Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Roger Federer Wins Barclays ATP World Tour Finals


Roger Federer Wins Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Rolex.com is currently congratulating Roger Federer for having won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and published this photo of him with his trophy, and notice he is wearing the cool new rose gold Rolex Daytona.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Rolex Triple-Date Moonphase Red Hand with Black Moon 1953 Reference 8171


Rolex Triple-Date Moonphase
Red Hand with Black Moon
1953 Reference 6062

Antiquorum Auction House in Geneva, Switzerland sold this rare and beautiful Rolex Triple-Date Moonphase in March of 2011 for $76,000. It has a very rare red date hand coupled with an unusual black-back moon disk.

Update: John Goldberger wrote in to say that the dial on this watch is a "fake redone dial" and said "The quality of your blog is declining?" It is pretty funny, to have a guy like John Goldberger who is one of the top Rolex and Patek Philippe collectors in the world constantly pointing out errors I make ;-) Actually, I like his assistance.




Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving from Jake!!!



Happy Thanksgiving from Jake!!!

Hi Everybody!!!

It is hard to believe it is already Thanksgiving again on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog!!! It has been another absolutely amazing year of filled with growth and amazing new Rolex historical content. Since last Thanksgiving I have met many new international readers and made many new and exiting friends.

I even started Jake's Patek Philippe World Blog as well as Jake's Who Knew World Blog. I publish all my blogs more as notebooks for my interest, and as the CEO and Designer at BulletTrain, I also publish the BulletBlog by JakeE. As you can imagine, I have so much to be grateful for and I wish all my readers a happy Thanksgiving!!!!


"The First Thanksgiving" painting by Jean Gerome Ferris (1863-1930)

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because it gives us a chance to pause and reflect on how fortunate we all are to be able to experience this amazing miracle, known as life, on this spinning marble we all share–named Earth.

Of course I realize Thanksgiving is a U.S. holiday, but I believe it's as timeless and universal as a sunset or a smile :-)))

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Warmest regards,

Jake

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

RubberB Back In Orange...


RubberB Back In Orange

RubberB is an extremely innovative company as well as being a sponsor of Jake's Rolex World. When I first saw the RubberB concept I was blown away because they made the first rubber straps that were custom designed to fit perfectly into the complete lug space on many Rolex sport watches. I wrote a review of RubberB on Jake's Rolex World to show how their innovate system worked.

I spoke with the owner and I mentioned he had to offer his strap in Safety-Orange. I argued it would look really good, particularly with a standard Submariner or Sea-Dweller. Turns out RubberB agreed and just introduced their updated strap in orange!!!


This new model in orange is actually a second-generation strap, which is similar in many ways to the older version—including their T shaped design—but different in one way. Basically, the first generation version was designed to accommodate all wrist sizes including people with enormous wrists. The challenge is that 95% of the population has a small, medium or large wrist, but not a huge wrist. RubberB optimized the second generation so it fits better, particularly on the Submariner and SEA-DWELLER models.

I have review units of the second generation RubberB strap in orange, black and in white, and as soon as I get a chance, I will write a review with pictures as well as creating an installation video. In the meantime, you can check out these images.
I love the orange color, because it give the Rolex sport watches more of an aquatic tool watch vibe. There is something just really kind of preppy, sporty, fun and aquatic about the orange color strap. I know because I have worn my Submariner on an orange NATO strap.

The challenge of course with NATO straps is there is so much extra hardware and nylon, that it looks like a flea-market that blew up. The RubberB on the other hand is super streamlined and clean-cut. Very French and Jacques Cousteau meets SEA-LAB cool.


Monday, November 21, 2011

World War II 1944 Women In Service Rolex Ad...


World War II
1944 Women In Service Rolex Ad

Friday, November 18, 2011

Rolex Triple Date Reference 6236


Rolex Triple Date
[Reference 6236]

Raphael Too from Time Tapestry took this photo of a rare Rolex triple date [Reference 6236] when he was at an Antiquorum Auction preview. Very cool Rolex. I really wish Rolex would bring back complicated watches!!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

James Bond Rolex from Live & Let Die Sells for $198,000


James Bond Rolex Sells for $198,000
from Live & Let Die
Reference 5513

The Rolex "Sawtooth Submariner" [Modified Reference 5513] that Roger Moore wore in the 1973 James Bond movie titled Live and Let Die just sold for $198,00 at Christies Auction House. Live and Let Die was the first James Bond film to star Roger Moore. Of course you can learn just about everything having to do with James Bond Rolex watches in "The James Bond Rolex Story."






1991 Jeff MacInnis Rolex GMT Ad [Coke GMT on a Jubilee Bracelet]


1991 Jeff MacInnis Rolex GMT Ad
[Coke GMT on a Jubilee Bracelet]

William Ford Chairman Of The Ford Motor Company Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner


William "Bill" Ford Jr.
Chairman Of The Ford Motor Company
Stainless Steel LV Rolex Submariner

William "Bill" Ford is pictured below in a recent photo with the all-new Ford Explorer which looks kinda cool. He is wearing his trademark stainless Steel Rolex LV Submariner.

William Ford is the the Chairman of The Ford Motor Company and the Vice Chairman of the Detroit Lions NFL Football team. He is the great-grandson of both Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.




Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Rolex On Top Military Leaders...



Rolex On Top Military Leaders

Now & Then
From General Guisan to General Petraeus

Wristwatches in general owe their genesis to the military. Before World War I, only women wore wristwatches. Men wore pocketwatches, but in warfare timing is everything, so if a soldier had to unbutton his overcoat, then unbutton his jacket to get to his pocket watch to see what time it was, he could get in a lot of trouble–especially if he was freezing in a muddy trench and had to hold his gun with one hand.

That's why soldiers during World War I started wearing wrist watches. Wristwatches allowed a soldier to simply glance at his wrist to see what time it was.

Military leaders have relied on Rolex since before Swiss Army General Henry Guisan put on the 50,000th Officially Certified Swiss Chronometer that Rolex made in 1946.

Let's begin by looking at U.S. Army 4-Star General David Howell Petraeus. General Petraeus is the 10th and current Commander of U.S. Central Command.



General Petraeus has an extremely distinguished military career and it comes as no surprise that he depends on his Rolex Submariner to keep time.


General Petreaus was recently selected as one of the world's top 100 public intellectuals in a poll conducted by Foreign Policy and Prospect Magazines. Time Magazine named General Petreaus in 2007 as one of the 100 most influential leaders and revolutionaries of the year.


General Petreaus previously served as Commanding General for the Multi-National Force in Iraq.


As Commander, General Petraeus oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq.


General Petreaus has an amazing military career, but let's go back to beginning and take a look at military leaders who wore Rolex.

Swiss Army General Henri Guisan is Switzerland's most beloved protector in history. Guisan protected the Swiss from the Nazi's during World War II. Gusan not only wore a Rolex, but was given the 50,000th Officially Certified Swiss Chronometer that Rolex ever made.


Rolex gave Sir Winston Churchill with their 100,000th Officially Certified Swiss Chronometer which was a Rolex Datejust in Pink Gold.


Rolex chose U.S. General, Dwight D. Eisenhower as the recipient for their 150,000th Officially Certified Swiss Chronometer. Eisenhower is pictured below, briefing U.S. Army Airborne Paratroopers on the morning of the D-Day invasion he architected to save Europe and the rest of the world from Nazi aggression.


U.S. General Gruenther was the recipient of Rolex' 200,000th Officially Certified Swiss Chronometer which you can see in the photograph below.


Lord Mountbatten of the British Admiralty was also a big fan of Rolex watches. Mountbatten was so proud of his Rolex watches he gave Rolex permission to publish the fact that he wore them, but Rolex of Geneva decided no to exploit this fact for commercial gain.


Rolex & The Right Stuff

In 1947, when Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound barrier for the first time in history he was wearing his Rolex Oyster as seen in the photo below.




Many years later, we see General Yeager wearing his "James Bond Submariner" in the photo below. To this day, General Yeager still wears a Rolex. This means he has been wearing Rolex watches continually for 7 decades straight–pretty amazing if you think about it.


Chuck Yeager and Scott Carpenter were both part of "The Right Stuff" and Scott Carpenter (pictured below) went on to the U.S. Navy SEA-LAB program that helped Rolex develop the Rolex SEA-DWELLER.

It should come as no surprise that military leaders throughout modern history have depended on their trusted Rolex watches.

Monday, November 14, 2011

...Wrist Shot Of The Day: Ralf's Single Red Rolex Submariner


...Wrist Shot Of The Day...

Ralf's Single Red Rolex Submariner

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I LOVE FASHION BLOG by Dianne Seerden


I LOVE FASHION BLOG
by
Dianne Seerden

Dianne Seerden is a reader of Jake's Rolex World and she wrote my an email to say:

Hi Jake,

I love your Rolex blog - I came across it because I am agonizing about which Rolex to buy (a Datejust 36mm, steel and yellow gold with a white dial, stick figures instead of numbers and domed bezel, OR a blue and black concentric dial with Arabic numbers and a fluted bezel).

I suppose they are both pretty standard and classic, so I won't go wrong with either. Anyway, your blog is so fun, I love the vintage adds and the countless politicians and celebrities wearing Rolex.

I love when ever so often you come across a blog with such dedicated, passionate and single minded focus.

Now I am going to check out your other blogs.

XX Dianne

Well, I would like to begin by thanking you so much Dianne for sharing your kind words!!! My background is in clothing design and I love Dianne's I LOVE FASHION Blog which is really impressive!!! It is filled with all kinds of cool and interesting fashion insight. Dianne also mentioned to me that she likes some of the content so much on Jake's Rolex World, that she is going to be sharing some of it on her blog!!!

Monday, November 07, 2011

Rolex Paradise Revisited Fourtané Carmel-By-The-Sea


Rolex Paradise Revisited
Fourtané
Carmel-By-The-Sea
Where Rolex History Meets The Present

Back in October of 2009, I wrote a detailed article about a magical place named Fourtané Jewelers located in Carmel, California. What makes Fourtané Jewelers magical? Visiting Fourtané is like visiting a Rolex Museum. Fourtané Jewelers is located in the very quaint downtown area of Carmel, California, which is really beautiful.


John Goldberger who is one of the top international Rolex collectors was in Carmel recently for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and when he saw I published this story he send in the next set of photos with the funniest message!!! John was born and raised in Italy, and lives there today. He speaks with and writes with an Italian accent, and in his email he wrote:

Dear Jake,

I send you some interesting photos taken in my last visit on August to this wonderful Rolex cave!

Ciao John.

Wonderful Rolex Cave!!! I love it!!! That really kind of sums up the vintage Rolex department at Fourtané Jewelers as you can see below. It really is a Wonderful Rolex Cave!!! lol lol lol


That is Eric Ku behind the counter, wearing a blue blazer. Eric is certainly one of the most knowledgable vintage Rolex collectors and dealers on Earth.


As you can see, on any given day, Fourtané is sugar-coated with an awe-inspiring collection of vintage Rolex watches.


In the case below, we see a stunning collection of vintage Rolex Day-Dates with exotic colored dial that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Ronald Reagan is still the President of The United States, isn't he?


This next image shows the provenance documents for a Rolex Submariner that belonged to Steve McQueen. Where else on planet earth are you going to see a Rolex Submariner that belonged to Steve McQueen? At Fourtané you will!


One of the things that makes Fourtané Jewelers unique is that the store environment feels like you are in a beautiful home, and the sales team are extremely knowledgeable and nice. They are so nice, you feel more like you are at home with close family and friends. In the photo below we see the dog of an employee relaxing under a private desk. Pretty cute!


On this recent trip I took to Fourtané Jewelers, I took a number of photos of beautiful historic Rolex watches, and I want to share them with you in chronological order. Let's start with this first Rolex which is a very early Rolex wrist watch. The wrist watch first really came into existence for men as a timing tool during World War I.

Essentially the first Rolex wrist watches were pocket watches that had fixed lugs welded onto the case, meaning the strap had to be sewn onto the lugs, or the wearer would have to use a slip-through strap like the one picture below.


The watch pictured above has a "Snap-Front" case meaning the watch has a protective cover on the front that covers the entire front of the watch. This watch was probably made around 1917. The photo below shows the same watch as in the photo above, but the snap-front is sitting in the open position.


Next, in the picture below, we see a vintage Rolex Athlete model. In the early years, Rolex had all kinds of interesting names like the Rolex Sky-Rocket. Interesting!!!


In this next photo we see a beautiful oversized Rolex Dress watch that looks great today. I think this model is probably from around 1955, and it has my favorite Dauphine hands.


Next we see, a really unusual Rolex ladies Chinese Lantern pendant watch. Rolex made so many different models throughout their amazing history.


Next we see a Coca Cola Rolex that was given to a Coca Cola employee as a reward for 25 years of service. I imagine you could call this a Coke Rolex–like the Coke GMT?


Speaking of a Coke GMT Master, this next photo is of the original first-generation Coke GMT with a Bakelite bezel. Notice it has no crown guards.


Next we see a very rare, unusual and fascinating first generation Rolex DEEP-SEA. Say What!?!? Rolex has an unusual habit of recycling old watch nomenclature, and the watch below is probably from the mid 1950s.


This next photo is a close-up of the honeycomb dial from the first generation of the Rolex DEAP-SEA pictured above.


Next we see an original generation of the Rolex Milgauss, which is a real beauty. This example is very rare because it has a Tiffany & Co dial, which makes it very rare and valuable.


Next we see a Rolex Submariner [Reference 1670] with an extremely rare Cartier Dial that has a Cartier Dial designation. As standard version of this watch would probably be worth around $7,000, but since it has the extremely rare Cartier designation, it is worth around $150,000!!!


Next we see a photo of a vintage Day-Date with a true Arabic dial, that even has an Arabic Day and Date wheel.


Fourtané Jewelers not only sells beautiful historical and vintage Rolex watches, but Fourtané Jewelers is also a Rolex Authorized dealer, so they not only offer all the current Rolex watches, but they also have some extremely rare Rolex watches you will likely never see in your life.

When I was in Fourtané Jewelers a husband and wife were in the store who are loyal patrons. I noticed the gentleman was wearing a Rolex Day-Date II with a diamond and emerald covered dial I had never seen before. It turns out he bought it from Fourtané Jewelers.

I highly recommend, if you ever get a chance to visit Carmel, California be sure to plan to spend some time in Fourtané Jewelers. Fourtané Jewelers is likely the closest you will ever come to visiting Rolex paradise and a Rolex Museum, except everything is available for purchase.