Modern era · Founded 1905

Rolex History

Rolex was founded in London in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, and moved to Geneva in 1919. Its Oyster (1926) was the first widely sold waterproof wristwatch, and its Perpetual rotor (1931) made self-winding practical.

Founded	1905, London (as Wilsdorf & Davis)
Founder	Hans Wilsdorf
Name 'Rolex'	Registered 1908
Headquarters	Geneva since 1919
Owner today	Hans Wilsdorf Foundation

Betting on the wristwatch

Hans Wilsdorf, a German-born orphan working in London, believed wristwatches would replace pocket watches at a time when most people thought them fragile and inaccurate. He invented the name Rolex in 1908: short, easy to say in any language, and good-looking on a dial. In 1910 a Rolex became the first wristwatch to earn a Swiss certificate of chronometric precision. After World War I, taxes in Britain pushed him to move the company to Geneva in 1919.

The swim that sold the Oyster

In 1926 Rolex patented the Oyster case, sealed against water and dust with a screw-down crown. To prove it, Wilsdorf gave one to Mercedes Gleitze, a young English typist, for her attempt to swim the English Channel in 1927. After hours in the cold sea the watch still worked, and Wilsdorf took out a full-page ad on the front of the Daily Mail. In 1931 Rolex added the Perpetual rotor, which winds the watch from the movement of the wrist.

Owned by a charity

Wilsdorf had no children. In 1945 he set up the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which has owned Rolex since his death in 1960, so the company isn't listed on any stock market and doesn't publish sales. Industry estimates make it the largest Swiss watch brand by revenue.

Questions people ask

Who founded Rolex?

Hans Wilsdorf, with Alfred Davis, in London in 1905.

Is Rolex Swiss or British?

It started in London but has been based in Geneva, Switzerland, since 1919.

Sources

Last updated October 18, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.