66 R olex watches have always had a reputation for their highest precision. So it may sound somewhat contradictory to say that, of all people, the company’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, ran ahead of his time. But herein lay precisely the key to his success. At the beginning of the 20th century, a time when watches were generally still carried in the pocket, a wristwatch was considered merely a chic, rather unreliable fashion accessory. But Hans Wilsdorf realised the potential of this new type of watch. Nobody believed in his vision to turn the wristwatch into a precise and robust everyday companion. Yet, his pioneering spirit won through: in 1910 – when Hans Wilsdorf was just 29 years old – a Rolex watch received the world’s first official chronometer certificate granted to a wristwatch. His courage to venture into new territory – braving the scorn of the sceptics – his untiring aspiration for perfection and his persistence certainly paid off. The same was true of Mercedes Gleitze, Pat Smythe and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. Three athletes, who have all gone down in sporting history. Three fighters, resolute in the pursuit of their goals. Three pioneers who were to become idols for millions of women. Mercedes Gleitze was born in Brighton in 1900 and later moved to London. She was a secretary by profession, but her vocation was swimming – for which she, together with Rolex, became worldfamous in 1927. When Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel, something very special accompanied her: the world’s first waterproof watch. After more than ten hours in the cold water, the Rolex Oyster still worked perfectly. The swimmer and the wristwatch had defied the elements. To celebrate the feat, Hans Wilsdorf placed an advertisement on the cover of the Daily Mail and, thus, made Mercedes Gleitze the brand’s first Testimonee. For Rolex it was the greatest triumph in watchmaking; for Mercedes Gleitze the start of a unique career. She was the first person to swim across the Straits of Gibraltar, as well as from Cape Town to Robben Island and back. She also swam through the Dardanelles and set numerous other records. She ended her career in 1932 after establishing a 46-hour world endurance swimming record. At the time all this took place, it would still be many years before women were to start making their mark in equestrian sport. The person who was to change this was still in her infancy, living not far from Mercedes Gleitze. Patricia (Pat) Smythe was born in London in 1928 and also learnt to swim against the tide early in life. At the age of five, she nearly died of diphtheria, which left her having to learn to walk again. She learnt to ride more or less at the same time on her brother’s pony and soon showed talent, but her family could not afford good competition horses. Smythe, therefore, was obliged to battle for her victories on difficult horses that other riders could not handle. Her diligence was rewarded at 18: in 1947, she was invited to join the British national squad and won the Grand Prix in Brussels the same year. However, as a woman, Pat was not allowed to take part in the Olympic Games in London a year later, although she had to put her best horse at the disposal of the British team, as was also the case for the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. Ladies were finally allowed to compete in show jumping in Stockholm in 1956, and Pat Smythe was the first female rider ever to win a Championship medal, taking bronze with the British team. She placed tenth in the individual class, even though “such jumps are far too difficult for a woman”, as Pierre Jonquères d´Oriola, 1952 French Olympic individual gold medallist pointed out before the start of the competition. Her success not only earned Pat Smythe the Order of the British Empire, but also turned her into one of equestrian sport’s first superstars and, in 1957, into Rolex’s first ever equestrian sport Testimonee. Talking about the rider’s huge popularity, one of her former employees, Paddy Bury, remembered that, for a letter to reach her, “in those days, ‘Pat Smythe, England’ was enough of an address”. Pat Smythe competed in top level sport for 16 years. She won the British Ladies Championships eight times, represented her country in 13 Nations’ Cups, took part in almost all of the big shows of the day – including the Majors in Aachen and Geneva – and celebrated numerous Grand Prix victories. PIONEERS ROLEX GRAND SLAM MAGAZINE
Rolex Grand Slam magazine - Number 4
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