Thursday, August 28, 2008
Jake's Quote of the Day...
There are no foolish questions, and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions. —Charles Proteus Steinmetz
GMT Master II Ceramic...
It is very popular for women these days to wear mens Rolex watches like a bracelet.
I really like this photo because it shows off the great lines of the new Supercase GMT. In particular, I really like the flat back and I have never been a fan of the bubble back. In my opinion as a designer, I think Rolex should make all their watches flat-backed.
A flat back fits better, looks better and is more comfortable...
Rolex GMT Dissected...
Mechanical Masterpiece
Ever wonder what a vintage Rolex GMT looks like when you take it apart completely? Well here it is and it is absolutely fascinating!!! You must click on the images to see all the magnificent detail up close...
They say the sum is greater that the whole of its parts, and when you see all the parts that constitute a Rolex you realize it really is a mechanical masterpiece.
Customized White Rolex Submariner...
Questionable Authenticity
Alert: It has come to our attention after publishing this story that the authenticity of this watch is questionable. This information comes from a highly reliable source.
We are currently investigating the authenticity of this watch and as soon as we conclude we will let you know.
The Great White Submariner
Phillip in the German R-L-X.de Forum showed off this really cool looking Submariner that somebody customized with a white dial. I call this combo of a white dial with a black bezel an Oreo Cookie Submariner.
The only other white dial Submariner I have ever seen can be viewed by clicking on the label tag below named WHITE SUBMARINER.
I really like this color combination and think Rolex should offer it as an option. I think it would look great on a black nylon strap.
I believe this watch was made in the mid to late 1950s.
Photo Credit: Phillip
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Vintage Rolex Day-Date Advertisement from late 1960s...
If taming oil well fires were your job you'd wear a Rolex
Oil well fires are terrifying spectacles. Taming the flames calls for great skill–plus a daredevil courage not found in every man. Red Adair, shown here on a recent assignment, is one of those who has it to spare.
It's no surprise that he's a Rolex man. Men of action all over the world are invariably drawn to the watch that takes the rough right in stride.
The watch Red Adair wears is the Rolex Day-Date. $1,150 its Oyster* case is carved from a solid block of 18kt gold.
Inside is a self-winding 30-jewel chronometer movement that can withstand extremes of heat and cold.
Because so much of the work is done by hand, it takes more than a year to make a Rolex.
Which is why a Rolex will last you a lifetime.
*Individually tested and guaranteed to a depth of 165 feet, if case, crown and crystal are intact.
Official Timepiece, Pan American World Airways.
Customized Vintage Rolex Corvette, Rolex Hurricane & Rolex Royal...
March 8, 2012 Update on this story:
I originally published this story 4 years ago in 2008. I remember how excited I was to find out that Rolex made a Corvette model watch! A person I knew and trusted at the time, told me I was making a fool out of myself, because he insisted the watches were not real. He told me they were absolutely fake and told me I should take them down. I refused, to take them down, because they looked real to me, and instead, I put up a "Questionable Authenticity" tag on them.
Fast forward to today. I received an extremely nasty email from somebody who did not bother mentioning their name, and I posted it below their apparent image on this page. The simple truth is I was misinformed by a pretentious idiot who was wrong. So today, I removed the "Questionable Authenticity" label, and I sincerely apologize for my error.
Below is the nasty email I received in my inbox from TicTocEdmonton@aol.com:
You owe me a Mia Culpa! First, you stole a picture of mine from the internet (it isn't hard to get permission when someone posts on a forum - you just register with the Forum (www.Timezone.com) and then PM or Email the poster to ask permission to use a picture!
Here is your blog link: http://rolexblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/vintage-rolex-corvette-rolex-hurricane.html
Then you DISSED my picture saying that you had a (un) reliable source who said that the watches never existed!
My friend - you owe me. You owe me for stealing my very real picture of my very real and very genuine watches. And you owe me a public mia culpa on your blog for not following through on your promise to investigate further.
Below is a 95% complete list of the names of the Rolex (and Tudor) watches that were made over the course of the 40s (and some into the fifties)...
If you doubt me, start a thread on TimeZone. I promise to watch and I will post a copy of an original ad for both the Hurricane and the Corvette. You'll find me registered as CanadianOysterWatcher on TimeZone.
Oyster Lipton
Oyster Commander -
Oyser Shipmate -
Oyster Chester -
Oyster Raleigh -
Oyser Regent -
Oyster Lincoln -
Oyster Wellington -
Marconi -
Oyster Pioneer -
Rolex Oyster Viceroy -
Rolex Oyster Royal Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Royalite Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Army -
Rolex Oyster Imperial -
Rolex Corvette Observatory -
Rolex Hurricane Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Ellsworth Observatory
Rolex London Chronometer Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Falcon Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Firefly Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Majestic Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Pall Mall Observatory -
Rolex Oyster Royalite -
Rolex Oyster Royal - Royal Navy
Rolex Oyster Seaforth Observatory - .
Rolex Oyster Drake Precision -
Oyster Grenfell -
Rolex Skyrocket -
Rolex Wellington -
Rolex Victory -
Oyster Explorer -
Oyster Edison -
Oyster Neptune -
Princeton Oyster -
Rolex Oyster Everest -
Tudor Oyster Athlete -
Turtle Timer Zell Bros. -
Tudor Bristol -
Tudor Oyster Air-Lion -
Tudor Oyster Essex -
Tudor Oyster Exeter -
Tudor Oyster Sussex -
Tudor Oyster Yorke -
Tudor Oyster Brock -
Tudor Oyster Air-Tiger,
Tudor Oyster Air-Giant -
Tudor Oyster Kent -
Tudor Oyster Devon -
Tudor Oyster Norseman -
Tudor Oyster Regent -
Jake's Quote of the Day...
I don't take the photograph. The photograph takes me. –Henri Cartier-Bresson
Monday, August 25, 2008
Great Review of the All New 43mm Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA...
You can read this great review from Eric at the Nipple Dial blog of the all new Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA by clicking here.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
All New Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA on a NATO Strap...
Jake's Quote of the Day...
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten. —Seymour Jaron
Friday, August 22, 2008
The All New Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA Has Emerged...
The long awaited and all new Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA 43mm watch started selling last week all over the world and Phillip from Belgium was one of the first to take delivery of the new Rolex model.
Phillip shot all these great shots and I would like to thank him very much for sharing his great photos...
The DEEPSEA is probably the mother of all Rolex tool watches and it maintains the satin finish center links, as apposed to the new polished center links on the GMT II Ceramic and upcoming Submariner Supercase.
The DEEPSEA has a slightly domed crystal and the an all new Ceramic bezel that is extremely scratch-proof and impervious to UV light damage.
The Ceramic bezel also resembles the Military Spec Submariner (MilSub) models from the 70s in the sense that there are minute indices on the bezel all the way around the bezel.
In the photo above and the two photos below, Phillip compares an early Rolex Submariner from the 1950s to the new Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA.
Of course, the significance of the comparison shots is that the all new Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA owes its genesis to the early Rolex Submariner.
A nice wrist shot...
One of the great new Rolex innovations present in the all-new Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA is the clasp that can be micro-adjusted while being worn on the wrist without having to take the watch off or use any tools.
This new wrist size adjustment is an amazing piece of micro-engineering that I believe will also be standard on the all new Super-Case Rolex Submariner.
Next, we explore the all-new blue lume on the Maxi Marker indices. Apparently blue is more visible in the dark than the up to now standard green lume.
The all-new Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA has Maxi, Maxi markers, which means they are even bigger than on the LV Submariner or the new GMT II Ceramic. I also noticed that the 6 o'clock rectangular indices is significantly wider, and thus more visible. I really like the design language evolution of Rolex!!!
The Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA also has updated Fat Hands.
I have not seen the DEEPSEA in person, but it looks like it will herald a new era for Rolex as they move into the new more masculine 43mm watches.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
1970 Rolex Daytona Brochure
One fascinating detail I noticed on the 1970 Rolex Daytona brochure pictured below is that it says, "Founder, H. Wilsdorf" on the left side toward the bottom.
This is profound because, Hans Wilsdorf founded Rolex in 1908 and passed away in 1960, but ten years later in 1970, Rolex was still paying homage to him with their collateral material.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Rolex Triple Date Moonphase Up Close...
Rolex Deep Sea next to a Sea Dweller...
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Macro Shots of the Month...
These magnificent Marco shots come from lstvan in France. To see more of his stunning Rolex macro photography click here.
Photo Credit: lstvan
Macro Shot of the Day: Red Submariner Designation...
Monday, August 11, 2008
Book Review: The Best Of Times–Rolex Wristwatches–An Unauthorized History with co-author Jeff Hess Update...
I interviewed Jeff Hess, leading Rolex expert and co-author of The Best Of Times–Rolex Wristwatches–An Unauthorized History last week and I wanted to thank all the kind people who sent me such nice emails about how they are enjoying the podcasts.
Podcasting is new to me and it has been extremely challenging to learn everything about sound engineering and .rss feeds with xml. Getting Jake's Rolex Watch Blog Podcast setup in the iTunes Music Store is one of the most complicated things I have ever had to do. It is so un-apple-like but I think the hard part is over.
I have also significantly upgraded my sound recording equipment and it should translate into super sounding podcast interviews. I have some really great new podcast interviews coming up and I am certain you will enjoy them.
Once again, thank you for your kind compliments.
Warmest regards,
Jake Ehrlich
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