The family behind Perpetual is visible throughout the investment office’s Munich premises. Photographs of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf hang in the library, while the meeting room’s large round table is designed to resemble a watch face.
Perpetual manages wealth in the low single-digit billions for around 90 members of the Rolex family. It now also serves nearly 100 external investors. Its task is to preserve and grow the family fortune while bringing together the investment interests of a large group of relatives.
Hans Wilsdorf founded Rolex in 1905. At the time, men generally carried watches in their pockets, and some doubted that wristwatches could withstand impacts, water, sweat and dust. According to Kübel, critics called Wilsdorf crazy; he later adopted the nickname “Uncle Nuts.”
Sources: Handelsblatt.