Undercover Rolex Pioneer Accused of Being a Secret Nazi Agent
Hans Wilsdorf, the German-born founder of Rolex, was suspected by British intelligence during World War II of having Nazi sympathies and possibly engaging in espionage on behalf of the Nazis.
Declassified MI5 documents from 1941-1943 describe Wilsdorf as "most objectionable" and "suspected of espionage," and reveal concerns about his allegiances despite his naturalized British citizenship.
Key points from the declassified files include:
- Wilsdorf was described as having "strong Nazi sympathies" and was "well known" for these political leanings, with his brother reportedly involved in Goebbels’s propaganda ministry in Nazi Germany.
- MI5 monitored Rolex’s British operations and debated whether to blacklist Wilsdorf, but decided against it as it might harm Rolex’s business with British Empire countries.
- The British consul in Geneva corroborated these suspicions in 1941, noting Wilsdorf's Nazi sympathies and Swiss authorities surveilling him for potential Nazi propaganda activities.
- Some reports suggest Wilsdorf’s gesture of offering free Rolex watches to British POWs in German camps might have had ulterior motives rather than purely patriotic intent.
Rolex has acknowledged the seriousness of these allegations and launched an independent historical review led by Swiss historian Dr. Marc Perrenoud to investigate Wilsdorf's wartime activities transparently.
Hans Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria in 1881 and moved to London in 1903. He started making watches in Hatton Garden before registering the name Rolex and marrying British-born Florence Crotty. Wilsdorf moved the company headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919.
The suspicion of espionage was stated in Second World War papers dated between 1941 and 1943. British authorities first became concerned about Wilsdorf's Nazi sympathies in 1941.
MI5 feared Wilsdorf should be blacklisted due to his 'strong' sympathies for Adolf Hitler's regime. However, the blacklisting may have hurt Rolex and a large amount of overseas trade with Empire countries, as revealed by the papers.
Hans Wilsdorf died in 1960, leaving his ownership stake in Rolex to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which continues to own the company and supports charitable causes.
[1] The National Archives, UK, MI5 files on Wilsdorf (Ref: KV 2/2123, KV 2/2124, KV 2/2125) [2] The National Archives, UK, WO 208/2475, WO 208/2476 [3] Rolex, Historical Review, 2019 [4] The Guardian, "Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf suspected of being Nazi spy," 2019 [5] The Telegraph, "Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf suspected of Nazi sympathies," 2019
- The MI5 documents from 1941-1943, as revealed in the Rolex Historical Review of 2019, indicate a potential conflict of interest between Hans Wilsdorf's suspected Nazi sympathies and his role in finance and business, specifically with Rolex's operations within the British Empire.
- Despite the news about Hans Wilsdorf's alleged Nazi sympathies during World War II, MI5 decided not to blacklist him due to concerns about the impact on Rolex's financial standing and international business dealings.
