Sustainable development

Company presentation

An integrated and independent company

Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacturer that produces watches designed to last. Established in Geneva, the brand is renowned the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products.

About Rolex

A heritage built on strong values

Founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf (1881–1960), Rolex owes its success and international renown to the entrepreneurial spirit and strong values passed on by its founder: a relentless quest for quality, a spirit of innovation and the pursuit of excellence.

To this day, Hans Wilsdorf ’s personality and work continue to inspire Rolex and its corporate culture. The lasting impact of this visionary entrepreneur can be seen in the aesthetics and fundamental characteristics of a product that has remained true to its roots, and in Rolex’s ability to draw on its heritage to look towards new horizons. Its many watchmaking innovations bear witness to this, including the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch launched in 1926, and the self-winding Perpetual rotor mechanism patented in 1931.

A business model based on integrated expertise

Today, the Rolex brand is globally renowned for its expertise and the quality of its products, the essential components of which are designed in-house according to a vertical production model: from casting the gold alloys to assembling the elements of the movement, from the case, dial and bracelet to machining and finishing. This level of expertise and control gives Rolex an exceptional industrial base, where designers, engineers, watchmakers and other specialists work closely together at every stage in the manufacture of its watches.

Under the aegis of a single shareholder: the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation

Rolex is owned by the foundation created by Hans Wilsdorf in 1945. In line with its founder’s values, the company can thus continue to develop independently.

6.4 billion CHF

2007–2027 investments in capital goods, production machinery and buildings at the Geneva and Bienne sites

150

Number of internal sustainability projects

15,548

Employees worldwide (80% of whom are based in Switzerland)

1,900

People qualified to provide after-sales service worldwide

34

Internal service centres (Geneva and affiliates)

815

External service centres

1,470

Points of sale worldwide

19

Distribution affiliates

113

countries in which the brand is present

35

Years availability of spare parts for after-sales service. Following this period, the brand manufactures specific replacement parts, as required.

Rolex worldwide

Rolex is renowned the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its watches, all Superlative Chronometer certified for their precision, performance and reliability, have become symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. To maintain this high level of quality and provide its customers with locally available services, Rolex is present in over 100 countries.

The brand has 19 affiliates, a vast network of Official Retailers and almost 850 service centres. These centres are mainly watchmaking workshops set up at the brand’s Official Retailers or within its regional affiliates. They guarantee the quality, authenticity and servicing of Rolex watches. The company distributes, sells and services its watches in accordance with its strict quality standards.

Administrative and production sites in Switzerland

Rolex’s world headquarters, based in the Acacias district of Geneva, house all the company’s managerial, administrative and communication activities, as well as those related to the final assembly, control and sale of its watches. It is also where the Rolex Global Servicing Department, responsible for after-sales service, is located together with the Research and Development and Design Teams. The laboratories in which all the finished watches are tested before being sent around the world are also located in the Acacias district.

The Plan-les-Ouates site hosts all development and manufacturing activities for Rolex watch cases and bracelets, from shaping and machining the raw materials to creating the finishes on the final parts.

The Chêne-Bourg site brings together all the dial development and manufacturing activities. It also houses Rolex’s gemmology laboratory, its gem-setting workshops and the manufacture of its ceramic bezel inserts.

Manufacture des Montres Rolex SA, located in Bienne, is entirely devoted to manufacturing the brand’s movements. The components – from 200 to almost 400 for the most complex calibres – are manufactured there with the utmost precision.

These four sites offer Rolex an industrial base that allows it to give full scope to its capacity for innovation and creation.

In 2022, the brand also acquired a 100,000 m² plot in Bulle, in the canton of Fribourg, to build a new industrial site in Switzerland that meets high sustainability criteria. This unit will guarantee the defined production volumes of Rolex watches according to its exclusive quality standards.

Value chain

In the context of its business activities, Rolex takes its social and environmental impacts into account throughout its value chain, from raw-material extraction to after-sales service. To this end, the brand has drawn up internal policies and developed tools that enable it to continuously enhance its responsible business conduct.