Watchlords

Let’s cut straight to the chase. Who invented the HRV (helium release valve)?

Doxa enthusiasts say the valve was co-developed between Doxa and Rolex but it was Doxa who introduced it first to the general public in 1969 with the Doxa 300 T Conquistador, two years before Rolex officially introduced the Rolex Sea-Dweller to the market.

Most Rolex enthusiasts probably do not even know about this. They will wave the existing patent filed by Rolex on November 6, 1967 and claim the true inventor of the helium release valve was Rolex.

Who is right? This is yet another one of those cases that requires some serious separation of facts from fiction.

First things first. The existing Rolex patent (CH492246) does not mention Doxa nor any person related to Doxa. As far as the document goes, there is no evidence Doxa co-developed the valve with Rolex and shared the patent.

https://perezcope.com/2020/02/25/the-doxa-hrv/