was first used on the Yacht-Master line.
Today, the pink Rolesor also appears in the Datejust family of watches, and just recently,
on the GMT-Master II.
Rolesor is often confused with another combination of metals that Rolex makes – the Rolesium.
Whereas Rolesor refers to the union of steel and gold, “Rolesium” is the term used
when they combine the rugged stainless steel with the exquisite platinum.
It’s used today in the newer Yachtmaster 40 watches.
What all these truly prove is that Rolex rigorously selects the materials of their watches
The next time you scout for a Rolex watch, you can now spot a Rolesor or a Rolesium,
with confidence.
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