Saturday, February 26, 2011

Rolex History Puzzle Piece: Abraham-Louis Perrelet


...Rolex History Puzzle Piece...

Abraham-Louis Perrelet
Inventor Of The Self-Winding Watch
1729-1826

This is an absolutely fascinating vintage Rolex ad, which I believe is from the 1950s. It pays homage to Abraham-Loius Perrelet and discusses how Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex was inspired to perfect Abraham-Louis Perrelet's automatic movement.

This Rolex ad says:

"As simple as it was hard to find, the Rolex 'Rotor' the invention that solved the self-winding problem, owes its existence to the inspiration of Mr. Hans Wilsdorf of the Rolex Watch Company, and his brilliant technical Chief-Director M. Emil Borer."

This is a significant historical piece of the Rolex history puzzle because nobody ever knew who M. Emil Borer was since his name appeared on the Rolex patent application, but nobody knew who he was.

I just added this Rolex ad to The Complete History Of Rolex. Part 1: The Hans Wilsdorf Years, which is absolutely fascinating if you have not read it!!!




Abraham-Loius Breguet
1747-1823

It is fascinating to note that Abraham-Louis Perrelet sold several of his watches to a younger watchmaker who happened to have the same first and middle name, Abraham-Loius Breguet.

Breguet, as mentioned in the ad above, attempted to improve upon Perrelet's automatic watches and named his attempted design improvement "Perpetuelles." Perpetual is a French word for automatic. Breguet's "Perpetuelles" were never reliable and he stopped making them in 1800.

Abraham-Loius Breguet was a watchmaker apprentice in Versailles, and during the French Revolution (1789-1792) he went into exile in Geneva, Switzerland, and when he returned to France he became the principal watchmaker of the French Empire. Breguet was a profuse inventor and in particular, his innovative improvement of the balance spring was later incorporated into many watches.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Why I Publish Jake's Rolex World!!!


Why I Publish Jake's Rolex World!!!
An Email from a fan of Jake's Rolex World

Michael is a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World and he recently sent in this email that took my breath away:



Jake:

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the great job you do on your Rolex blog. I am a loyal follower and find something new every time I go on it.

I'm heading over to Afghanistan late next week for an 11 month deployment, and I'll check it over there everyday too!

I won't have my Rolex Sea-Dweller on my wrist (I'm taking my Dad's Timex for all its great functions and I gave my Dad my Sea-Dweller for him to wear everyday) so your cool photos, awesome posts and great pictures will help me pass the time and get my mind back to two things I love: Rolex and California!

In fact, your blog is so great that I've told my local watchmaker about it (Tom Doan of D's Time Service in San Diego) and he likes to post tweets about it! www.twitter.com/dstimeservice

Hope all is well Jake. And keep up the great work!

Very Respectfully,

Mike



Truth be told, the reason I have always worked so hard on Jake's Rolex World is for three reasons:

1. I realize if I did not capture this amazing Rolex history, it is likely it would be lost forever, and in my mind that would be an absolute shame!!!

2. I love it!!! I love the education I get from researching all the stories. I am utterly fascinated with history and often times I feel like Indiana Jones when I go exploring all this rich history.

3. Last but not least, I work so hard because I know my readers also like the history, photos and editorial as much as I like capturing and sharing it.

I have said many times before, if there just one reader of Jake's Rolex World on planet earth that enjoyed it, I would keep publishing it, and I know there are many people who enjoy it.

There are times, when a reader writes in, that take my breath away, and Mike I can't thank you enough. Your email not only made my day, but it made the four years I have dedicated to tirelessly working on making this amazing online Rolex archive absolutely worthwhile. Thank you!!!!!!

Jake

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day: Dr. Noyola's Rolex Submariner


Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day
Dr. Noyola's Rolex Submariner
[Reference 16610]

Dr. Miguel Noyola lives in Mexico and he is a fan of Jake's Rolex World. Recently he took this amazing photo of his Rolex Submariner dial and sent it in to share with you. Click on it for better detail.



Update: Gogi asked in the comments section for this post:

"Why is there no 'ROLEX' inscription on the other edge? Are there Submariners with and without?"

The answer is yes. Around 2005 Rolex started etching "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" around the inside rim that houses the dial. This area is know formally as the rehaut area. At the same time Rolex decided to also etch the individual serial number of each watch on the bottom of therehaut area, just above the 6 o'clock marker–prior to that Rolex etched the serial number between the lugs where they were not visible unless you removed the bracelet.

So to specifically answer your question every watch made before Rolex started incorporating this design feature lacks the ROLEX rehaut writing, which is the case with this Submariner case (no pun intended ;-)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

President John F. Kennedy JFK & Jackie Photo Booth


...Blast From The Past...

President John F. Kennedy
Jack & Jackie Photo Booth




This is a great photo taken in the early 1950s of U.S. President JFK, with Jackie when they first started dating. They took this photo in a photo-booth and it is classic!!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Hunter S. Thompson Wearing His Trademark Coke GMT Master II


Rolex Coolness: Hunter S. Thompson
Coke & Rootbeer GMT-Master Watches

Hunter S. Thompson was a complete trip, and in this first photo we see him wearing two Rolex GMT-Master watches on the same wrist at the same time. He is wearing a Coke bezel GMT Master II and a Rootbeer GMT. And I thought Fidel Castro was the only person who wore two Rolex watches on one wrist at the same time!?!?


Back in 2008 my great pal Michael McClure sent in these great shots of Hunter S. Thompson wearing his trademark Rolex GMT II with the Red and Black "Coke" Dial.


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Rolex Hotness: Lindsay Lohan-Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust


Rolex Hotness: Lindsay Lohan
Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust
Roman Numeral Dial with Fluted White Gold Bezel

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day: Marco's Ceramic GMT-Master II


Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day
Marco's Ceramic GMT-Master II

Marco lives in Venice Italy and he sent it the image of his Rolex and said:

Hello Jake,

I follow every day your wonderful blog. Congratulations, I would love if you could post a photo of my beloved GMT II C.

Thank you.

Marco Tabacchi
Venice, Italy

Rolex Coolness: Danish Crown Prince Frederick Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner


...Future King Of Denmark...

Rolex Coolness: Danish Crown Prince Frederick
50th Anniversary LV Rolex Submariner

A few weeks ago we saw the second photo in this post of Danish Crown Prince Frederick and it appeared he was wearing a Rolex LV 50th Anniversary, but it was hard to see the color of the bezel which almost looked black.

Morten Olesen lives in Denmark and he is a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World and he just sent in this image from the Danish Newspaper named Ekstra Bladet and the image confirms it is an LV. Morten also said he knew that Prince Frederik received a Two-Tone Rolex Submariner with a black bezel an dial on his 18th birthday, so he might be a Rolay Collector :-)


Friday, February 18, 2011

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day Roberto's Yellow Gold Daytona


Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day
Roberto's Yellow Gold Daytona

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Rolex Coolness: Joe Dassin Rolex Day-Date


Rolex Coolness: Joe Dassin
Rolex Day-Date

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day: Adam's Orange Hand Explorer II on a NATA Strap


...Tangerine Dream...

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day
Adam's Orange Hand Explorer II on a NATA Strap

Monday, February 14, 2011

Quantities of Quality: Rolex Daytona with Paul Newman Dials...


Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day
Paul Newman Exotic Dial Daytona Models

Notice the Rolex chronograph located in the upper right hand corner has a Tiffany & Co designation on the dial and none of the watches have a Daytona designation on their dials.

Friday, February 11, 2011

The First Single Red Submariner: Reference 6538A


The First Single Red Submariner
Marcello's Ultra-Rare Big Crown Military Submariner
[Reference 6538A]

This is an ultra-rare (Milsub) Military Submariner, and to the best of my knowledge, it is the first Single-Red Rolex Submariner. Single-Red referring to the red depth rating located on the lower part of the dial. This watch also has the rare Big Winding Crown as well as the 3-6-9 Explorer dial, and the red upside-down pyramid at the top of the bezel insert.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Rolex Podcast: Jake Ehrlich Interview: HourTime Podcast Episode 54


Rolex Podcast
Jake Ehrlich Interview
Topic: Rolex History

Hi Everybody,

I was recently a guest on the HourTime Podcast and was interviewed by my pal, Ariel Adams and his co-host, John Biggs. Ariel Adams is a fellow blogger and he publishes the fascinating A Blog To Read, and John Biggs is the Editor and Publisher of CrunchGear.com. We spoke about the history of Rolex. To listen to the podcast you can click here.



Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day Jocke's Vintage Coke GMT Master...


Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day
Jocke's Vintage Coke GMT Master
[Reference 1675]



Rolex Coolness: Jimmy Johnson


...Two-Time Superbowl and NCAA Winning Football Coach...

Rolex Coolness: Jimmy Johnson
From Cowboys Coach to Survivor Nicaragua
Yellow Gold Rolex President

I figured since we saw the Superbowl yesterday, it would make sense to take a look at Jimmy Johnson, who had an amazing career as college football player as well as being the Coach for the Dallas Cowboys, which he brought to victory in by winning back-to-back Superbowl titles in 1992 and 1993.

Monday, February 07, 2011

HOME: The Most Hauntingly Beautiful Masterpiece Movie


HOME
The Most Hauntingly Beautiful Movie Masterpiece

The screenshots in this post are from the movie named HOME, which is the most hauntingly beautiful masterpiece movies I have ever seen, and it has some of the most stunning videography I have ever seen. You can watch HOME for free on YouTube and I promise it will completely blow your mind...enjoy, and think about it...

I recommend you switch the YouTube player to 720p and play it full screen...




Rolex Coolness: John Mayer New York Times Story



...Grammy Winning Singer, Songwriter & Guitarist...


Rolex Coolness: John Mayer
New York Times Story
A Gentleman Wears His Heart On His Sleeve
[Rolex "Big Crown" Submariner: Reference 6538]

The New York Times published a story on March 8, 2009 about John Mayer's hobby of collecting vintage watches and is included this photo of John Mayer rocking his big crown Submariner, Reference 6538]

"When I started to make a little bit of scratch, I thought it was time to get a Rolex." –John Mayer (On getting his first Rolex which was a Rolex Explorer II with the Polar White Dial).


"Who do I want to be today through this piece? It dictates a little bit of a mood." –John Mayer (on selecting which watch to choose to wear each day).

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Hurley Haywood on Porsche's Domination of Daytona...


Hurley Haywood on Porsche's Domination of Daytona

Hurley Haywood has had an amazing career driving at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and he talks about it in this video.




Recap of Rolex Daytona 24 2011

Last year I covered the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona, and here is a recap of the recent 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

2011 SuperBowl Commercials


2011 Mercedes-Benz SuperBowl Commercial
Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes Benz?

It's that time of the year again and it's almost time for the Superbowl!!! This 2011 Mercedes Superbowl commercial is amazing!!!! Especially, with Janis Joplin singing "Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz" in the background...

It is remarkable how similar Mercedes and Rolex are as brands if you think about it. I often say Rolex is the Mercedes of watches, and it is really cool in this video to see Mercedes playing up their amazing heritage. In recent years Rolex has gotten much more into playing up their heritage, and I believe Rolex should delve much deeper into showcasing their amazingly wealthy heritage as their ultimate marketing vehicle.




2011 Chevy Camaro Superbowl Commercial

This one is pretty entertaining and a good looking car...



Saturday, February 05, 2011

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Filmed for First Time


...Spirit Of Inquiry...

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Filmed for First Time