Long years ago when Hans Wilsdorf put an idea to motion through the movement of a superbly crafted watch little would he have known the impact that the brand ‘Rolex’ would have. Defining time itself, Rolex has risen to become more than a brand name and now symbolizes an idea, a movement, a phenomenon, an aspiration and more so a dream that Hans Wilsdorf dreamt when he stood over his crafting table and brought one of the most exquisite masterpieces to life. Putting in his core ideals and philosophies into the watch, Hans Wilsdorf recreated the fantastical capacity of human imagination and its determined action in pursuing perfection in every aspect of life.

From then on till now in its 100 year old history, Rolex has charted out an incredible journey that has crossed over continents, civilizations, cultures, individualistic aspirations and societal framework. The primary ambition of Rolex has always been to integrate the society into a whole that works towards the cumulative achievement of incredible performances. Today the Rolex brand is not owned by a single person only to keep alive the philosophy of Rolex that envisions the transformation of the human race into a more focused, determined and resilient part of the society. Very early in its existence Rolex had realized that masterful craftsmanship and true dedication allow an individual to challenge preconceived notions and break the barriers of long held beliefs. The masterful design of a Rolex watch exudes the aspects of utter commitment and the innovative tactics that we are capable of. From the first waterproof watch that took the world by a tidal wave to scratch proof covering and incredible design that stunned the world, Rolex has been a precursor to many firsts in the world.

But this never was enough, Rolex wanted to create a partnership with individuals and events that held great ambitions and wanted to lead the world to the dawning of a new realization. In tune with this ambition Rolex, set out to partner, sponsor and celebrate events that brought together remarkably talented individuals who pushed the limits of endurance and achievement to recreate and rewrite history. Right form international sailing events that are held on the shores of China to the blue water of the Caribbean, Rolex has played an instrumental role in holding more than 20 prestigious sailing regattas around the globe. Taking on the role of a promoter and protector of vintage cars that were pivotal in revolutionizing the art, design and functionality of cars, Rolex supports prized vintage car rallies and events.

This however was still not enough so Rolex brought together car racing events that have grown to become proving grounds for star racers and also aid the process of congregating humanity in the celebration of incredible feats of strength and determined vision. Completely involving itself in a range of philanthropic activities Rolex has taken out numerous awards that seek to promote the innovative vision and programs of individuals who are on a quest of improving the state of this planet. Over the many years it has been around Rolex has associated with many activities that have a common element of improving or enhancing the capacity of the individual whether through competition of the through charitable activities.

A dream that was Rolex imagines, aspires, creates and partners humanity in attaining a new vision and leads the world to a brand new horizon of greater purpose.

Once upon a time, on this very 2^nd day of July a man who had set out with a dream to make a wristwatch which would be more than an instrument of utility and to transform it into an elegant piece of precision got his dream registered. The dream was none other than the watch brand Rolex and the man was its famous creator Hans Wilsdorf. On July 2^nd, 1908 Hans registered the mark Rolex under the number 24001 and a hundred and one years after, today, Rolex is a brand name that instantly connects with brilliance and panache. In 1915 Wilsdorf had culled enough enthusiasm from the wearers of his watch to register Rolex as the company name.

A lot of planning and strategizing had gone into making the watch’s exactness in marking time, reach the level of perfection that it can proudly claim for itself today. Rolex by the first half of the 20^th century had become such an embodiment of acme that in 1940 of the 21,561 certificates of precision that were issued by the four offices to deliver a rate control certificate for wrist chronometers, Rolex bagged for itself 19,155 of them.

Rolex has many firsts to its credit. It was the first watch company to have invented the waterproof watches. Rolex understood the need to keep oneself abreast of time like no other and came up with the idea of showing the date on the dial. Rolex was also the first watch company that showed two time zones on the same watch. That a watch could be a perfect chronometer was not known before Rolex bagged the record for the most certified chronometer movements in the wristwatch category. The Rolex brand also associated itself with developing the original quartz watch movements.

Of the many Rolex inventions the “Perpetual� was Rolex’s invention of the first self-winding watch which used a rotor and was mathematically designed to mark time accurately. The watch was incorporated with listings for the day and date of the week and Rolex very aptly renamed it as the Day Date. To make their watches water resistant Rolex came up with a unique technology, one that allowed the wearer to sport his Rolex at the beach or at the pool. The watch resistant case got its name from the sea and was called the Oyster. Rolex has a series of watches that are called the Oyster Perpetual editions.

Wilsdorf was quick to understand that just creating a trademark wasn’t enough. It was important that the watch also got a universal clientele and people around the world could avail of the Rolex experience. As a marketing strategy Rolex prioritized the creation of a very personalized design as a result of which the watches were contemporary of the times in which they were created.

The Rolex credo of Quality, Perfection and Consistency survived generations making Rolex an heirloom that is passed from father to son. The Rolex watch is extremely reliable and its durability makes it a name to reckon with. The Rolex SA has three watch lines, the Oyster Perpetual, the Professional and the Cellini. Each line has its share of loyalists and the tacit norm is that once you own a Rolex it’s not only difficult but impossible to change your brand.

Rolex takes itself beyond watches and allies with games. Rolex is the Official time sponsor of the Wimbledon and the US Open and also extends its support to golf and water sports. In 2007, Rolex got its headquarters in New York and since then its fame in the American market has soared.

Hans Wilsdorf, the late founder of Rolex, and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, can be described as two very similar men in respects to their business instincts and their philanthropic visions. Although they respectively started two of the most influential and powerful companies of the modern age, their charitable works just might come to define the true legacies of these revolutionary entrepreneurs. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation both help to confront and solve the world’s most challenging and persistent problems. A great visionary as an entrepreneur, Hans Wilsdorf foresaw the shift away from pocket watches so he developed the first quality wristwatch, registering the name Rolex in 1908. The incredible innovative history of Rolex is well known. What is not as well known is that at the time of his death in 1960, Hans Wilsdorf owned all of Rolex. When it comes to giving back in the form of charity and cultural support, philanthropy became an intrinsic part of the Rolex culture and philosophy. Upon the death of his wife in 1944, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation in which he left all of his Rolex shares, making sure that a large percentage of the company’s income would go to charity. The company is still owned by a private trust, and shares are not traded on any stock exchange. The foundations funnels much of the profits generated by Rolex into charitable endeavors. These proceeds discretely go to children’s charities around the world (Hans Wilsdorf was an orphan) and to innovative entrepreneurial and cultural endeavors.

Following in the footsteps of Hans Wilsdorf, Bill Gates is a visionary businessman who revolutionized the personal computer business. Recently, Bill Gates has embraced a new vision through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Established by the chairman of Microsoft and his wife, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works in developing countries to improve health and reduce poverty and in the US to support education and libraries nationwide and children and families in the Pacific Northwest. With an endowment of about $30 billion in 2009, the foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world. To maintain its status as a charitable foundation, it must donate at least 5% of its assets each year. As a result, the donations from the foundation each year amount to over $1.5 billion at a minimum. The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in the philanthrocapitalism revolution in global philanthropy. Investor Warren Buffett has announced plans to give the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation about $30 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock in installments, the first of which was received in 2006.
In a statement letter on the foundation’s website, Bill and Melinda Gates write, “We created the Gates Foundation in 2000 because we believe in the principle that every human life has equal worth. The life of an impoverished child in a developing country is as precious as the life of a middle-class kid in a developed one. A family struggling to make ends meet in an American inner city matters as much as a family thriving in a safe, suburban neighborhood. Today, billions of people never even have the chance to live a healthy, productive life. We want to help all people get that opportunity. We know it can be done because this is a unique moment in history: Scientific and technological advances are making it possible to solve big, complicated problems like never before. If these advances are focused on the problems of the people with the most urgent needs and the fewest champions, then within this century billions of people will grow up healthier, get a better education, and gain the power to lift themselves out of poverty.� Like the creation of the Hans Wilsdorf foundation by the founder of Rolex, Bill Gates realized that his incredible wealth could be used to help fulfill the basic promise that all lives have equal value. By applying the principles that made both Rolex and Microsoft such successful enterprises, both Hans Wilsdorf in his lifetime and Bill Gates today have added a new and lasting dimension to global philanthropy.