What was the original name of the company that became Rolex?

The original name of the company that became Rolex was Wilsdorf & Davis.

Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis founded the business in London in 1905. At first, it was not primarily a watch manufacturer: the company imported Swiss watch movements, including movements made by Hermann Aegler, and placed them in cases supplied by other firms.

In 1908, Wilsdorf registered “Rolex” as a trademark for the watches sold by Wilsdorf & Davis. The short name was designed to be easy to pronounce in different languages and practical to print on a watch dial. The company itself later adopted Rolex-related names, becoming Rolex Watch Co. Ltd. in 1915 and eventually Rolex SA.

A common mix-up is reversing the founders’ names as “Davis & Wilsdorf.” Another is assuming Rolex was the company’s original legal name. Rolex began as the business name for the founders’ partnership, then became the public brand and ultimately the corporate name.