Philanthropic activity is sometimes overlooked when it comes to the watch industry. Satellite view of the Pont Hans Wilsdorf. There are certainly marketing campaigns which publicize watch industry support of the arts and the environment, for example. But some activity is less well-known but no less important. For example, consider a certain bit of road in Switzerland.
Geneva's Pont Hans-Wilsdorf, or Hans Wilsdorf Bridge in English, is architecturally very unique, with an organically designed superstructure reminiscent of the work by famed architect Antoni Gaudí (well, reminiscent to me at least). The bridge spans the Arve River and allows pedestrians, bikes and cars to move between the neighborhoods of Les Vernets and Plainpalais. I've heard some lore about this bridge, mostly due to the fact that the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, the non-profit owner of Rolex, paid for its construction. Generally, infrastructure like this would be funded out of public coffers. The bridge was, basically, a donation by a watch brand to the city where it is headquartered.
I don't know how often a Rolex buyer thinks about the fact that their spending supports works of charity in Switzerland and around the world, but that's the reality of the situation.
News also broke this week that a Rolex-adjacent enterprise, the recently-established Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation, made a major donation to higher education in Switzerland.
Street level view of Pont Hans Wilsdorf. Jörg Bucherer was the owner of his eponymous watch and jewelry stores before he passed away in 2022. Like Rolex co-founder Hans Wilsdorf, Bucherer did not have heirs. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation ended up acquiring Bucherer's business, thereby welcoming it to the non-profit fold.
And, like Wilsdorf, Bucherer decided to fund a charitable enterprise with his wealth: the Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation. On July 8, 2025, the foundation announced a major donation of CHF 100 million to ETH Zurich, a university in Switzerland. The funds will be used to support ETH Swiss Geolab, an earth observation research center. Experts at ETH Swiss Geolab will "use data from space, from the air and on the ground as well as AI-assisted analysis methods and high-performance computers to better understand our planet and overcome specific challenges. The spectrum of possible research topics is broad: It extends from the early detection of natural disasters, such as the landslides that recently hit the Swiss municipalities of Blatten and Brienz, to predicting agricultural yields to help farmers with their planning."
It isn't every year that we see a new branch of major charitable activity sprouting from the watch industry, but this year we have. The Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation's remit "includes creative, mentoring and performing activities in the fields of music, the visual arts and literature ... research and teaching in natural sciences and technology in Switzerland ... welfare for children with disabilities in Switzerland ... fostering quality tourism in Switzerland [and] ... improving the number of retirement and nursing home places in the Canton of Lucerne." I'll keep an eye out for additional projects funded by the foundation and report them when I see them. Bucherer deserves a lot of praise both for his success in business and for his decision to prioritize charity as one of his final acts.
My book on the history of Rolex marketing is now available on Amazon! It debuted as the #1 New Release in its category. You can find it here.
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