The Rolex, SA Company was founded
in 1905 by Mr Hans Wilsdorf and his
brother-in-law, Mr Alfred Davis. Contrary
to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was
neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker.
Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name
of what later became the Rolex Watch
Company. They originally imported
Hermann Aegler’s Swiss movements
to England and placed them in quality
cases made by Dennison and others.
These early wristwatches were then
sold to jewellers, who then put their own
names on the dial. The earliest watches
from the firm of Wilsdorf & Davis are
usually marked “W&D” inside the
caseback only.
Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark
name “Rolex” in La Chaux-de-Fonds,
Switzerland during 1908. The word
was made up, but its origin is obscure.
One story, which was never confirmed
by Wilsdorf, is that the word “Rolex”
came from the French phrase horlogerie
exquise, meaning exquisite watch
industry.
The Wilsdorf & Davis Company moved
out of Great Britain in 1912. Wilsdorf
wanted his watches to be affordable,
but taxes and export duties on the
case metals (silver and gold) were
driving costs up. From that time to the
present, Rolex has been headquartered
in Geneva, Switzerland, though the
company owns facilities in other cities
(Bienne, etc) and continents (North
America , Asia , Australia , etc).
The company name Rolex was officially
registered on 15th November 1915. It is
thought this change was part of a drive
to popularize wristwatches, which at
the time were still considered a novelty
largely for women (pocket watches were
more common). Wilsdorf was said to
desire his watch brand’s name to be
easily pronounceable in any language.
The company name was officially
changed to the Rolex Watch Company
during 1919. It was later changed to
Montres Rolex, SA and finally Rolex, SA.
Among the company’s innovations
are the first self-winding watch; the
first waterproof watch case; the first
wristwatch with a date on the dial;
the first watch to show two time
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