Rolex is the preeminent luxury watch brand in the world today. Approximately 2,000 watches roll out of the firm’s factories daily, earning it $4.5 billion of revenues in 2012 alone and making it the #57 brand in the world, according to Forbes Magazine.
Like most other highly respected timepiece-makers, Rolex has been based in Geneva, Switzerland for over a century, but it was actually founded in London, England in 1905, under the name of Wilsdorf and Davis. Later the firm’s founders chose the name Rolex, some say as an an amalgam of the French phrase horlogerie exquise, which means exquisite clockwork in English.
The firm issues watches under two brand names: Rolex and Tudor. Tudor was launched in 1946, in order to reach another slice of the market that wanted to wear good quality watches but could not afford the high price tag of a real Rolex, which can several thousands of dollars apiece. Meanwhile, a Tudor can be had for as little as $250.
Rolex is owned by a private trust established by its founder Hans Wilsdorf and its shares are not traded on stock exchanges.
