Rolex SA
Market Data Current As Of: August 12, 2026
Explore Rolex SA
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Rolex SA
Explore Rolex SA
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Company History
Founded 1905 in Geneva, Switzerland
Rolex SA was founded in 1949 by Hans Wilsdorf after the Wilsdorf Brothers Shoe Factory split. The split also produced Puma, founded by Rudolf Wilsdorf, creating one of the most famous rivalries in sport and consumer brands.
Hans Wilsdorf founded Rolex in London before moving it to Geneva. He was a marketing genius, famously outfitting swimmer Mercedes Gleitze with a Rolex Oyster when she swam the English Channel.
To secure its retail distribution network.
Rolex SA was officially registered on August 18, 1949, by Adolf 'Hans' Wilsdorf.
The name is a portmanteau of the founder's nickname 'Hans' and the first three letters of his last name 'Das' (Wilsdorf).
Before WWII, Hans and his brother Rudolf ran a highly successful shoe company together. A bitter, never-resolved feud caused them to split the company in 1948. Hans formed Rolex SA, and Rudolf crossed the river to form Puma.
Yes, in 1936, Hans Wilsdorf drove to the Olympic village and convinced American track star Jesse Owens to wear his handmade spiked shoes, launching the Wilsdorf shoes into global prominence when Owens won four gold medals.
Hans Wilsdorf first used the signature branding in 1949 to stabilize the shoe, but it quickly became the company's iconic, globally recognized trademark, known as 'the brand with the 3 stripes'.