Rolex Pocket Watch Serial Number Database

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Hans Wilsdorf The year was 1905 and the place was London, England. Dust hakida referat. Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis founded 'Wilsdorf & Davis' and began importing high-quality Swiss watch movements, produced by Hermann Aegler, and placing them in good-quality cases made by Dennison and others. These early watches were sold to jewelers who marketed them with their own names on the dial. The earliest known examples of Wilsdorf & Davis watches are signed 'W&D' inside the case back.

Contrary to popular belief, Wilsdorf was neither Swiss nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf was a German national, and Davis was British. The 'Rolex' trademark was registered in 1908, and the firm opened an office in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the world's center for high-quality watchmaking.

Serial Numbers Rolex Locating your Rolex serial number. The serial number of your watch is engraved on the case at the 6 o'clock end between the lugs. You will need to remove the bracelet/strap to see it. The model reference is engraved in the same place at the 12 o'clock end.

There is some debate as to the origins of the Rolex name. Wilsdorf was said to want an easily recognizable name that could be pronounced in any language and would fit easily on the dial of a watch. Some suggest that the name came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning 'exquisite horology'. Hess and James Dowling, in their book The Best of Time: Rolex Wristwatches, An Unauthorized History, clam that the name was just made up. 'Rolex' was first registered as a company name on November 15, 1915. The Rolex name did not appear on the watch dial until 1926.

Rolex Moves to Geneva and Launches the 'Oyster' In 1919, the company's headquarters was moved to Geneva, Switzerland, because taxes and export duties in the United Kingdom were driving up costs. The company was first established in Geneva as the Rolex Watch Company. Subsequently, the name was changed to Montres Rolex, SA and finally just Rolex, SA. One of the most important developments in the history of Rolex watches came when Wilsdorf purchased the patent for a revolutionary moisture-proof winding stem and crown from its inventors, George Peret and Paul Perregaux. The result of this acquisition was the development of the world's first truly waterproof case, which was given the name 'Oyster' in 1926.

In an effort to market the new Oyster watch, Wilsdorf hired a young London typist named Mercedes Glietz, the first woman to swim the English Channel. In 1927, prior to Glietz' second attempt to swim the Channel, Wilsdorf announced to the world that she would be wearing his water-proof Rolex Oyster watch and that she would emerge from the water and his watch would be running and on time, something which had never been previously accomplished. Though Miss Glietz did not complete this second crossing, which occurred under much more difficult conditions than her first swim, the watch performed beautifully. She and her Rolex Oyster made headlines around the world! To this day, Rolex continues to form creative advertising partnerships with athletes and athletic events. They are the official timekeeper of the Wimbledon and Australian Open tennis tournaments, and the Americas Cup yacht races, just to name a few. The Wilsdorf Foundation After his wife died in 1944, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation to which he left all of his Rolex shares, ensuring that a significant portion of the company's income would go to charity in perpetuity.