The Oyster Royal was introduced in 1933 and was recognisable on account of it having a centrally pivoted second hand as opposed to the small subsidiary seconds register that was still the norm at this stage. Interestingly, Rolex marketed the Royal as being ideally suited for those in the medical profession, this assertion being made on the basis that a large second hand would be far easier to consult when timing a patient’s heartbeat over a sixty second period.