http://www.100md.com
2006年9月28日
无论是手表发烧友，还是普通人士，谈及顶级名表，都会无可避免地提起劳力士(Rolex)。劳力士如今已是全世界家喻户晓的品牌，除了昂贵的价格，它还意味着财富、品味、冒险和成功。更是有不少如此这般的传奇故事与其息息相关——流落异乡的落难客旅，靠着典当了传家的劳力士取得了盘缠和资金，获得了东山再起的机会，再造辉煌。足以作为传家宝珍藏的劳力士，九十九年来到底如何打造自己的品牌价值？它又是如何在百达翡丽(Patek Philippe)、江诗丹顿(Vacheron Constantin)、宝玑(Breguet)和欧米茄(Omega)等这么多历史悠久、工艺精细的诸强环伺中脱颖而出呢？本期《品牌》就让我们来探索一下深藏在劳力士璀灿品牌光环后的奋斗历程和传奇般的经典款式背后的故事，领略劳力士的魅力所在。
The Story
of Rolex
劳力士的故事
劳力士(ROLEX)三代领导核心之创始人HANS WILSDORF，颇具传奇性的德国人
The Rolex company was founded by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf, who registered the Rolex trademark in 1908. Wilsdorf was one of the first businessmen to recognize the potential of the wristwatch, which he helped to make fashionable.
Wilsdorf started out in the watch-making industry while in his early twenties. Ambitious and visionary, at the age of 24 Wilsdorf set up his own watch-making business, Wilsdorf & Davis, in London.
From the outset, Wilsdorf & Davis concentrated on developing wristwatches, which at the time were not popular. Termed "wristlets" and worn almost exclusively by women, these timepieces were viewed as merely a novelty, a feminine accoutrement; men still wore pocket-watches. In addition to challenging prevailing fashion, Wilsorf faced the task of producing a sturdy, reliable timepiece. Because of wristwatches' relatively small size,compared with pocket-watches, people often viewed them with skepticism - could these small devices withstand the rigors of daily life?
Wilsdorf persisted with his vision despite these obstacles, contracting with a watchmaker based in Switzerland and sourcing low-cost watch movements in large quantities. After rigorous testing by watchmakers, these wristwatches were offered for sale in Wilsdorf's London office and rapidly became an accepted fashion item. Silver and gold models with leather straps comprised the early range and by 1906, when the flexible bracelet was introduced, Wilsdorf & Davis had established itself as a leading British watchmaker.
Wilsdorf continued to improve on the Rolex brand， relentlessly building up the brand name by focusing on excellent craftsmanship. To ensure his watches' reliability, he required that all pieces be subjected to extreme tests, including a variety of positions and exposure to low and high temperatures.
One of Rolex's most memorable models was the 1926 Rolex "Oyster", the first completely watertight watch. While hosting a dinner party, Wilsdorf found his strength tested while trying to open an oyster. He commented that he hoped his new watch design would be as resilient as the mollusk; thus the name was created. When introduced to the market, the Rolex Oysters were often displayed in the windows of jewellery shops, inside a water-filled fish tank.
Also in 1926, Rolex introduced a watertight winding-mechanism, followed in 1931 by the introduction of a self-winding watch that ran on the movement of the wearer's arm, increasing convenience and eliminating the hazard of breakage by over-winding.
Rolex continues to produce a wide range of high-quality watches, including watches for deep-sea diving. Considered the ultimate status symbol, the Rolex brand is often counterfeited, but copies cannot duplicate the original craftsmanship and often break down.
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The Story
of Rolex
劳力士的故事
劳力士(ROLEX)三代领导核心之创始人HANS WILSDORF，颇具传奇性的德国人
The Rolex company was founded by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf, who registered the Rolex trademark in 1908. Wilsdorf was one of the first businessmen to recognize the potential of the wristwatch, which he helped to make fashionable.
Wilsdorf started out in the watch-making industry while in his early twenties. Ambitious and visionary, at the age of 24 Wilsdorf set up his own watch-making business, Wilsdorf & Davis, in London.
From the outset, Wilsdorf & Davis concentrated on developing wristwatches, which at the time were not popular. Termed "wristlets" and worn almost exclusively by women, these timepieces were viewed as merely a novelty, a feminine accoutrement; men still wore pocket-watches. In addition to challenging prevailing fashion, Wilsorf faced the task of producing a sturdy, reliable timepiece. Because of wristwatches' relatively small size,compared with pocket-watches, people often viewed them with skepticism - could these small devices withstand the rigors of daily life?
Wilsdorf persisted with his vision despite these obstacles, contracting with a watchmaker based in Switzerland and sourcing low-cost watch movements in large quantities. After rigorous testing by watchmakers, these wristwatches were offered for sale in Wilsdorf's London office and rapidly became an accepted fashion item. Silver and gold models with leather straps comprised the early range and by 1906, when the flexible bracelet was introduced, Wilsdorf & Davis had established itself as a leading British watchmaker.
Wilsdorf continued to improve on the Rolex brand， relentlessly building up the brand name by focusing on excellent craftsmanship. To ensure his watches' reliability, he required that all pieces be subjected to extreme tests, including a variety of positions and exposure to low and high temperatures.
One of Rolex's most memorable models was the 1926 Rolex "Oyster", the first completely watertight watch. While hosting a dinner party, Wilsdorf found his strength tested while trying to open an oyster. He commented that he hoped his new watch design would be as resilient as the mollusk; thus the name was created. When introduced to the market, the Rolex Oysters were often displayed in the windows of jewellery shops, inside a water-filled fish tank.
Also in 1926, Rolex introduced a watertight winding-mechanism, followed in 1931 by the introduction of a self-winding watch that ran on the movement of the wearer's arm, increasing convenience and eliminating the hazard of breakage by over-winding.
Rolex continues to produce a wide range of high-quality watches, including watches for deep-sea diving. Considered the ultimate status symbol, the Rolex brand is often counterfeited, but copies cannot duplicate the original craftsmanship and often break down.
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