Rolex is a notoriously shy company, they don’t disclose much information (they are a foundation after all and they don’t have too). But slowly Rolex is sharing more with their followers and collectors.
Now this might surprise many readers.
But all the documents and photographs I am about to show you, are made available by Rolex. You just have to look at the right place to find them.
It is a pleasure to share them with you.
(NB: All pictures shown are original Rolex pictures & credit to Rolex / Jean Daniel -Meyer). For more information on the history of Rolex visit their history page here.
1: First certificate of authenticity issued in 1946: We are used to seeing original certificates by Rolex in the 1950s and later for wristwatches but among the very first letters to mention, Rolex and originality, is this letter below.
It says: ‘The signed letter, by myself Hans Wilsdorf, officially certifies that I have created the name Rolex and brand for all our watches in London, and on 2 July 1908 first registered the name at the Swiss Commerce Registry‘.
Hans Wilsdorf signed the letter in 1946 – long before any GMT Master, Explorer or Submariner would appear on the market. This document can be seen as original letter that confirms where and when the word ‘Rolex‘ was first used and registered. Signed by the founder of Rolex himself, Hans Wilsdorf.
Rolex Original Certificate, 1908
(It is interesting to note above that at the time of the registering the name in 1908, the company that did this was called Wilsdorf & Davis – see above).
2: First certificate of precision papers: The second document also highly relevant is this very first certificate of precision or what Rolex later called Bulletin de Marche or Bureaux officials de Controle de La Marche Des Montres. This document is dated 1910 and the format and font has certainly changed since then.
These papers basically read out the accuracy of the watch and most Chronometer watches from Rolex had those papers when customers would buy their Rolex watches (like with this 6350 Explorer Rolex).
Notice that the Rolex watch from 1910, on the certificate below, was supplied by Jean Aegler & Fils – a separate watch company. Only three years later Aegler and Rolex would act as one company under the name Les fils de Jean Aegler, Fabrique de montres Rebberg, Final & Rolex.
By 1919 they (Aegler & Rolex) had effectively merged to become one company Manufacture des Montres Rolex, Aegler S.A.*
First Precision Certificate, 1910
*(Source: Copyright © David Boettcher 2006 – 2018 all rights reserved)
3: Portrait of Hans Wilsdorf – founder of Rolex: If you google Hans Wilsdorf who was the founder of Rolex, you often find a picture of him, that looks like this. That is the picture that you see also on my most blog pages and social media platforms. But this picture here is in my view a more flattering picture of Mr Wilsdorf who was an elegant man. Rolex has this dated from 1945, when he was 64 years old.
And yes I found this directly from Rolex.
Hans Wilsdorf en 1945
4: The name plate of Wilsdorf & Davis: Why do I show the original nameplate of Wilsdorf and Davis?
Because as many of you know, Rolex was born in London and not Switzerland when it opened for business in 1905.
The company was called Wilsdorf & Davis (for the names of the two partners – the other being Alfred Davis). Rolex changed that name to part Rolex in 1908 (confirmed by the letter above) and would move to Switzerland first in 1919. This is the original nameplate of the company in 1905 that year it was founded, that we all know today as Rolex SA.
I bet this would fetch a fortune at auction (not that it will ever appear at one – private property of Rolex).
This is the nameplate that started Rolex.
Wilsdorf & Davis Nameplate, 1905
