We are living through some surrealistic days, and as you are probably aware the United States and Israel recently attacked and declared war on Iran, which may very well represent the beginning of World War 3.
War is a terrible, and my goal with this article is not in any way to glorify or justify it, but to share the fact I noticed in a Pentagon briefing today in Washington D.C., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine was rocking a Rolex SKY-DWELLER as pictured below as he discussed "Operation Epic Fury":
In the high resolution image below we can made a 100% positive ID that confirms General Caine is wearing a Rolex SKY-DWELLER, and my best guess is that he is wearing a Rolex 42MM Rolesor Oystersteel and white gold model Reference 336936 with an intense white dial, which typically comes on a Jubilee or Oyster bracelet, but as we see, the General put in on a black aftermarket rubber strap.
One of the most interesting details about General Caine's Oystersteel and white gold SKY-DWELLER is it looks remarkably similar to Rolex's White Gold SKY-DWELLER which is pictured below.
The Oystersteel Rolex Rolesor model (pictured below) only comes standard with either an Oyster Bracelet, or a Jubilee bracelet, but General Caine put his on an black aftermarket rubber strap, which makes it look very similar to the White gold model pictured above, which has a current retail price of $50,850.
Pictured below we see the Oystersteel version which retails for $17,750, and they pretty much look identical. The ONLY visible difference I notice is the white gold variant (pictured above) comes on a Rolex OysterFlex bracelet/rubber strap, and it includes white gold solid end links, which give it a more polished look.
If you look closely at General Caine's SKY-DWELLER you will notice his rubber strap lacks the solid end links (SOL). So basically, he took the Oystersteel model (pictured below), and by putting a black rubber strap on it, made it look like the almost three times more expensive all white gold model pictured above. I doubt he did this try and make it look like the more expensive model, but likely just prefers the beautiful looking high contrast look and simplicity of the black strap with the bright white dial, which is brilliant!
Below we see General Caine's Rolex SKY-DWELLER from a better angle where you can really make out the details in a photo that appears courtesy of the United State Department of War and was taken by PO1 Alexander Kubitza.
Below is an image that appears courtesy of the Department of War that shows the Operation EPIC FURY Timeline for the first 100 hours, which is fascinating on many levels.
Below is another image of General Caine rocking his Rolex SKY-DWELLER. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine met with Airmen from the 162nd Wing at Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz. Dec. 5, 2025. (DOW photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist James Mullen).
I remember when Rolex first introduced the Rolex SKY-DWELLER, back at BaselWorld in 2012, thinking to myself, "I wonder what SKY-DWELLER means as a name, or what it stands for?" Now that I think about it, I can't think of a more fitting or appropriate name for a Rolex model that a 4-star Air Force General, who is also the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would wear!
If you want to watch the entire press conference briefing on the U.S.-Iran war, you can check it out below. It's difficult to put into words, how over-the-top crazy-insane this situation is!?!!:
If you just want to watch General Dan Caine's comments while rocking his Rolex SKY-DWELLER you can watch it below:
When I was doing research for this story on General Dan Caine, I came across this image that shows him recently with United State Marine Corps Lieutenant General, Michael J. Borgschulte, rocking his Black Bezel Rolex GMT-Master. This photo was taken on August 30, 2025, at the United States Naval Academy versus the Virginia Military Institute Football game in Annapolis, Maryland.
I originally published the story seen below back on June 25, 2025:
Several readers wrote in to share images of The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Air Force, General, Dan Caine rocking his Rolex GMT-Master as pictured below.
Special thanks to Nick Gould (Eagle Eyes) discovered and shared the images above and below with me.
Rich wrote in and provided the image seen below and said:
Jake,
Saw this on Fox News. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles likely wearing a Datejust.
Not sure what Gen. Caine is wearing or even doing in this photos! As a Tudor owner I very much enjoy your site. It’s both informative and entertaining, something which isn’t easy to accomplish. I’ve shared it with numerous “watch buddies.”
Please keep up the great work.
Rich
The video below features Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Air Force, 4-Star General, Dan Caine briefed the American people on June 22, 2025, as part of Operation "MIDNIGHT HAMMER", which he goes into detail on in the video below.
There have been many 4 star General's, and top Rolex Military Leaders who have worn Rolex watches, and I am including a few images below for frame of reference. First we see, U.S. General, Gruenther, who was the recipient of Rolex's 200,000th Officially Certified Swiss Chronometer.
Next we see General David Howell Petraeus, when he was the 10th Commander of U.S. Central Command.
People have been asking me for decades now: “What’s your favorite Rolex watch model of all-time?” In all this time, my answer has remained the same. My favorite Rolex remains the LV Submariner ;-)
Looking back in the rearview mirror at a brilliant career...
Rocking Rolex Datejust @ SAG
What's more iconic that a Rolex Datejust? Harrison Ford rocking Rolex: Nick "Eagle Eyes" Gould noticed Harrison Ford rocking what appears to be a newer Rolex Datejust (not his trademark Buckley dial Datejust) while receiving a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime achievement award.
Harrison Ford, at age 83, gave a highly emotional acceptance speech that left many people in tears as he reflected back on his life journey in a way that only he could articulate...
It appears Harrison Ford is rocking a vintage 36MM White Gold Rolex Datejust with a fluted white gold bezel on a Black Crocodile strap with a white stick dial which carries a Rolex Reference of 116139 WHTSS as pictured below. This model was likely made around 2011.
Harrison Ford, at 80 years young reprised his role Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny movie which debuted in movie theaters back in July of 2023. Above is the official trailer for his most recent Indiana Jones movie.
I would say, Harrison Ford may be the single coolest guy to ever wear Rolex, and if he is not, he would definitely be in the top pantheon of Rolex wearers. In my opinion, Harrison Ford is probably the greatest actor who ever lived, with the exception of Cary Grant. Harrison Ford's movies have grossed close to $10 Billion to date!!!
Frank Sinatra put it best when he said: "There is something to be said for things that endure." One thing Harrison Ford and Rolex have in common is they are Legends that have both endured quite well with common adjectives coming to mind like rugged, masculine, handsome, timeless, and charismatic–just to name a few.
We see Harrison Ford pictured above wearing his Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust with a Jubilee Bracelet, and White Porcelain Dial with black Roman Numerals as seen below. This dial is commonly referred to today by Rolex enthusiasts as "The Buckley Dial", which was named so based upon John Buckley who was a vintage Rolex dealer in New York that had an affinity for this rare dial that was produced back in the 1980s.
If you think about it, this cool dial kind of gives the Rolex Datejust a Cartier kind vibe.
Harrison Ford has played some of the most iconic characters in modern movie history, and as I write this he is preparing to resurrect at least two of them, including Han Solo in Star Wars 7, as well as starring in another Indiana Jones movie!!! Ridley Scott, the director of Blade Runner recently announced he is planning to direct Blade Runner 2, and they are currently working on developing the script. Who knows, but Harrison Ford may play Rick Decker in Blade Runner 2, which would be really cool!!!
American Graffiti
1973
Han Solo
Star Wars 1977
Star Wars
Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo
The Original Star Wars Cast
In the photo below we see Harrison Ford (Han Solo) kissing Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), as he pushes away Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) in a promo image. Notice Harrison Ford is wearing his trademark Rolex Datejust which has a Jubilee bracelet.
Return Of Han Solo
In 2014 Lucasfilm announced they were preparing an all-new Star Wars trilogy, directed by J.J. Abrams, who, ironically directed two recent, ultra-succesful Star Trek Movies!!!
The photo below shows original Star Wars Trilogy cast members Billy Dee Williams (Age 76), Carrie Fisher (Age 56), Harrison Ford (Age 71), Peter Mayhew (Age 69)[Chewbacca The Wookie], and Mark Hamill (Age 61). Yes, you guessed it! They all returned to their roles in the Star Wars trilogy, which began with Episode 7. Filming began in 2014, for a Summer 2015 release... And yes, John Williams (Age 81) once again was selected to create the soundtrack for Star Wars Episode 7...
Speaking of Star Wars, the video below shows Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, being interviewed, and he does a great Hans Solo impression. Mark also talked about the then upcoming Star Wars movies. It is amazing how charismatic and entertaining Mark Hamill is. What a fascinating dude!!!
Indiana Jones
Raiders Of The Lost Ark 1981
In 2008 Harrison Ford reprised his role as Indiana Jones, in the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four photos below are from the 2008 movie, and it seems like Harrison Ford had not even aged.
The movie was not great, but it was great to see Harrison Ford as Indian Jones again, on the big screen.
You must admit Harrison Ford looked Great at 66 Years old!!!
If you think about it, Indiana Jones is really to closest thing there is to an American James Bond.
Blade Runner 1982
I always loved this Polaroid selfie image of Sean Young and Harrison Ford which she took on the set of Blade Runner.
Below is a photo of Harrison Ford rocking his Rolex Datejust while he was shooting Bladerunner.
The photo above and the two photos below of Harrison Ford were taken in 1990 and we wee him wearing his stainless steel Rolex Datejust. The two photos below show Harrsion Ford with Ray Liotta in 1990, which was the years that Ray Liotta starred in the seminal gangster film, Good Fellas.
Harrison Ford is pictured below with Brad Pitt in 1997, and we see Harrsion Ford wearing his trademark Rolex Datejust.
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
