Note from Jake: Nick "Eagle Eyes" Gould has made a major historical revelation on the history of the Rolex Crown/Coronet logo history, and thus I just made a number of significant updates to this story:
Rolex Crown History
The famous Rolex Crown Logo, Also Known as The Rolex Coronet is one of the coolest and most recognizable iconic logos in the world. Ever wonder where it came from and what it stands for?
Put very simply, the Rolex crown is highly regal while remaining equally simple, elegant, and timeless. Rolex's founder, Hans Wilddorf, was absolutely fascinated with Royalty, and all things elegant. Despite the fact he experimented like crazy with many different brand names, the one that completely defied and transcended obsolescence was the ROLEX name mark and brand.
There has long been considerable controversy and conflicting information surrounding precisely when the Rolex Coronet, or crown logo, was first introduced and registered. For years, various sources have claimed that Rolex began using the iconic emblem as early as 1925, while others have suggested 1931. However, the available historical evidence does not substantiate either of these claims.
Nick Gould appears to have perhaps finally answered that question on October 10, 2026 with his revelation discovery of the two following 1934 Rolex crown registrations.
The Rolex Magazine Christmas ad pictured below was published in late 1933, and from our research represents the very first use of the Rolex crown in commerce.
Since we are on the subject, It's interesting to note that Hans Wilsdorf also made and sold watches with his name on the dials as pictured below. It appears he began making his watches not so long after he registered the Rolex crown.
Nick Gould also found this really interesting Trademark Registration from 1935 for "H.W. GENEVE", as well as "TROPIC-PRUFE".
I went digging through my immense archive to try and solve this mystery and I think I may have figured it out. The absolute earliest Rolex Magazine ad I was able to find in my collection is pictured below and was published in 1935 for the Rolex Prince. Notice it uses the exact same logo as pictured above in this story with WILSDORF's name being replaced with ROLEX. It appears Hans Wilsdorf first may have started using the Rolex Crown Logo with his Prince line of watches, which makes perfect sense if you think about it.
The Italian Rolex Magazine ad pictured below was published in 1936, and features the ROLEX word mark front and center with the Rolex Crown Logo behind it. My best guess, is Hans Wilsdorf liked the crown logo so much, he decided ultimately to use it with all his watches. If my assumption is correct, this represents a pretty major Rolex history revelation...
Nick also discovered this most interesting Rolex made in 1937 that is signed "ROLEX" and "HANS WILSDORF". My best guess is that "ROLEX" and the Rolex Crown resonated with consumers around the world, but since his name clearly had a German vibe, and anti-German sentiment was very high during that same timeframe he decided to discontinue using it.
The Rolex logo pictured above is from 1942, and notice the ROLEX word mark uses a simplified sans serif typeface.
The earliest versions of the Rolex Coronet logo were somewhat similar to the modern version, yet radically different in that it featured five fingers that were of equal length, as apposed to the more modern versions that are more hand-like with the center finder being the longest. Below we see several different Rolex Coronet logos Rolex registered in 1943. The first example registered in May of 1943, is for just the Rolex Crown/Coronet logo, and the second version includes "OYSTER" with the Crown, and the third version includes the world "PERPETUAL" with the crown.
The 1978 Rolex Magazine ad image pictured below of the five fingers with a watch on the wrist offers an fascinating genesis clue from the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.
If you compare the Rolex logo below from 1963 to the current Rolex logo which is pictured below it, it's amazing how little it has changed in 63 years! In the future, I plan to add many more dated images to this story, as well as a chronological evolution of the crown. In the meantime enjoy all these great Rolex Crown images...
The Rolex Crown logo seen above was first used in 1947, although the "ROLEX" text part of the logo used a different serif typeface.
Rolex Day-Date
Blue Lapis Lazuli Dial
[Reference 18238]
On the back of a Milgauss
Rolex Coronets
The applied 3-D Rolex Coronet logo is found on the dial of many Rolex Models, including the Rolex Day-Date as well as the Rolex Daytona. The photo below shows several of them on a table before they have been applied to a Rolex dial. In my opinion, the Rolex Coronet is one of the coolest and most iconic logos in the world. Many people say the Rolex Coronet is a crown, while others believe the logo symbolizes a watch on a hand.
Rolex Crown Logo Collage
@Stockegsix from Instagram created this AMAZING Rolex Crown collage comprised of six Rolex models and I almost fell out of my chair when I first saw it!?!! I have to say in my opinion this is one of the coolest looking Rolex Studio Shots I have ever seen!!! Just AMAZING!!!!
