How is the Rolex bubble "Cyclops" calendar magnifying glass made, and what is its strange origin?

There is a unique identification mark in Rolex diving watch, which is the magnifying glass of the calendar. Cousins call it bubble mirror, or cyclops. You may be used to it by now. Not only Rolex, but also many brands that imitate Rolex can see cyclops on their watches. But at first, the Rolex date magnifying glass was definitely an innovative function, and Rolex issued a statement to warn imitators. What's the strange origin of this cyclops magnifying glass?

Design inspiration of cyclops bubble mirror

According to legend, Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, designed the Cyclops for his second wife, May Wilsdorf-Crotty, because she couldn't read the date and number on the watch, and the original design intention came from this, and the name of the patent came from the Cyclops called Kiklopp among the Greek gods. 1953, convex lens began to be used in log tables and was patented. Now many oyster watches are equipped with this design, which can enlarge the date display by 2.5 times.

Manufacturing technology of Rolex bubble mirror

The first watches were made of acrylic, so the Rolex watches at that time were all directly injection-molded into an integral watch structure, equipped with one-eyed lenses, and the date magnifying glass was not detachable.

With the development of technology, the mirror has evolved into a synthetic sapphire crystal, and Cylops lenses have been made separately, and then bonded to the sapphire mirror (as long as the refractive index of the adhesive is the same as that of sapphire, you can't see the bonding trace). In 2005, when Rolex launched the 50th Anniversary GMT-Master, they added a new function and used an anti-reflection coating on the bottom of the date magnifying glass to make it easier to read.

Tips for buying watches: Looking back, Rolex is the greatest innovator in the history of mechanical watches. 1926 Rolex invented the oyster case, which is the first truly waterproof case. Subsequently, in 193 1 year, Rolex applied for the patent of perpetual motion machine, and in 1953, it launched the first one-eyed bubble mirror periodical. Will old innovations continue?