The Story of Time By Rolex 1951 Documentary

The Story Of Time
BY
Rolex
1951 Rolex Documentary
Soundtrack Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra
Back in June of 2017 I just discovered the documentary titled, The Story Of Time By Rolex which was a 1952 Academy Award nominated short film documentary that explored the subject of what time meant, and how time measurement evolved throughout the history of mankind. The way I discovered, the movie was a friend of mine who is a fellow Rolex fanatic, referred to it, and I had no idea what he was talking about? He was surprised, and I Googled it, and there it was hiding in plain sight.

This Rolex movie ads additional pieces to the Rolex History puzzle, and it very profound on many levels. The Story Of Time By Rolex documentary can be viewed below. The Rolex documentary was filmed in 1951, and is obviously dated today, but deeply profound in many ways—especially if you watch it over and over again, as I have done.

This Rolex video and its theme, very much remind me of another online horological magazine I publish, named, "Jake's Time Machine: Exploring The History Of Timekeeping." I must admit I am utterly fascinated with Timekeeping and all of its facets. I think the pursuit of timekeeping in many ways correlates with the Spirit Of Inquiry. This brings to mind a few great Albert Einstein quotes; which I believe are perfectly on-point for the Rolex documentary, the first of which is:
"The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books—a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects." —Albert Einstein
The second Einstein quote which I believe is also perfectly on-point says:
"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity!" —Albert Einstein

Back in November of 2022, our Captain Danny published a brilliant story named "When Rolex Took a Left Turn." Nick Gould pointed out that in the 1953 Rolex video above that it features a left handed Rolex which is seen below.

Celebrating 100 Years of Oyster

Rolex Full Documentary

 Celebrating 

100 Years of Oyster

"The World is Your Oyster" 

Rolex recently introduced it's novelties @ Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Switzerland recently, and to continue the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Rolex Oyster they launched this brilliant new documentary:

The Hidden Ocean with Andrew Thurber and Allison Fong...

Rolex Planet Visionaries
The Hidden Ocean with Andrew Thurber and Allison Fong
Episode 18

Rolex's Planet Visionaries series is AMAZING, and this next episode is very interesting and has been extremely popular on YouTube. Rolex describes this episode:

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with marine biologist Andrew Thurber and microbial oceanographer Allison Fong, who are National Geographic Explorers and key members of the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions. Thurber studies how deep-sea microbes regulate carbon and methane, while Fong explores how polar microbes underpin fragile ecosystems. Together they reveal how microscopic life quietly shapes the stability of our planet.

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.

100th Anniversary Rolex Oyster Teaser Video from Rolex

WATCHES AND WONDERS

ROLEX COLLECTION 2026 

...Official ROLEX Teaser Video...

 100th Anniversary 

Rolex Oyster

It's that time of the year again, almost like Christmas for Rolex fans, but this year in April, where Rolex will soon unveil their 2026 novelties at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Switzerland and we will, of course, have full live coverage, but until then, Rolex launched this teaser video that features a Rolex with a special dial designation that says "100 Years".

There is a very subtle detail on this screenshot from the Rolex teaser video below—beyond the obviously apparent "100 YEARS" dial designation—and that is green dial second markers on the left and right.

ID Guy just published a pretty compelling video that seems to figure out the details of the "100 YEARS" model:

The image below is a screenshot from ID Guy's video seen above, and he shows off renders of what he speculates the new models might to look like.

The ROLEX Magazine ad below was originally published in 1956, which was first published 70 years ago on the 30th Anniversary of the the Rolex Oyster, and notice the unmistakable doubled up timeless design language for the 15, 30 and 45 minute markers, which was incorporated into the most recent Rolex Oyster Perpetual models. This design language is what makes Rolex watches so timeless...

ROLEX Perpetual Initiative: Restoring and Protecting Coral Reefs

ROLEX PLANET VISIONARIES
Restoring and Protecting Coral Reefs

The Eisenkiesel Dial

...Unique pattern...
The Eisenkiesel Dial
A delicately veined, deep brown decorative quartz stone that creates a distinctive pattern with each iteration – no two eisenkiesel dials are the same. It confers the diamond-set Day-Date 40 in 18ct Everose gold with a unique personality. 

Planet Visionaries

 Weekend Watching

Planet Visionaries

 

What does it take to be Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year? 

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold is joined by wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory and penguin researcher Pablo Borboroglu. The 2025 Rolex National Geographic Explorers of the Year, who collaborated on the docuseries ‘Secrets of Penguins’, explain why protecting these remarkable birds means protecting the oceans.

Rolex GMT-Master – Time zone to time zone

Rolex GMT-Master Time zone to time zone

Rolex Laureates Weekend Watching

...Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative...

 Weekend Watching

An Amazing Story

 

of Rolex Laureates 

Let's face reality for a moment. We live in a hectic world, and are bombarded on a regular basis with many negative things, thus this video from Rolex is a breath of fresh air, as it features two female leaders who are completely pushing the envelope on what is possible in order to make the world a much better place.

Miranda Wang is realizing a decade of research and innovation. With support from Rolex, she has successfully built a first-of-its-kind demonstration plant that can turn low-value plastics into high-quality materials, a major milestone towards a plastic circular economy.

Plastics are one of the defining materials of the modern age. Today, they can be engineered to create almost any product, from components in spacecraft to snack packaging and socks. But the qualities that have made plastics so ubiquitous: durability, strength, flexibility and affordability, have also resulted in their becoming one of humanity’s biggest headaches. 

Most plastic waste can so far not be re-used. Traditional plastic recycling is only able to generate lower-quality products than the original material, resulting in a constant down-cycling. At present, just nine per cent of the hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastics created each year are recycled. An estimated 52 million tonnes spill uncontrolled into the environment, harming ecosystems, endangering marine life and damaging human health.

Jon Rahm – Mind Over Matter

Jon RahmMind Over Matter

Rolex & Roland-Garros – The quest to conquer the red clay

Rolex & Roland-GarrosThe quest to conquer the red clay

Another Roland-Garros tennis tournament is in the history books and Rolex just published these celebratory videos to celebrate their two ambassadors who won the men's and women's singles championship tournaments.

Exclusive Documentary Series: The Rolex Family

Exclusive Documentary Series
THE ROLEX FAMILY

Rolex just released a fascinating YouTube documentary long-form series on The Rolex Family, which takes an in-depth look at some of the top Rolex Testimonee's".

The Rolex family is presented through an intimate collection of portraits starring our distinguished Testimonees – the record-breaking athletes, inspiring artists and environmental pioneers.

Featuring exclusive interviews with these outstanding individuals who set a shining example through their unwavering determination and exceptional achievements.

Each episode retraces their personal journey of self-discovery, the joy and the pain, the highs and lows, as they strive to become the very best version of themselves.

Rolex Perpetual Arts Initiative Celebrating Arts and Culture

Rolex Perpetual Arts Initiative
Celebrating Arts and Culture

Rolex Perpetual Planet: Shaping the future of our planet

 

Rolex Perpetual Planet

 Shaping the future of our planet

They take action to find solutions to today’s most pressing environmental challenges. As part of our Perpetual Planet Initiative, we stand alongside the explorers, scientists and entrepreneurs striving to understand and protect vital ecosystems. Through their commitment to preserving the natural world, they inspire following generations to secure the future of our planet. REACH FOR THE CROWN

Rolex & Pan Am Travelling Through Time

Rolex & Pan Am
TRAVELLING THROUGH TIME
Nick Gould (@niccoloy) discovered this amazing Rolex film about the history of time. I love stuff like this, where it's literally like a Rolex time capsule.

DAYTONA METEORITE DIAL

DAYTONA METEORITE DIAL
ROLEX Meteorite dials are amazing, as each one is unlike any another. Each Rolex Meteorite dial is like a fingerprint—in the sense they all possess a unique pattern all their own. Rolex once beautifully described and waxed so poetically on this intrinsic characteristic:
METEORITE & BLACK DIAL
FROM ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM
    "Meteorite comes from the heart of an asteroid or possibly even a planet that has exploded, propelling material across the Solar System until chance brings it into our planet’s orbit and gravity pulls it to Earth. During its journey, the centre of the meteorite is gradually transformed, producing highly unusual metallic patterns, resulting from the very slow cooling of molten asteroid cores. The designers at Rolex create from these configurations a unique treasure for some of the most prestigious models, including this Cosmograph Daytona." —ROLEX

Defying the Depths of Innovation

Defying the Depths of Innovation

Engineered to shine in the ocean depths. The Rolex Deepsea in 18ct yellow gold features a blue lacquer dial as well as a Cerachrom bezel insert in blue ceramic. A technical innovation, the high-performance compression ring of the Ringlock system is made of ceramic, which is also blue. The compression-resistance and anti-deformation properties of this high-tech material contribute to the waterproofness of the watch, guaranteed to the extreme depth of 3,900m (12,800ft). 

Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative: “Expedition Amazon – Into the Waters”

 

 National Geographic +Rolex 

Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative 

Expedition Amazon - Into the Waters 

Over the course of two years, teams of Explorers on the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition have studied the Amazon River Basin from source to mouth – across six countries. In this bonus material to National Geographic’s “Expedition Amazon” documentary, premiering on 10 October, National Geographic Explorers Thomas Peschak, Fernando Trujillo, Thiago Silva and Julia Tavares guide us from the farthest source of the river, the Nevado Mismi in Peru, to the official start of the Amazon at the Brazilian Meeting of the Waters. 

Along the way we meet an adored Colombian rescue manatee named Moechi, and travel to rare Bolivian clearwaters, where gilded catfish are plentiful. Discover more of the Amazon's incredible wildlife, nature, and communities through the immersive experience on National Geographic.

Triplock Winding Crown: The Power of Three

Triplock Winding Crown

The Power of Three

Introduced in 1970 on the Sea-Dweller, our Triplock winding crown, with a triple lock that creates three sealed zones. As early as 1926, our Oyster case came with a screw-down crown to stop water, sweat or dust entering. In 1954, we devised the Twinlock winding crown and its added waterproof barrier to counter any incident that could harm a gasket on a dive. As for our Triplock winding crown, it is a further safeguard in the unlikely event of the crown unscrewing itself 11,000 metres (36,090 ft) down.

Rolex & the 24 hours of Le Mans

Rolex @ 
The 24 hours of Le Mans

It seems the sun never sets in the world of Rolex, and in case you missed it, this years 24 Hours of Le Mans race was epic as you can witness in the recap videos below: