Rolex— Crystal Headquarters

The Scope

This project involved designing a detailed, small-scale replica of Rolex’s U.S. headquarters in New York, using the same premium crystal featured in their renowned watches.

The development process spanned several months, driven by Rolex's uncompromising standards of excellence. A key challenge was flawlessly replicating the building's signature fluted design, reminiscent of their famous watch bezels, ensuring flute aligned seamlessly.

The Building

I was given access to Rolex’s architectural drawings from the building which I then had to translate and R&D into a manufacturable way. I was able to simplify the building in a way that didn’t make them feel as if they were looking at a foreign object.

Midway through the project, Rolex informed me of their plans to construct a new building for their New York headquarters with a different facade and requested that the crystal model reflect the new design instead. Adapting swiftly to a client's changing needs is a skill I’m grateful to have developed.

Challenges… and Solutions

For such a complex crystal form, three manufacturing methods were initially used to create the structure: waterjet cutting, molding, and assembling "matchsticks". Waterjet cutting caused hazing and lacked precision, while molding resulted in unevenness due to incomplete crystal flow. The "matchstick" method, involving creating individual fluted edges of several varying dimensions, UV glued onto larger crystal blocks, had a high rejection rate but the pieces that survived the process produced perfect results, and Rolex’s budget allowed them to entertain this method.

Additionally, Rolex requested a 3D logo subsurface laser engraved inside the crystal, but I advised etching it on the bottom due to the amount of visual distortion caused from the fluted edges. As mentioned earlier, halfway through the project Rolex changed the design to reflect their new headquarters, but since R&D was complete on my end which made the transition to the new design seamless.

Base View 1.png

  • First Headquarters

  • CAD of First Design

  • CAD of Final Design

  • Exploded View

Final Versions

The project resulted in a stunning crystal form with remarkable stature, and working with Rolex— a brand I’ve admired since becoming an industrial designer— collaborating alongside their CEO, made this experience truly an unforgettable one.

Although the old headquarters will be retired, the earlier piece, for me, represents the successful R&D that enabled the completion of the new design. Not only did was the client satisfied, but I also developed a stable design process for future projects.

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