Hans Wilsdorf

Who was Hans Wilsdorf?

Hans Wilsdorf was a German watchmaker, and the founder of Rolex and Tudor.

Born in Kulmbach, Bavaria and orphaned as a child, Wilsdorf worked for a Swiss watch manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1905, he moved to London and set up his own business, wanting to provide quality timepieces at affordable prices. With his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, he founded a watch importing firm called Wilsdorf & Davis, and he partnered with Hermann Aegler, a watch manufacturer in Bienne to import wristwatches.

In 1908, he created the Rolex brand to sell his watches under, and during World War I, he left England for Switzerland due to wartime tax increases levied on luxury imports. In 1920, he established Montres Rolex S.A. in Bienne. The name "Rolex" was given because it is easily pronounceable in many language and because he felt the name sounded like the noise a watch made when it was being wound. It was also short enough to fit on the face of his watches. Wilsdorf ultimately moved his company to Geneva in 1919. He also established the high-quality, lower-priced watch brand Tudor, a subsidiary company of Rolex in 1946.