Overview

• Declassified MI5 documents from 1941–43 describe Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf as “most objectionable,” note reported Nazi sympathies and record British and Swiss surveillance of his operations.
• A 1941 British consul report called Wilsdorf “well known for his strong Nazi sympathies,” and an MI5 memo accused him of possible espionage on behalf of Germany.
• Officials debated placing Wilsdorf on a wartime trade blacklist but decided in 1941 that the lack of direct evidence and the risk to Empire markets outweighed the benefits.
• Rolex has acknowledged the archive’s revelations and appointed Dr. Marc Perrenoud to lead a historical inquiry that will publish its findings online.
• Historian Jose Pereztroika, who first publicized the MI5 records, argues the documents support long-standing questions about the motives behind Wilsdorf’s wartime gestures.