Can you imagine living in a world where clocks are only on your wall or attached to a chain at your hip? That’s the world young Hans Wildorf was a part of in the early 1900s.
He dreamed of the convenience of carrying a small watch attached to your wrist. He set out to fulfill his dream to not only invent the wristwatch, but also create a timeless and luxurious brand, and the Rolex brand was born.
The iconic watchmaker, Rolex, has a rich and fascinating history. Keep reading to learn more!
Who Was Hans Wilsdorf?
A German by heritage but Swiss by location, Hans Wilsdorf learned a deep love and appreciation for beautiful, sophisticated things early in life. His family owned a successful business until he was 12, he received top education, he apprenticed at an international pearl company, then he worked under a prestigious watchmaker for years.
Swiss watchmaking was well known for its prestige and accuracy. Hans was lucky enough to study and work under a prestigious watchmaker, Cuno Korten, in Switzerland until 1903.
In 1903 he moved to London, taking all of his hard-earned knowledge and expertise with him. Two years later he was ready to open his own watch business, which he named Wilsdorf & Davis.
This was when Hans dreamed of inventing and normalizing the “wristwatch” as we know it today. He wanted to make quality wristwatches that were reliable, beautiful, and socially acceptable, but also affordable.
From Wilsdorf & Davis to Rolex
People have different theories as to why Hans changed the name of his company. He came up with the name “Rolex” in 1908 and had it copyrighted in Switzerland. But he didn’t officially change the name of his company to Rolex Watch Company until 1914.
This late change lines up with the outbreak of WWI in London. Some people believe he got rid of “Wilsford & Davis” because of its German implications, but no one knows for sure.
“Rolex” is a word that Hans came up with himself. He wanted something simple, that could be pronounced and understood in any language.
He needed something that would look good written on a watch face. He wanted something recognizable. He wanted something easy to remember.
One day the word “Rolex” came to his mind and he filed to register it that same week. And now, who doesn’t recognize the word?
The Rise of Rolex
In 1910, Hans made history when his Rolex wristwatch earned the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision. It was the first wristwatch to ever do so.
Just a few years later in 1914, it was awarded a Class A certificate from the Kew Observatory. Both of these achievements were groundbreaking. Never before had wristwatches received such legitimate, prestigious recognition!
Hans was fulfilling his dream, making wristwatches respectable in the timepiece community. Now he just needed to make them socially acceptable–even sophisticated–in the general public.
If you’re a fan of the work Hans Wilsdorf started, then you’ll love these vintage watches. He truly is the father of beautiful, sophisticated, affordable timepieces.
Rolex Synonymous with Reliable
After Hans achieved prestige among other clock makers, he still had to get his watches onto the wrists of the layman. That required making wristwatches sophisticated when they were seen as unrespectable.
Hans’ company made ingenious marketing decisions to popularize Rolex in the general public. In 1926 they invented, released, and promoted the world’s first “waterproof” watch. What a groundbreaking achievement, to make something so fragile not fragile!
As if to prove this watch’s amazing capabilities, the swimmer Mercedes Gleitze wore one while she swam the entire English Channel. That swim is rigorous and took 10 hours! Her Rolex worked during the swim and afterward.
Hans named the waterproof watch The Oyster. After that, Rolex tested its durability in many different strenuous, extraordinary situations and proved its true worth!
The Oyster saw the depths of the English Channel, the endless stretches of the Salt Flats, even the heights of Mt. Everest. This model accompanied swimmers, race car drivers, and pilots. All of them reported perfect performances from their Rolex watches!
Can you imagine how cool all of this made the Rolex brand? They were accomplishing things never accomplished before, and their watches were worn on the arms of the great, the successful, even the legendary!
Wristwatches quickly became more of a norm in general society, with Rolex leading the way. Wearing one became fashionable.
All The Oysters
There are now many different models of The Oyster. The one that scaled Everest in 1953 was made to withstand incredibly high altitudes and harsh conditions.
Rolex even released a model inspired by that momentous summit, called The Explorer, which was instantly popular and prestigious. The brand gained reputability as its wearers accomplished stunning feats with its help.
The one that accompanied deep-sea divers, The Submariner, was still waterproof 330 feet below the surface (and even up to 660 feet under). If only our cell phones could do that!
The one that flew on the arms of daring airplane pilots was the GMT-Master. It was designed to meet the unique and specific needs of pilots flying at any time of day or night, across oceans and countries.
Did you know that a Rolex Oyster was the first wristwatch to ever display the date and time on the face? That’s a pretty normal feature now, but Rolex pioneered it. The Oyster Day-Date made history with that feature.
The Rolex Brand Changed the World
All starting with a 24-year-old boy who dreamt of classy, reliable, fashionable wristwatches, the Rolex brand took the world by storm. Hans Wilsdorf didn’t let traditional thinking of his day get in his way: he took his revolutionary ideas and ran with them!
The history of Rolex is fascinating and rich. It’s truly a story of the power of human intellect, determination, and dreaming big.
Rolex is definitely the world’s most valuable watch brand, and it’s up there with the most valuable brands of all time. The company doesn’t release its sales information, but it’s estimated to be over four billion dollars. And it all started with one young German!
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