Rolex

See also: rolex

English

Etymology

Coined by German watchmaker Hans Wilsdorf in 1908 as a trade name. Wildorf later explained: "I tried combining the letters of the alphabet in every possible way. This gave me some hundred names, but none of them felt quite right. 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."

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹəʊlɛks/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: rolex

Noun

Rolex (plural Rolexes)

1. A luxury wristwatch produced by the brand Rolex SA.
   • 2015, Dorothea Benton Frank, Carolina Girls:

     He pulled up his sleeve and there on his scrawny arm hung a Rolex the size of Big Ben.

Derived terms

• fauxlex
• Rolexed
• Rollie

 

Further reading

• “Rolex”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• Rolex on Wikipedia.Wikipedia