A new podcast on the founder of Rolex is available now!

A few surprising things I learned from reading about Hans Wilsdorf:

1. He was an orphan.

2. He was the sole owner of Rolex.

3. When he founded Rolex only women wore wrist watches.

4. Everyone told him the idea to make wrist watches for men was stupid. They said the very idea was “contrary to the conception of masculinity.”

5. Hans saw that as an opportunity. He proceeded to convince generations of men to wear a wrist watch.

6. He said “watchmakers all over the world believed this newfangled object was bound to prove a failure” and that as a result “Rolex was able to get several years ahead of other watch manufacturers”

7. He never doubted it.

In 1914 he said:

“My personal opinion is that pocket watches will disappear and that wrist watches will replace them definitively! I am not mistaken in this opinion and you will see that I am right.”

He was 33 years old.

8. He was the first person in the watch industry to spend large amounts of money advertising directly to the public.

9. He only wanted to be associated with the best. If you were an extreme achiever he would find a way to get a Rolex on your wrist.

Swam the English Channel? You get a Rolex.

Break the land speed record 9 times? You get a Rolex.

Become the first person to break the sound barrier? You get a Rolex.

Summit Mount Everest or explore the deepest the parts of the sea? You get a Rolex.

10. He understood the potential of his industry better than anyone else and would invest heavily in the technology needed to bring his ideas to fruition.

11. Before focusing on luxury watches and one brand name, he sold watches at every price and under a dozen (terrible) names. We all make mistakes.

12. He built his career on a few core principles (precision, waterproof, self-winding) and executed on those principles for decades.

13. Like a true gentleman, he had a hand shake agreement with his main supplier that lasted for 70 years. Their agreement outlived Hans.

14. Before he died he transferred ownership of Rolex to The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. Hans made sure Rolex could never be sold or taken public so they would never have to focus on anything but making timeless watches.

15. He worked on Rolex for 60 years. His exit strategy was death.

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Episode 351: The Founder of Rolex Hans Wilsdorf is waiting for you in your podcast app now.

Hans called his shot:

“We want to be the first in the field and Rolex should be seen as the one and only. The best.”

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6nxXut…

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fou…