Amazing Rolex Information

[unclesallie]

Today I ran into a salesman from an AD near where I live and I learned the following:

1. The founder of Rolex had a wife who died before him, and having no children, and not wanting his efforts to be for naught, he placed the company into a Foundation which runs the company until present. The Foundation was set up for charitable purposes, so after Rolex pays its officers and employees, it uses its profits for charity. Did everyone but me know this? Can anyone verify this is true?(he swears it is).

2. Near where I live, in Littitz, Pa., Rolex has set up a Horological School, where people can enroll and learn to repair Rolex watches. There are no grades, you either meet Rolex standards or you fail. They give away 12 free apprenticeships per year to earnest students in need. Did you know that?

3. In Columbia, Pa. also near where I live is the National Watch and Clock Museum with a fantastic collection of watches and clocks dating back to the earliest timing devices. The National Watch and Clock Museum is also the home of the NAWCC(National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc.) of which I have been a member for one year. At the Museum they have a huge library devoted to horological research, free and available to use by members only.

[Robb]

Great info! Thanks for sharing.

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Thanks for the info, Dan!

Yes, luckily Rolex IS a foundation and can NEVER be bought by another company!

[Downing]

If you want to find out more about the history of Rolex, check out these books:



The Best Of Time is probably my favorite but it's a coffee table book so it's too big and heavy to carry to the cofee shop or the park.




The Rolex Report is more portable as it's smaller and in paperback. Lots of good info in this one on how to spot fakes if you're into that sort of thing. My only knock on this one is that the photos are in B&W.




Vintage Rolex Sports Models may also be of interest if you have one of the tool watches.

Plenty of interesting information in all three.

[unclesallie]

thanks for the reference on the books!

[nimm12]

hey Dan , me and wife on our way to NYC now , waiting to catch the flight at Singapore Changi Airport , thanks for your great help and info , heard weather's great there

[SLR]

Originally Posted by Downing

The Rolex Report is more portable as it's smaller and in paperback. Lots of good info in this one on how to spot fakes if you're into that sort of thing. My only knock on this one is that the photos are in B&W.

Thanks for the references! Just ordered one on amazon.

[Downing]

Happy to be of service. I think it was Bo that told me about them, so I just paid it forward.

[unclesallie]

Hey! have a wonderful trip to the USA!

best,
dan

[timebroker]

NAWCC is one of the best out there, great people, great info.
They have chapters as well, go and have a look at their forum and sub divisions.
Mostly about american watches but still.
Incredible information databases, quick responses but forget hijacking threads lol.
About the apprentices, unfortunately they are very limited, read an article about how to apply etc etc, very strict and very difficult to get in.

[Alcan]

Here's an interesting read on Rolex history:

http://www.rolxcellence.com/history.html

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by Alcan

Here's an interesting read on Rolex history:

http://www.rolxcellence.com/history.html

One of the MOST interesting things about this article, Al, is the UNTRUE piece of information that the reader gets in the very first sentence:

"Rolex was founded in 1908....."

The NAME "Rolex" was coined in 1908, but Wilsdorf & Davis, as the company's name was back then, was founded three years earlier, in 1905.

Here is some more info on Rolex history:

ROLEX HISTORY. CLICK!

[unclesallie]

but no mention of the Trust....!?

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by unclesallie

but no mention of the Trust....!?

NO! It cannot be TRUSTED!

But the foundation is mentioned in the link I provided.