The Rolls is an early automatic timepiece which holds a place in experimental wristwatch-making history, at a time before effective automatic wristwatches existed. Made when watchmakers were still searching for ways to automate the winding process on the wrist. As a mechanism, it was not highly efficient or in general a practical movement, but it does represent an idea made into a reality which became part of history.
The Rolls watch history is linked with Blancpain and the development of the automatic wristwatches. In the 1920s, Frédéric-Emile Blancpain met the British watchmaker, John Harwood, who had been working on the concept of automatic winding in wristwatches. The two worked together and used a Blancpain base movement to develop a circular automatic wristwatch in 1926. - In 1931 F.-E.Blancpain collaborated with the French watchmaker Léon Hatot, with another form of automatic winding system. Placing the movement inside a carriage allowing it to slide back and forth, winding up the mainspring. The size of the calibre meant that a small ladie's rectangular watch could be made, which had not been available before. The name of the watch Rolls may have been influenced by the way in which the automatic functions. It has also been suggested that F.-E. Blancpain selected the name in connection with the Rolls Royce brand.
