Project for the ROLEX poster — “Ein Meisterwerk der Präzision”, created in Switzerland in 1942 by Hermann Behrmann and Willy Bosshard, often jointly referenced as Behrmann / Bosshard.

The poster is documented in the Plakatarchiv as a multicolour lithograph, measuring 128 × 90 cm.

The published example shows exactly the same composition: the red female figure holding the Rolex crown in front of a monumental clock dial, with the German slogan “Ein Meisterwerk der Präzision”. On the referenced printed version, a line appears at the bottom: “Alleinvertreter für Zürich: Uhren-Beyer, Bahnhofstrasse 31”, linking the poster to the Zurich distributor Uhren-Beyer.

For this example, the particularly interesting point is that it does not appear to bear the line “Uhren-Beyer, Bahnhofstrasse 31” at the bottom. This may indicate a preparatory maquette, a proof before lettering, or a poster project before the distributor’s mention was added. The visible traces of material, the apparent reworking, and the absence of the small typographical mentions reinforce this hypothesis. Gouache and ink on Isorel hardboard.

A maquette of greater interest than a standard printed poster.

Rolex — Ein Meisterwerk der Präzision
Project / maquette or proof before lettering for the Rolex advertising poster
Artists: Hermann Behrmann & Willy Bosshard / Behrmann-Bosshard
Switzerland, Zurich, 1942
Published poster: multicolour lithograph, printed by Wolfsberg, Zurich
Known final version with the mention: “Alleinvertreter für Zürich: Uhren-Beyer, Bahnhofstrasse 31”
Subject: female allegory of precision, holding the Rolex crown in front of a monumental clock dial.
Interest: a rare Swiss wartime horological composition, bringing together Rolex, Swiss avant-garde advertising, and the major Zurich watch retailer Beyer.

This document is potentially rarer than a simple printed poster, provided it is indeed an original project or a proof without the Beyer lettering.

This project does not represent a Rolex reference that can be identified with 100% certainty. The artist did not draw a complete watch with case, lugs, crown, or dial inscriptions: he mainly created a large symbolic dial, an allegory of Rolex precision.

The closest model would be a Rolex Oyster Royal / Oyster Precision from the 1940s, manually wound, with a small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock. A very good comparison is the Rolex Oyster Royal ref. 2280 “Big Crown”, circa 1942, in steel, 30 mm, with Arabic numerals and small seconds at 6 o’clock. This is probably the type of watch that the poster evokes, even though it does not show a precise reference.

The final poster is well documented as Behrmann / Bosshard — Rolex, “Ein Meisterwerk der Präzision”, 1942, a multicolour lithograph, size 128 × 90 cm.

The monumental dial evokes the Rolex Oyster / Oyster Royal models from the 1940–1942 period, particularly manually wound models with small seconds at 6 o’clock, although no precise reference can be attributed with absolute certainty.

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