(Photo credit: Rolex)
A 1941 Swiss police report describing Hans Wilsdorf as a “fervent admirer of the Hitler regime,” which was revealed in a new book published in Switzerland this week, is prompting the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation to issue a rare statement.
The foundation said Wednesday it takes the book’s allegations seriously and will commission an independent expert to conduct a full historical investigation.
“The foundation was surprised to discover the content of this report which contrasts sharply with what we know about the founder,” the foundation told Swiss newspaper Le Temps. “The foundation wished to explore the issue further by commissioning an initial documentary research which is in progress.”
In the book, titled “La fabrique de l'excellence,” its author Pierre-Yves Donzé, an economics professor, said Rolex had complained to the Swiss federal authorities that Great Britain no longer allowed exports of Rolex watches, prompting the police investigation. Still, the police reported no suspicious activities by Wilsdorf had been found.