Hans wilsdorf biography book
- This is the story of Hans Wilsdorf Rolex is one of the most Luxury Brands in the World, valued today at around $8 Billion Dollars.
- Rolex - Hans Wilsdorf and the Evolution of Time: 1905 - Present.
- It is not intended to be a comprehensive biography of Hans Wilsdorf or a historical account of his companies, but a focused look at the watches themselves.
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Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex
- Item:
- #805138
- Industry:
- Retail and consumer goods
- Pages:
- 17
- Publication Date:
- May 27, 2005
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Product Description
Publication Date:May 27, 2005
Industry:Retail and consumer goods
Source:Harvard Business School
Explores the creation of the Rolex watch by Hans Wilsdorf. Provides a case study of how one of the world's leading luxury brands was created and, more generally, provides a vehicle for exploring the competitive advantage of Switzerland in watchmaking (and other industries). Although Switzerland was a traditional watchmaking center, Wilsdorf-who was neither a watchmaker nor Swiss-created this successful brand through his emphasis on quality and reliability, combined with celebrity marketing.
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Despite the fact, Rolex is one of the most highly recognized brands on earth today, very little has previously been known or published on the history of its highly driven, enigmatic and ultra-innovative marketing genius founder, Hans Wilsdorf. The man the world came to know as Hans Wilsdorf was born in 1881 with the birth-name of Hans Eberhard Wilhelm Wilsdorf.
Hans Wilsdorf was a rugged individualist with an absolute commitment to excellence which remains today. Hans Wilsdorf had uncanny insight into strategic design and marketing and refused to compromise quality.
Prior to writing this story, there were only three known photographs on the entire World Wide Web of Hans Wilsdorf, and one of them was exclusive to Jake's Rolex World. Not only were there very few photos, but, very little cohesive writing on Hans Wilsdorf's history? So much so, it really seemed as if Hans Wilsdorf never existed, or had become a ghost of sorts.
This is particularly strange, since, while Hans Wilsdorf was alive, his name appeared on every piece of Rolex advertising an
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Hans Wilsdorf
German founder of Rolex (1881–1960)
Hans Wilsdorf | |
|---|---|
Photo of Hans Wilsdorf (unknown date) taken from Rolex's website | |
| Born | (1881-03-22)22 March 1881 Kulmbach, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire |
| Died | 6 July 1960(1960-07-06) (aged 79) Geneva, Switzerland |
| Citizenship | German, British (after 1911) |
| Known for | Founding Rolex, Tudor |
| Spouses | Florence Frances May Crotty (m. 1911–1944)Betty Wilsdorf-Mettler (before 1960) |
Hans Wilsdorf (22 March 1881 – 6 July 1960) was a German businessman, best known as the founder of Rolex and Tudor. Wilsdorf's philosophy for the companies was "only great marketing is needed to make a company successful".[1]
Early life
Hans Wilsdorf was born in Kulmbach, Bavaria,[2] to Protestant parents, Anna and Johan Daniel Ferdinand Wilsdorf and was the second son of a family of three children.
His mother died when he was a boy and he became an orphan when his