Rolex’s affinity with the film industry is one that speaks to the brand’s pursuit of excellence and creativity
Rolex has occupied a hallowed space in cinema since the golden age of Hollywood, being synonymous with both sophistication and power, and has been intimately involved with the silver screen’s momentous milestones.
In 1926, Rolex achieved a historical breakthrough in watchmaking with the Oyster. Featuring a hermetically sealed case, it was the world’s first waterproof and dust‑proof wristwatch. Less than a year later in 1927, cinema, too, enjoyed a breakthrough by way of The Jazz Singer, the world’s first talkie, marking the end of the silent movie era.
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Watchmaking history saw its next chapter written in 1931 with the birth of the Perpetual movement, making the Oyster the world’s first waterproof automatic-winding wristwatch. Cinema soon followed with its own triumph in 1932: thanks to innovation by Technicolor, Disney’s animated short, Flowers and Trees, treated viewers to scenes in glorious hues; colour filmmaking had arrived.
In 2016, Rolex officially cemented its relationship with cinema, with the brand designing and hosting the very first Greenroom at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Academy Awards—a collaboration that continues to this day. For its decor this year, the brand took inspiration from Hollywood and film studios, furnishing the backstage lounge with art deco‑style wall panels that feature iconic elements of Rolex watches—indexes, hands and fluted bezels—arranged to form colourful mosaics that depict the Los Angeles skyline. Also on display were visuals and the script from the brand’s latest campaign film The Path, which paid tribute to the filmmaker’s art.
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