A Brief History of the Rolex Oyster Bracelet
July 07, 2018Oyster Bracelet with 18k gold on Rolex Daytona |
Since Gay Frères created bands for many other watch manufacturers, Rolex decided to build a band of their own - the Oyster bracelet - which was released in the late 1930's and patented in 1947. The Oyster bracelet has gone through many changes over the years, however the three-link design has remained the same.
From Hodinkee - a history from left to right of Oyster Bracelets from oldest to newest |
Hodinkee, an excellent resource for Rolex trivia, compiled a beautiful array of Oyster bracelets. Startting from the left, you can see an early Bone style design which looks nothing like the oyster of today. That is followed by a 4 link design, with the center links looking awfully close to the large center link of the 3 link Oyster. The 3rd design were 3 links of the same size, but clearly not as distictive or artistic as what is yet to come.
As you move down to the modern Oyster, you can see that Rolex began to make the links more slender as you approach the buckle, while adding the Rolex logo to the clasp. Also, Rolex refined the bracelet as it attached to the watch case in 1952. Curved to fit the case and reduce pressure on the lug, the bracelet started to have the appearance of being wholly designed as an extension of the watch case. There is no gap between the lug and the watch case.
Oyster Glidelock |
Rolex Oyster bracelets became the standard for sports watch bands since it provided sophisticated engineering, smooth lines and security. Rolex knew that the band itself is essential for keeping their timepiece free from damage or loss so as much care has been put into making the Oyster bracelets stronger and more functional.
Oyster Bracelet with Everose Gold on a Sky Dweller |
Rolex Oyster Rolesor bracelet on Submariner |
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