Why Rolex has no tourbillon watches

　　Rolex watchesAs one of the legends of the watchmaking world, it has always been a major topic of conversation among enthusiasts. The question of why Rolex does not have a tourbillon watch has also puzzled many friends for a long time. To this end, we will explore this seemingly highly technical question today.

　　First, what has Rolex been doing?

　　Known for its practicality, Rolex was founded around the beginning of the last century. Because of its dedication to and continuous improvement of the basic functions of watches, it has performed exceptionally well in terms of watch precision and water resistance. For example, half of the total number of watches certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) each year are Rolex products, and Rolex still holds the record for the deepest water resistance to this day. In other words, for those who are not particularly fussy about the art of watchmaking, what Rolex does seems to be quite enough. Even the master watch collector Zhong Yonglin, who owned countless watches, once said, "If you only buy one watch in your life, Rolex is the only choice." It can be seen that in the eyes of true senior watch connoisseurs, Rolex is also a brand in the industry that is difficult to replace, although it has no commendable complications, let alone top-tier complications like the tourbillon. However, this does not mean that Rolex lacks the ability to produce a tourbillon. On the contrary, given Rolex's financial, material, and human resources, if they wanted to produce a tourbillon watch, there would be almost no articulable difficulty; it is simply a matter of whether they want to or not, and whether they are willing.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Series 116520-78590, commonly known as the "Steel Daytona", automatic mechanical movement, stainless steel material, equipped with chronograph function, case diameter 40 mm, water-resistant to 100 metres.

　　Second, what is a tourbillon used for?

　　We all know that tourbillons are very expensive and beautiful, and of course, they can counteract the effects of gravity. However, there is a historical context that needs to be explained. Many friends may know that Master Breguet invented the tourbillon, but in Master Breguet's era, wristwatches did not exist. The tourbillon's role in counteracting the effect of gravity on mechanical movements was mainly aimed at the pocket watches or hanging watches popular at the time. A common feature of these watches was that they were kept in a waistcoat pocket or hung on the chest or waist, which meant that the position of these watches was basically fixed. Therefore, the timekeeping accuracy would be affected due to the different forces acting on various parts of the movement. For a wristwatch, because the arm is constantly moving or swinging, the difference in the effect of gravity on different parts of the movement is not very obvious. In other words, there is actually no direct relationship between the tourbillon and the wristwatch, although it looks very beautiful when placed on a wristwatch. In addition, as has been repeatedly emphasised in many articles, although to some extent the tourbillon represents the highest level of watchmaking craftsmanship, from a practical point of view, its existence actually has little value. The reason why it is very expensive now is mainly because it has transformed into a piece of art, and is also an important factor in increasing the artistic and economic value of top-tier watches.

　　Third, can Rolex and the tourbillon really not be together?

　　Based on the above analysis and the watchmaking philosophy (practicality) currently upheld by Rolex, it is difficult to see Rolex producing a tourbillon watch in the short term. However, if one day Rolex quietly launches a tourbillon, it will definitely be explosive news, because for those who are familiar with the watch industry or Rolex, this is unprecedented. However, we are not Rolex after all, and the situation in the watchmaking industry is constantly changing. Moreover, Rolex also introduced men's watches with quartz movements during the most difficult era of the mechanical watchmaking industry in the last century, which would be unimaginable based on today's understanding of Rolex. Therefore, while we respect Rolex's persistence and dedication, we will not be so stubborn as to think we know Rolex better than Rolex does. We will wait and see how Rolex acts in the future.

　　Summary: There are actually many standards for evaluating the watchmaking industry. There are those that do basic functions exceptionally well, like Rolex, and those that do complex functions extremely well, like Jaeger-LeCoultre. In fact, no matter what you focus on, whether you can create unique characteristics and a grand vision is the most important thing.

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