Harvard and other Ivy League schools have been held to the highest standard. You graduate with a degree worth millions and the brand value of a billionaire. However, Rolex, the watchmaking giant, rolled out admissions to Rolex University. Yes, you read that right.
Rolex is often associated with the couture of timepieces. An exclusive deal reserved for the 1 per cent club is now offering admissions. According to a GQ report, the Rolex University received 560 applications for 27 spots, putting the acceptance rate at par with Harvard.
Is there really a Rolex University?
Over the past decade, the world has experienced a sudden shortage of people who can repair watches – luxury watches worth crores. According to GQ, America has fewer than 2000 professional watchmakers, and Rolex University solves just that.
Serving crypto capitalists and billionaires, Rolex reportedly sells over a million watches a year, a record-breaking number for the brand. However, the business of making its flagship products is trickier than a production line, with stiff competition from e-commerce and commercial labels.
Entry into the Rolex University
Entering the Rolex University requires a final exam. It is held at the company headquarters in Geneva. Held under the supervision of Swiss proctors, the ‘watchmaking final’ is unlike any other university exam. Once a candidate passes the evaluation, they officially become a Rolex-Certified Watchmaker. In fact, they can potentially earn upto $96,000 a year.
“If you want to know what time it is, you don’t need a watch, but a Rolex means more than just that,” a spokesperson told GQ. They added, “It’s a marker of a moment in someone’s life.”
The art of Rolex watch is more than its price tag. It all lies in the craftsmanship with a small machine sitting on your wrist. Made with exclusive elements and rare raw materials, a Rolex is often studded with diamonds. The brand often prides in being part of a history, a luxurious ‘narrative about exceptionalism,’ said the GQ report.
In fact, during her celebrated 1927 English Channel swim, Mercedes Gleitze wore a Rolex suspended from a ribbon around her neck. When Mount Everest was first successfully summited in 1953, members of the expedition were equipped with Rolex watches. The brand also accompanied pioneers on the earliest commercial transcontinental flights of the 1950s and on the historic 1960 descent into the Mariana Trench. Long before James Bond became synonymous with Omega, the iconic spy was seen wearing a Rolex Submariner.