Earlier today April 14, 2014, we heard the news from watch industry-insider Gregory Pons via his website Business Montres, that Rolex had announced to their employees that Jean-Frédéric Dufour —former CEO of Zenith— had been appointed as the new CEO of Rolex SA. With this strategic move, Dufour will be replacing Gian Riccardo Marini who had been the CEO leading Rolex SA since May 3, 2011. Dufour now becomes the sixth CEO that Rolex SA has ever had since its founding more than a century ago in 1905 by Hans Wildorf.

Up until now, Jean-Frédéric Dufour —45 years old— had been the Chief Executive Officer and President of Zenith Manufacture of LVMH since June 2009 and the Managing Director of Maison Ruinart at LVMH since September 15, 2011. Dufour joined LVMH after being heavily immersed in different areas of the business at several renowned watch manufactures including Chopard, Swatch Group and Ulysse Nardin. A graduate from the University of Genèva, he is now the leader of one of the top watch groups in the world.

Based in Genèva, Rolex is today not only one of the leading brands in the Swiss watchmaking industry but also a company that enjoys unparalleled reputation worldwide for its watchmaking quality and know-how. Its Oyster watches, all certified chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence and elegance, performance and prestige. The firm pioneered the wristwatch as early as 1905, and is at the origin of numerous major innovations that have marked the history of contemporary watchmaking. Among them the Oyster, born in 1926, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, and self-winding via the Perpetual rotor introduced in 1931. The brand has filed more than 400 patents in the course of its history.

So far, neither Rolex or Zenith have confirmed the news. For more information on Rolex click here and on Zenith here.