Rolf W. Schnyder (1935 in Zurich – 2011 in Kuala Lumpur) was a Swiss businessman known for his role as the owner and CEO of watchmaker Ulysse Nardin.

[5] Schnyder travelled extensively throughout Asia as part of his work there in the late 1950s and 1960s, including in a rafting expedition down the river Kwai that was covered in the Swiss press.

[6] Schnyder also visited China during the cultural revolution; journalists' photos taken during this trip were later published in publications including the US magazine, “Life”.

In 1973, he sold his shares in Cosmo and established another watch-component manufacturing company called Precima, this time based in Kuala Lumpur.

Schnyder purchased the firm with the idea that it could launch a range of high-end mechanical watches based on a miniaturised version of the marine instruments sold by the company.

In 2001, Schnyder's Freak watch was released, which was notable for telling the time using the revolutions of a tourbillon cage (a kind of bridge), including components made of Silicium (a silicon-based metalloid), and having a lubricant-free design.