The story of Rolex is inextricably linked to the innovative and visionary spirit of Hans Wilsdorf, its founder. Young man, Hans Wilsdorf penetrates the world of Swiss watchmaking in the early 20th century, at a time when pocket watches are still the norm. And already, he begins to dream of a watch carried on the wrist. Wristwatches are not very precise, but Hans Wilsdorf sees the possibility that they become both elegant and reliable.
To convince the public of the reliability of its resolutely innovative watches, it equips them with very precise small movements, made by a Swiss watch company established in Bienne.
Rolex first on the quality of movements. This constant search for chronometric accuracy will quickly lead to success. In 1910, it is a Rolex watch that receives the first Swiss official certificate of good functioning granted to a wristwatch by the official Center of evaluation of the watches of Biel.
Four years later, in 1914, it was the turn of the Kew Observatory in Great Britain to issue a Class A precision certificate to the Rolex wristwatch, a distinction that had hitherto been reserved exclusively for the chronometers of the Marine. As of this date, the Rolex wristwatch becomes synonymous with precision.
