Rolex Pocket Watch Serial Number Database

Hans Wilsdorf The year was 1905 and the place was London, England. 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. There is some debate as to the origins of the Rolex name.

How to Find the Serial Number on an Elgin Pocket Watch. Over the next century, the firm produced more than 60 million wrist and pocket watches. Owners can trace their pocket watch's history by obtaining the unique serial number featured on the movement part of the watch--not the watch case, which displays only a case serial number. The watch model number is usually referred to as the “style number” on Rolex paperwork, if there is paperwork on the watch. Luckily, there are some dial markers and case features that can usually give away a Rolex model number, but some models, such as the 18k Ladies Date-just line, can be difficult to discern.

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'. Buttercup by the foundations. 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. Rolex is still owned by this private charitable trust which supports many children's charities (Mr. Wilsdorf was an orphan) and cutting-edge entrepreneurial endeavors (Mr. Wilsdorf held over 700 patents).

No Rolex shares are traded on any public exchange. Today, the Rolex brand is recognized throughout the world as a symbol of prestige and quality. Rolex is by far the single largest luxury watch brand, producing about 2000 watches per day, and is certainly one of the top watch brands in the world. Rolex has made many important contributions to the field of horology.