Rolex Watches Back to For Sale Index
Rolex SA was
founded in 1905 by
the German Hans Wilsdorf and his
brother-in-law, 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 and 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 15 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.