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The house of Rolex

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The house

Rolex

Founded
1905
Country
Switzerland
Based in
Geneva

Hans Wilsdorf founded the company in London in 1905, registering the name Rolex three years later and moving the business to Geneva after the First World War. His conviction — unusual at the time — was that the wristwatch could be made as reliable as the pocket watch, and most of what Rolex is known for follows from trying to prove it.

The Oyster case of 1926 sealed the movement against water and dust. The Perpetual rotor of 1931 removed the need to wind it. Put together, they describe almost every Rolex made since: a sealed, self-winding, chronometer-rated watch built to be worn rather than kept.

The company has never been listed. It is owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which is why Rolex publishes no accounts and answers to no shareholders — and why production numbers, waiting lists and allocation remain entirely at its discretion.

Known for

  • Submariner126610LN

    The 1953 dive watch that set the template for all of them.

  • Datejust126234

    The first self-winding chronometer to show the date, 1945.

  • Cosmograph Daytona126500LN

    Built for racing drivers; now the hardest to buy at retail.

  • GMT-Master II126710BLRO

    Made for Pan Am crews crossing time zones.

Before you buy one

Rolex is the most counterfeited watch on earth and the fakes are now good. Judge the movement, not the case: a jeweller can open it in front of you in thirty seconds.

Check that the serial between the lugs matches the papers, that the bracelet has no side-to-side stretch, and that the case still has sharp edges — an over-polished Rolex has lost both its lines and a good part of its value. Service history matters more than box and papers; a full set with a neglected movement is the worse buy.

Luxigate doesn’t authenticate pieces. For anything you’re serious about, have it checked independently before you pay. How buying works

Last revised 22 Oct 2026.

On the floor

Rolex on Luxigate