The new collector’s book Rolex: The Impossible Collection, published by Assouline, celebrates 100 years of the luxury watchmaker’s history. The Impossible Collection is much more than a book. This hardbound work of art pays proper tribute to the most coveted watch brand ever, dating back to the company’s genesis in 1905.
The book starts at the very beginning in 1905, diving into the roots of the founder, Hans Wilsdorf, and his dream to produce wristwatches. As a 24-year-old with an excellent handlebar mustache, Hans Wilsdorf founded the company in London in 1905 and chose the name Rolex because it was short and easy to remember in any language. “I tried combining the letters of the alphabet in every possible way,” he said. “One morning, while riding on the upper deck of a horse-drawn omnibus along Cheapside in the City of London, a genie whispered ‘Rolex’ in my ear.”
At nearly 200 pages with beautiful illustrations and photography, the book chronicles some of the most iconic watches in Rolex’s rich history, from an Explorer worn during Sir Edmund Hillary’s expedition to the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953, to the Chronograph worn by George Lazenby in the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This $845 handcrafted, limited edition 194-page book comes in a luxury clamshell case with a metal plaque.