Hans Wilsdorf was a German entrepreneur who founded Rolex in 1919 in Geneva, Switzerland. He saw the potential for rugged, reliable wristwatches for men when others thought they were only suitable for women. The name "Rolex" was suggested to him for its style and memorability. Wilsdorf's life's work was improving the precision of wristwatch movements, receiving certification for Rolex watches as early as 1910. He revolutionized the industry in 1926 with the waterproof Oyster watch. Wilsdorf insisted on quality and integrity in Rolex watches to represent the brand well. His legacy lives on in the company he established.

1. SUCCESS STORY OF
AN ENTREPRENEUR
HANS WILSDORF
By
MOHAMED AL FATEEN S
21202183

2. PERSONAL INFORMATION
■ Hans Wilsdorf was the founder of Rolex
■ Born in bavaria, Germany in 1881
■ In 1919 he established his company in GENEVA ,SWITZERLAND

3. FROM THE POCKET TO THE WRIST
• an era when watches were designed to be pinned
to a garment or carried in a pocket.
• no one believed it possible to make a wristwatch
rugged enough for a man’s use.
• Hans Wilsdorf saw it. Aged just 24, already fascinated
by watch movements and their accuracy,decided to
make it possible.

4. THE NAME “ROLEX”
• In the streets of london,someone whispers a
name in his ears“Rolex”
• a short word with a good ring to it, easy to pronounce in
every language, and easy to remember.
• The word Rolex had style and authority, and looked
superb on a watch dial.

5. The Quest For Chronometric
Precision
• And so he embarked on his life’s work. As early as
1910 he received the first certificate for
chronometric precision to be given for a wristwatch
by the Official Watch Rating Centre at Bienne in
Switzerland.
• 1914 Rolex wristwatch comparable to the one certified
as a Class A chronometer by the Kew Observatory.

6. A new era of adventure
■ The arrival in 1926 of the iconic Rolex Oyster,
the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, was
momentous.
■ In 1927, a young swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze,
achieved celebrity status when she became the
first British woman to swim the English Channel
– wearing a Rolex Oyster.
• forging a path followed by hundreds of distinguished
sportswomen and men, explorers and artists. In their
achievements, they became star witnesses to the
virtues of the Rolex brand.

7. QUALITY AND INTEGRITY
■ In 1931 came the Rolex Oyster Perpetual. The company’s first
automatic wristwatch, it was self-winding, depending only on
the movements of the wrist for energy.
■ Hans Wilsdorf insisted that each new watch should go out into the
world as an ambassador of quality.
■ His wish was to forge an identity to match the quality of the work –
and, conversely, to deliver work that would forever honour the
brand.

8. GIFT OF TIME
■ His greatest legacy was the “beautiful work”
• He died in 1960, but his spirit lives on in the values
he instilled in the company.

9. Thank you