The Founder of Rolex
Hans Wilsdorf (1881-1960) was a German businessman and the founder of Rolex and Tudor. He was an early believer in the potential of the wristwatch and made it his mission to popularize them. In 1905, he placed an order with Hermann Aegler, a watch movement maker in Bienne, Switzerland, resulting in the largest order ever made for wristlet watches. Wilsdorf was responsible for winding hundreds of pocket watches daily in his role with Cuno Korten, where he gained valuable knowledge about how all types of watches were produced. He established the Rolex Geneva office in 1919 as the sole proprietor, and Montres Rolex S.A. was registered in Geneva in 1920. Wilsdorf died in Geneva, Switzerland on July 6, 1960, and was buried in Kings Cemetery in Geneva beside his first and second wives. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, established in 1945, still owns and controls Rolex. We greatly thank him for his masterpiece.
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I reckon he would be disgusted with some of his ADs over the past decade
Giving ChatGPT a workout again this morning, are we?
He does look a bit of a "Cad" like Terry Thomas with that dodgy moustache 🤣
Wait @TimeJunkie I didn’t realize you were the founder of Rolex! 😜
Wait @TimeJunkie I didn’t realize you were the founder of Rolex! 😜
Nah he ain't. He's just such a hardcore fan of Rolex he's got Wilsdorf on his pfp😂
Giving ChatGPT a workout again this morning, are we?
Our posts are 100% written by humans. The only non-human technology used in the creation of our content is a spelling-mistake checker to ensure there are no mistakes in our posts. We assure you, ChatGPT is not used in any of our content at all.
Masterpiece of marketing you mean right?😉
I thought Daniel Wellington founded Rolex...
Why this post though...? 🧐
Wait @TimeJunkie I didn’t realize you were the founder of Rolex! 😜
Rolex, Tudor and the Wilsdorf Foundation actually! 😎. Good catch! I love when someone in WC figures out that's not a dead relative!
Lots of people who are not collectors ask if Rolex is the best watch brand. I always reply that Rolex is a great watch brand: fit and finish, accuracy, reliability, easy to work on and retain value etc. Rolex isn't the best watch brand. Rolex is the best marketed watch brand. Wilsdorf knew how/when to use outside watch sources when needed. He moved Rolex to Switzerland instead of dying out in England. Certainly Rolex knows how to leverage their heritage. What watch actually made it to Everest first? What does the Wilsdorf Foundation actually invest in or give to? Failed attempts to cross the English Channel, military background actually dominated but Tudor due to cost versus Rolex, auto racing (why sponsor a team when you can sponsor all of F1?) Tennis, golf, sailing... I digress. Nobody did it like Hans & Nobody markets like Rolex! Amazing brand for sure. Oh, I own a few. My wife has been gifted three by me. My daughter loves her Explorer I 36mm and a few friends wear Rolex as gifts I've given. Yep. I'm a fan boy. I can say the same for a few other brands: lately Grand Seiko, Marathon, Hamilton, Tag Heuer and Luminox = wear em' and gift em'. Just saying I'm not totally a Rolexfile LOL
Postscript: you have the perfect OP IMO
I saw a short video on #rolex . It's such an interesting story and inspiring.