At the age of 24, Hans Wilsdorf founded a company in London specializing in the distribution of timepieces. In 1905, Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, established Wilsdorf & Davis Ltd. to assemble and market watches using works imported from Switzerland.
Wilsdorf already had a vision of creating timepieces that could be worn around the wrist. Unfortunately, wristwatches, during those times, were not very precise. However, Hans Wilsdorf believed otherwise. He believed wristwatches could be both elegant and reliable.
In 1908, he came up with the brand name Rolex and registered it as a trademark. He set out to create wristwatches that were both manly and fashionable. Plus, to convince the public of the timepieces’ reliability, he equipped his timepieces with small, very precise movements manufactured by a Swiss watchmaking company in Bienne.
In 1914, the British government certified a Rolex as the first wristwatch to pass a test of durability and accuracy. This certification was only typically given to marine chronometers.
In 1915, the company was renamed Rolex Watch Co. Ltd. and in 1919, the company moved to Geneva – a city renowned internationally for watchmaking. Montres Rolex S.A., a French-language corporate name, was registered in Geneva in 1920.
In 1926, Hans Wilsdorf invented the Oyster Perpetual, the world’s first waterproof self-winding wristwatch with a Perpetual rotor. The Oyster has since become the benchmark in quality and prestige.
This timepiece is the epitome of a waterproof timepiece – precise, robust, and will withstand different types of conditions.
But Hans Wilsdorf didn’t stop there. The company continued to push beyond boundaries and drive innovation.
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