Thursday, March 27, 2014

All-New Tudor Model Introduction



All-New Tudor Model Introduction


...BaselWorld 2014 Introduction...


Midnight Blue Tudor Heritage Black Bay
41MM Reference 79220B

Tudor is owned by Rolex and they just introduced a 41MM Midnight Blue version of their Tudor Heritage Black Bay, and it looks great!



Tudor is on fire, and this all new Tudor Baselworld 2014 video has got to be one of the coolest videos I have ever seen!!! It was filmed at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, which was made famous in 1960 in the movie, La Dolce Vita. The video features Nat King Cole singing "LOVE" in french, which is beyond sublime!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

A New Rolex Moonphase?


A New Rolex Moonphase?


...BaselWorld 2014 Introduction...


ROLEX Cellini Dual Time
39MM Reference 50529 in Everose Gold

Rolex introduced a new dress watch today, and it is called a Cellini Dual Time, and it kind of looks like a classic moonphase, and I definetely has a nice symmetrical balance. This all new model has an AM/PM complication that switches between an icon of the sun and moon, which looks kind of cool. The watch also has beautifully engraved "Guilloche" dial, what offers a great deal of visual interest. The version below is made from Rolex Everose gold.

This innovative new model has an automatic movement and keeps time in two different zones. It achieves this by having the standard time on the big hands, and the time in the second zone, on the sub-dial hands. This is much easier to understand than keeping time in a second time-zone, like on a GMT-Master.


In my opinion, Rolex needs to ditch the "Cellini" designations and only make "Rolex Watches." "Cellini" is a genuinely beautiful Italian name, but it dilutes the "Rolex" brand name, and is confusing, and unnecessary. This Rolex dress watch model should be a "Rolex Dual Time", not a "Rolex, Cellini, Dual Time."



Rolex is also offering the Dual Time Cellini in white gold, as seen below.

A True Blue Milgauss



A True Blue GV Milgauss


...BaselWorld 2014 Introduction...


Milgauss
40MM Reference 116400GVA

Rolex introduced a new version of the Milgauss, with a brilliant blue sunburst dial, which contrasts in an interesting way with the green GV crystal.



SEA-DWELLER 4000 40MM Reference 116600A



The Return Of The SEA-DWELLER


...BaselWorld 2014 Introduction...


SEA-DWELLER 4000
40MM Reference 116600A

Rolex finally re-introduced the standard SEA-DWELLER, and it looks great! I especially like the bezel insert with sixty minute makers...very cool...





The Return Of The Pepsi



The Return Of The Pepsi


...BaselWorld 2014 Introduction...

White Gold GMT
Red and Blue Ceramic Bezel
40MM Reference 116719BLROA

Some things seem to be inevitable, so I am happy to see Rolex finally figured out how to create a ceramic Pepsi bezel insert, and they are first introducing it on a white gold version of the GMT-Master, complete with Supercase, Max-Markers, and Fat hands in a 40MM form factor...

The obvious question, when will we see a stainless steel Pepsi Rolex GMT, and only Rolex knows!?!? Hopefully next year at Baselworld 2015. Let's keep our fingers crossed.


The Following text comes from the Rolex GMT-Master press kit:

HOW ROLEX ACHIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE

Oyster Perpetual GMT-MASTER II 

Some things do not exist for a very simple reason: they are considered impossible to create. That is what was said about two-colour ceramic. No one had managed to discover a way of manufacturing a watch component in high-technology ceramic with bulk colouring in two distinct colours. No one before Rolex...




A WORLD FIRST

The Cerachrom bezel insert in blue and black introduced by Rolex in 2013 was a world first. It was made in a single piece and the clear-cut demarcation of colours on each half of the insert was perfectly executed. This year, Rolex has pushed the technical and aesthetic prowess yet further on its Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II, unveiling a red and blue Cerachrom bezel insert, echoing the first GMT-Master bezel of 1955. An exceptional achievement on two counts: firstly, red is an extremely difficult colour to obtain and, therefore, an unusual colour for ceramic; secondly, having succeeded in creating a red insert, Rolex then found a way to locally modify the chemical composition of each grain, right to the core of the ceramic, and change the colour of half the insert from red to blue, while ensuring a sharp delineation between the two colors.




HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND ICONIC AESTHETICS



The resulting bulk-coloured, single-piece Cerachrom insert is red for the hours between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and blue for the hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. By virtue of being manufactured in a single piece, the insert acquires mechanical resistance properties that respond to the quality and reliability demanded of a Rolex product. Like all Rolex Cerachrom bezel inserts, it offers exceptional scratch and corrosion resistance. Its colours are unaffected by ultraviolet rays. The aesthetic effect is equally spectacular. The ceramic’s sheen gives volume to the insert and enhances the colours in a way that is reminiscent of the Plexiglas insert of the original GMT-Master. The engraved numerals and graduations are coated with a thin layer of platinum via a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) process patented by Rolex. Their depth and matt finish underscore the contrast with the insert’s polished surface, producing a three-dimensional effect that ensures optimal legibility.


PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE POSSIBLE



The new GMT-Master II’s two-colour red and blue Cerachrom insert is a unique, high-technology ceramic component, which adds new patents to the Cerachrom insert developed by Rolex in 2005. It combines the exceptional technical performance of the Cerachrom bezel with the GMT-Master’s iconic two-colour appearance. And it perpetuates the Rolex tradition of constantly extending the boundaries of the possible.

Red is an extremely difficult colour to obtain and, therefore, an unusual colour for ceramic. 





Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Rolex BaselWorld 2014 Teaser Video


Rolex BaselWorld 2014 Teaser Video

Rolex recently published this Baselworld teaser on their YouTube page. So what could this be? I have no idea!?!?! 

Could it be the return of the Rolex Moonphase? I sure hope so!!! The only reason I speculate it may be a moon phase is because the video focuses on the moon. Also, the fluting on the bezel is unusually small, and unlike any fluting I have ever seen. Also, the case appears to be Everose gold, and it has a very flat, low-profile domed bezel. Perhaps this fluting could be used to change settings like on the Sky-Dweller. Hmmmm!?!?!


Rolex made two different Moonphase models. Below is a photo of an original Rolex Moonphase [Reference 8171] which was made between 1949 and 1952. I have argued that Rolex is crazy not to bring this beauty back to life...

The Reference 8171, which is pictured above is an automatic Rolex Perpetual, but was not an Oyster. Just a few years after the Rolex Reference 8171 was launched, Rolex introduced an improved/updated Moonphase named the Reference 6062, which was an Oyster, meaning it was waterproof, and I included a photo of a Reference 6062 below.

I am an enormous fan of Rolex triple-date Moonphase watches, and I have attempted over the years to chronicle every one ever document. You can see all the ones I have documented over the years by clicking here.

If you are not familiar with Baselworld, it is the annual tradeshow that Rolex attends every years to launch new models. It is held in Basel, Switzerland and it begins Thursday, March 26th. Jake's Rolex World will be providing live coverage of all new model interactions as soon as they are revealed, so stay tuned!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

David Concannon and Jeff Bezos Retrieve Apollo 11 F-1 Rocket Engine


Spirit Of Exploration

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Successful Bermuda Triangle DEEP-SEA
Apollo 11 F-1 Engine Recovery Expedition
Receives Explorers Club Citation of Merit 
for An Outstanding Feat Of Exploration

The Spirit of Exploration is alive and well in the world we all share, and I am happy to report that a friend of mine, and fellow Rolex Fanatic/WIS, David Concannon was the project leader for the amazingly successful Apollo F-1 Engine Recovery Expedition.

This amazing expedition was the brainchild of Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and this last weekend in New York City, the Explorers Club awarded the team led by David Concannon, The Citation Of Merit for An Outstanding Feat Of Exploration. The award was presented by NASA Apollo 11 Astronaut, Buzz Aldrin at the 110th Explorers Club Annual Dinner in New York City.

David Concannon & Jeff Bezos


David Concannon is pictured above and below with Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and David is one of the top Expedition Attorneys in the world, and he has personally led many DEEP-SEA expeditions to the Titanic. David is pictured above shaking hands with Jeff Bezos, who's he worked with to undertake the  retrieval of Apollo F-1 Engines from the Ocean floor through his Bezos Expeditions group.



Basically, Bezos Expeditions located and recovered many of the F-1 Rockets from the NASA Apollo Moon Missions located three miles below the Atlantic Ocean, and this was all achieved in very DEEP-SEAS, that were a mile deeper than the Titanic!!!!!!

The photo below shows expedition workers examining a recovered F-1 Thrust Chamber.



In the two photos below, we see Expedition Leader, David Concannon sporting his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master, which was also the personal watch choice of many NASA Apollo Astronauts.







Jeff Bezos said, when he announced to the world that the team was heading into Cape Canaveral, with the engines on the SeaBed Worker:

"While I spent a reasonable chunk of time in my cabin emailing and working, it didn't keep me from getting to know the team. I'd like to call out a bunch of thank you’s. First of all to David Concannon who pulled together this team. The whole thing would simply have been impossible without the A-team, and I'm not sure anyone other than Dave could have brought them together."


Photo of Jeff Bezos and David Concannon appears courtesy of Josh Bernstein

I very highly recommend you check out this amazing video from Bezos Expeditions that tells the amazing story of Exploration, and if you look closely, you will notice David Concannon sporting his Pepsi GMT-Master II. David is a dyed in the wool Rolex fanatic!!!



This next video show remote controlled robots recovering Apollo F-1 Engines, from the expedition.


It is challenging to put into words, how deeply profound this achievement it, and certainly the video above does a great job. You can learn much more about this fascinating expedition by visiting Bezos Expiditions F-1 Engine Recovery webpage.


Jeff Bezos perfectly summed up his ambitions (which he achieved) with this amazing project in the letter below which he wrote on March 28, 2012:

The F-1 rocket engine is still a modern wonder — one and a half million pounds of thrust, 32 million horsepower, and burning 6,000 pounds of rocket grade kerosene and liquid oxygen every second. On July 16, 1969, the world watched as five particular F-1 engines fired in concert, beginning the historic Apollo 11 mission. Those five F-1s burned for just a few minutes, and then plunged back to Earth into the Atlantic Ocean, just as NASA planned. A few days later, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.


F1 Engine Installation Pictured Above

Millions of people were inspired by the Apollo Program. I was five years old when I watched Apollo 11 unfold on television, and without any doubt it was a big contributor to my passions for science, engineering, and exploration. A year or so ago, I started to wonder, with the right team of undersea pros, could we find and potentially recover the F-1 engines that started mankind's mission to the moon?

I'm excited to report that, using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar, the team has found the Apollo 11 engines lying 14,000 feet below the surface, and we're making plans to attempt to raise one or more of them from the ocean floor. We don't know yet what condition these engines might be in - they hit the ocean at high velocity and have been in salt water for more than 40 years. On the other hand, they're made of tough stuff, so we'll see.

Though they've been on the ocean floor for a long time, the engines remain the property of NASA. If we are able to recover one of these F-1 engines that started mankind on its first journey to another heavenly body, I imagine that NASA would decide to make it available to the Smithsonian for all to see. If we're able to raise more than one engine, I've asked NASA if they would consider making it available to the excellent Museum of Flight here in Seattle. (For clarity, I'll point out that no public funding will be used to attempt to raise the engines, as it's being undertaken privately.)

NASA is one of the few institutions I know that can inspire five-year-olds. It sure inspired me, and with this endeavor, maybe we can inspire a few more youth to invent and explore.

We'll keep you posted.

Sincerely,

Jeff Bezos



Bezos F1-Recovery Expedition Team



Apollo F-1 Rockets

I decided to add some context to the significance of this achievement by Bezos Ventures. Wernher von Braun is pictured below standing in front of Saturn V rocket thrusters he designed that would ultimately put men on the moon, including Mercury Astronaut, Alan Shepard on Apollo 14. The Saturn V rocket possessed 10 percent of the power of an atomic bomb.



The photo of Dr. Wernher von Braun standing next to the F-1 Rocket boosters give you a really great idea scale.


Rolex in Control at NASA

Dr. Wernher von Braun is pictured below at NASA ground control in 1965 during the testing of a Saturn rocket. Dr. von Braun is wearing a yellow gold Rolex and Dr. Kurt Debus who was the director of the Kennedy Space Center is also wearing his Rolex in this photo. Both men were German rocket scientists.

Dr. von Braun was the principal designer of the German V-2 rocket weapon as well as the Saturn V Moon rocket that put NASA astronauts on the Moon.

Pictured from Left to Right: Dr. Kurt Debus & Werhner von Braun




Dr. Wernher von Braun is pictured above at the Kennedy Space Center attending the Saturn 500F, rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on May 26, 1966. Dr. Kurt Debus is pictured next to von Braun and was the Director of the Kennedy Space Center.



Michael Collins
Apollo 11





The EAGLE Has Landed

I have been working on a major update to a Rolex NASA story about Michael Collins Rolex he wore during his Apollo 11 experience,  so I figured with the advent of the Jeff Bezos/ David Concannon story above, that now was as good as any time to publish some of my new findings.

Michael Collins is pictured below at NASA on April 16, 1969 during centrifuge training for Apollo 11. Three short months later he would fly into the history books as part of the first team to land on the Moon and return safely to earth. In the photo below NASA Astronaut Michael Collins is wearing a Rolex Turno-graph.






Years ago, I published lower resolution versions of the images above, and today I am publishing for the first time, the image below of Michael Collins, which shows him as he prepares minutes before the photo above was taken. This photo below is obviously black and white, but he is wearing the orange jumpsuit as pictured above, and you can see him holding his headset in his hands below, that he is wearing in the photo pictured above.

NASA Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins Wearing Rolex Watch, April 1969 

Michael Collins was a U.S. Air Force test pilot prior to becoming a NASA Astronaut. So the obvious question, is wether or not Michael Collins wore his Rolex to the moon and back? In the future, I will cover this topic in more detail, but for the time being, it is cool to see that the Michael Collins chose Rolex for his personal watch.


Michael Collins is pictured below (second in line) as he and his Apollo 11 team members leave for the Moon.


The photo below shows Apollo 11 taking off to head for the moon.








In the photo below that was taken on July 20, 2009, we see the three Apollo 11 NASA Astronauts, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong in the Oval Office with President Obama.


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

All-New COSMOS TV Series Debut!!! Starring Neil deGrasse Tyson


...Rolex Ultra-Super Coolness...

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium Director

The Return Of 

COSMOS
A SpaceTime Odyssey

Two-Tone Rolex Datejust

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the worlds leading astrophysicists and he just launched an-all new version of Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV Series, which just debuted this last Sunday–on the 21st Century Fox channel and it will air once a week for 13 episodes. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a world renowned astrophysicist and author, as well as being the Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York. He is also a recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. 

I watched the first episode of COSMOS with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and it blew my mind!!! It was so well done, and his communication style was super-effective. I think one of the things I have in common with him is that on Jake's Rolex World, I always go out of my way to try and make everything really simple for everybody to understand, and he does the same thing. This approach really makes learning enjoyable and fun.

The National Geographic Channel will be rebroadcasting each episode the day after they air on Fox, and will be including extra content. The international roll-out of COSMOS has already begun, but in many countries like Brazil, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, South Africa, Austrailia, India, France, Belguim, Greece, and Sweden, just to name a few, it will be launching later this week. 

The rollout of COSMOS is one of the greatest international TV rollouts in history. It will be shown in 181 countries, in 46 languages, on 220 channels, with a overall footprint of more than a half-billion homes. Wow!!!


Today, in 2014, after many decades of confusion and lack of direction the world is once again embracing  The Spirit Of Enquiry, and Exploration, and COSMOS stands testament to this outstanding and impressive fact. 

It's time to get going again!


Many of the great explorer's in history that have depended on Rolex watches to tell their time have done so because of the scientific precision with which Rolex watches are made. 


One thing all the great Rolex explorer's have in common is they also depended on scientific process to achieve their goals. Science by definition, is the pursuit of truth, and that is what makes Cosmos and Neil deGrasse Tyson so outstanding in a great way. 


The word science comes from the Latin word, scientia, which means knowledge, and as Charles Kettering famously pointed out, "There is a great difference between knowing and understanding. You can know a lot about something without understanding it." This explains why Neil deGrasse Tyson tries to help people knot only gain deep knowledge, but more importantly, deep understanding of complex scientific subjects.

Neil deGrasse Tyson wears a 36MM two-tone Rolex Datejust as seen in the photos above and below.


On Jake's Rolex World I regularly use the same scientific methodology to bust false myths, and separate the fact from the fiction. Ironically, there have been multiple Rolex modes including the Rolex Reference 6062 Moonphase, as well as the Rolex Daytona which have had the Rolex COSMOGRAPH designation. Nobody knows for certain what is means, but it is fascinating that COSMO is the root of COSMOGRAPH.


This first video give a fascinating behind-the-scenes perspective on the impetus behind the production of the all-new COSMOS series. It featured Neil deGrass Tyson, and executive producers, Seth MacFarlane and Ann Dryuan, who is Carl Sagan's widow.







The Torch Has Been Passed

From 
Carl Sagan
To
Neil deGrasse Tyson

Carl Sagan, who wrote and produced the original COSMOS series is pictured below.


Carl Sagan was a member of the Cornell University faculty, and he tried to recruit Neil deGrasse Tyson to his undergraduate study program. Neil deGrass Tyson, once told the story:

"Interestingly, when I applied to Cornell, my application dripped of my passion for the study and research of the Universe. Somehow the admissions office brought my application to the attention of the late Dr. Carl Sagan, and he actually took the initiative and care to contact me. He was very inspirational and a most powerful influence. Dr. Sagan was as great as the universe, and an effective mentor."




Carl Sagan
The Original COSMOS Man

Carl Sagan starred in and wrote the original 13 Part Cosmos: A Personal Voyage which TV series which originally aired in 1980 on PBS. I remember watching the original series when it aired, and it blew my mind, and really stimulated my personal spirit of enquiry!!! Over 400 Million people in over 60 countries have watched the original COSMOS TV show. 


Perhaps Carl Sagan's most famous line, which is often falsely attributed to him was, "Billions, and Billions of years ago..." Carl Sagan *NEVER* actually uttered the phrase "billions AND billions"–not on Cosmos, or anywhere else. He did use the word "billions" quite a bit in COSMOS, and did use terms like "billions upon billions". 

Ironically, the last book he wrote, which was published after his death, was entitled Billions & Billions. The first Chapter of Sagan's book begins: "I never said it. Honest." It turns out that Johnny Carson had coined the phrase as seen in the funny video below.

Below is the video of the first fascinating episode of the original Cosmos which starred Carl Sagan, and it is amazing!!!