The caseback of the watch is engraved with “Miss M. Gleitze. The Companion ‘Oyster.’ Vindication Channel Swim. October 21st. 1927.”
Sotheby’s
The timepiece that helped cement Rolex as a maker of impenetrable tool watches is heading to auction this fall.
The vintage Oyster, which will go under the gavel at Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in Geneva on November 9, was worn by the late Mercedes Gleitze as she attempted to swim the English Channel on October 21, 1927. It is expected to sell for in excess of 1 million Swiss francs (approximately $1.3 million), underscoring its importance in the history of the Crown.
Gleitze successfully crossed the channel on her eighth attempt, swimming from Cap Gris-Nez near Calais in France to the English coast in 15 hours and 15 minutes on October 7, 1927. The legitimacy of her record was thrown into question three days later when a rival claim was made by swimmer Mona McLennan (also known as Dorothy Logan). McLennan quickly admitted to the press that her claim was false, but Gleitze had already agreed to defend her title with another crossing on October 21. Rolex saw this “vindication swim” as an opportunity to test the newly patented waterproof Oyster, asking Gleitze to wear the timepiece during her attempt. She did, tying it around her neck with a ribbon.
The crossing wasn’t exactly a success—Gleitze abandoned the swim after over 10 hours due to poor conditions—but it did demonstrate the durability of her accompanying Rollie. (The newly formed Channel Swimming Association voted to uphold Gleitze’s initial record, naming her the first Englishwoman to swim the Channel.)
“You will like to hear that the Rolex Oyster watch I carried on my Channel swim proved itself a reliable and accurate timekeeping companion even though it was subjected to complete immersion for 10 hours 24 minutes in sea water at a temp of not more than 58 and often as low as 51,” Gleitze said at the time. “This is to say nothing about the sustained buffeting it must have received. Not even the quick change to the high temp of the boat cabin when I was lifted from the water seemed to affect the even tenor of its movement. The newspaper man was astonished and I, of course, am delighted with it.”
Rolex referred to Gleitze as a “testimonee” in the promotional campaign it rolled out for the Oyster shortly after the “vindication swim,” creating a blueprint for ambassadorship that it still uses today.
“The 1927 vindication marked a turning point for Rolex,” Sam Hines, Sotheby’s global chairman, watches, said in a statement. “From that moment forward, Rolex aligned itself with the pursuits of adventurers, athletes, and professionals operating in the most demanding environments on Earth.”
It took Rolex more than a decade to create a waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof wristwatch to replace the delicate pocket watches of the time. Founders Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis filed and acquired a series of patents between 1922 and 1925 for a fully sealed, waterproof case and a screw-down crown system. Released in 1926, the Rolex Oyster was the first watch to showcase these innovations.
Gleitze’s example was most likely made in late 1926 before the patent for the winding crown was obtained in early 1927, according to Sotheby’s. Such pre-patent Oysters are extremely rare, the auction house says. Crafted in 9-karat gold, the watch features a 27 mm octagonal case with wire lugs, a milled bezel, a screw-down crown, and a gilt pink dial with black Arabic indices, a seconds subdial, and a black leaf handset. The caseback is engraved with “Miss M. Gleitze. The Companion ‘Oyster.’ Vindication Channel Swim. October 21st. 1927.”
“Gleitze’s Channel crossing, nearly a century ago, laid the foundation for what would become a legacy of tool watches built for real-world performance,” Hines adds. “The Oyster was instrumental in the transition from pocket to wristwatches, and the Mercedes Gleitze played an important role in this transition, rendering it one of the most significant wristwatches still in private hands.”
It is the first time the timepiece has appeared at auction in 25 years, adding an extra layer of exclusivity.
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