Spear’s Review

Jean-Frédéric Dufour was appointed CEO of Rolex in 2014 after a highly successful five-year tenure as CEO of Zenith Watches, part of LVMH, helping the brand to quickly recover from tough conditions brought on by the 2008 financial crash (he has been credited with helping the business to remain profitable during this time). 

At the helm of the revered watchmaker, which now produces more than one million timepieces annually while taking in more than $10 billion in revenue, Dufour’s dynamic manoeuvres have supercharged Rolex’s efforts across retail, digital strategy and manufacturing. The firm has also attracted praise for its sustainable production methods.

Dufour was recently seen sitting beside US President Donald Trump at the US Open in September 2025. As America has imposed a 39 per cent import tariff on Swiss goods, is Dufour trying to make a case for Rolex to cross borders freely?

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