Hans Wilsdorf

Wilsdorf had no children, and after his wife's death in 1944 he created the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation in Geneva and left it his shares in Rolex. The foundation still owns the company outright, keeping it private and immune to takeover, and gives large sums to Geneva charities, education and social housing. It publishes little, so outsiders know less about how the money is used than they would for most public charities.