Rolex: Solving the Famous Murder Mystery

Rolex watches will be remembered for many years to come not only for their excellence, but also for their association with some popular and historic events. Of all such events, perhaps the most infamous and bone-chilling was a murder mystery that took place in 1996. It remains recognized as one of the most intriguing murder cases of the 20th Century.

Rolex found its name splashed across the media in 1996 when one of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatches (Date Model) actually helped in identifying a murder victim and eventually led to his murderer. Much to his surprise, a fisherman caught in his net the dead body of a man in the English Channel, about 7 miles from the English Coast. It proved to be a complex case because the victim's identity was unknown and the body badly decomposed. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch that the man was wearing, however, unexpectedly became the key piece of evidence that helped solve the case. Since the Rolex movement had a serial number and was engraved with special markings every time it was serviced, British police traced the service records from Rolex, and Ronald Joseph Platt was identified as the owner of the watch and the victim of the murder. In addition, British police were able to determine the date of death by examining the date on the watch calendar. Since the Rolex movement had a reserve of two to three days of operation when inactive and was fully waterproof, they were able to determine the time of death with only a small margin of error.

With the identity of the victim and the murder date (and time) now known, it turned out to be only a matter of only time before the police were able to find the culprit. Albert Johnson Walker, a Canadian investor accused of stealing millions from his investors, had fled to England--murdering Platt in the process of attempting to assume his identity. When caught, he was actually living under the guise of a married couple with his 15-year-old daughter Sheena. Once again, the precision and accuracy of the Rolex had come through in the clutch.