Monday, June 30, 2014

First Rolex Cloisonné Dial Watch from 1949


First Rolex Cloisonné Dial Watch from 1949
Set's All-Time Record at Christies Auction
Unique Reference 5029/5028

Last month Christies Auction house sold a unique 18KT gold Automatic Rolex watch, which featured a sweep center seconds hand, along with star numerals on a Cloisonné dial. This watch is believed to be the very first Rolex ever sold with a Cloisonné dial, and it sold for a record setting $1,242.040!!! 

The Cloisonné dial depicts a whale and a frigate in full sail cruising through stormy seas. The watch is also unusual in that it has an applied Rolex cornet in the 6 O'Clock position.



Christie's Lot Notes

The present Rolex cloisonne enamel wristwatch can arguably be considered one of the most important Rolex watches ever manufactured. The watch was last seen at these sale rooms in 2005 and since then locked away from the public. The case, only slightly tarnished then has now become completely oxidized after its 8 years in a safety deposit box. Since the watch made its last appearance at public auction in 1998 there has been a significant development in scholarship.

Today we believe this present wristwatch is not only the earliest known Rolex cloisonne enamel watch, manufactured in 1949, but also the only known dial to be fitted with the sought after star-set numerals. Every aspect of this watch is exceptionally rare. The size of the case is a massive 36mm. The gold dial is fitted with a full cloisonne enamel scene which covers the entire dial, not just filling two-thirds like many Rolex and other cloisonne wristwatches have. The Rolex crown fitted at the 6 o'clock position is the exact crown made by Rolex in 1949. The Rolex signature is hard enamel underneath the enamel glazing. The dial itself is a Stern Freres dial, although not signed as later Stern dials came to be. The counter enamel on the reverse of the gold dial is completely free of any restoration and shows clearly that it is applied over the 624 Stern order number. The way in which the numerals are applied to the dial are placed in the way in which only Stern were known for at the time. The hand-cut star numerals are that of Stern Freres model number 453, the applied faceted baton numerals at the quarters, Stern model number 276 and Rolex crown, Stern model number 49.

The spectacular quality of this wristwatch is difficult to express in words. The cloisonne enamel dial is by Marguerite Koch a famous artist from Geneva who at the time was also designing and creating dials for Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. The reverse of the dial is almost identical to other known Patek Philippe dials numbered by Koch in a very similar way. The technique used to create the dial is very consistent with all other Koch's known dials. The colors and the exceptional miniature details that can be seen when examined under a microscope are mesmerizing. From the tiny specs of red and blue to the subtle shades of pinks and scarlet the colors blend harmoniously together creating a picture both mind blowing and stunningly beautiful. One can conclude that Rolex commissioned Marguerite Koch to design and create the dial and Stern then applied the Rolex signature and aspects such as the hand cut star numerals and Rolex crown at 6 o'clock.

Consigned by a prominent private collector the present watch is in outstanding condition and a true "Trophy Market" watch. There is no sign of any restoration to either side of the dial. The case has never been polished and supports beautifully the extraordinary and important cloisonne enamel creation. Cloisonne enamel dials are rare. Rolex cloisonne enamel dials are even rarer and to have an example covering the entire surface of the dial made by Marguerite Koch fitted with original star-set numerals and fitted into a 36mm case provides an exceptional opportunity to acquire a milestone in the history of watchmaking which will be treasured for eternity.

We are indebted to Eric Tortella for his assistance with the research of this incredible wristwatch.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

White Gold Rolex Submariner



...Rolex Coolness...

Karim Benzema
White Gold Rolex Submariner + White Gold Rolex Daytona

Karim Benzema is a French international foolballer that plays for Spanish Club Real Madrid in La Liga, as well as the French National Football Team in the FITA World Cup. He is pictured below sporting his white gold Rolex Submariner and white gold Rolex Daytona. So far he has scored 3 goals in the FIFA World Cup.




Friday, June 27, 2014

BLOODHOUND SSC AND ROLEX Project Update


...Rolex Super-Coolness...


BLOODHOUND SSC 
AND ROLEX

Andy Green's 1,000MPH Office

Project Update

Andy Green, The BLOODHOUND SSC driver just posted a fascinating video update on the progress of the project, which is viewable at the bottom of this post. You can learn much more about the BLOODHOUND SSC project by checking out the original story I wrote which gives a comprehensive overview...




Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Arsenio Hall with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar


...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Arsenio Hall with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

Arsenio Hall came out of retirement this year to restart his Arsenio Hall Show. In my opinion, Arsenio is one of the greatest interviewers, and he has had an amazing career, which includes being close pals with Eddie Murphy.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of my childhood heroes. In 1973, when I was a young child I read a book about sports starts named Four Stars From The Sports World, which featured biographical profiles on Henry Aaron, Roger Staubach, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bobby Orr. I remember thinking Kareem was so cool with his Skyhook hoopshot!

The photo below was taken recently, and we see Arsenio rockin' his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, which is as timeless and classic as his great style...


Saturday, June 21, 2014

Willie Nelson: The Kings of Country Music Wearing Rolex Series


The Kings of Country Music Wearing Rolex Series

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Willie Nelson

An Amazing Career
With Rolex Keeping The Time Of His Life

I recently published the first story in a series named "The Kings Of Country Music Wearing Rolex Series", which covered the amazing career of Johnny Cash. Today, I am excited to share this story on Willie Nelson, and his brilliant career, which has included him him wearing multiple Rolex watches, including this yellow gold Rolex Day Date as pictured below.


Willie Nelson was born on April 30, 1933 in Abbott, Texas, and is an Country Music Legend who has written legendary hit songs like "Crazy" and "On The Road Again." Willy Nelson is picture above and below with his favorite guitar, which in nicknamed Trigger.


Willie Nelson has had many country mega-hits, and has worked with many other famous country music legends in his life. In the future, I will extent this story to cover much more of his amazing career achievements, as well as covering other Rolex watches he has worn in his life.






This next song was recorded on Willie Nelson's 70th Birthday, and it features Leon Russell, and most importantly the legendary Ray Charles. This is one of my favorite songs, and if you watch the facial expressions on Willie Nelson's face, you will notice he is extremely emotionally moved. I believe this is due to the fact he realizes that his great pal, Ray Charles is dying, and he is in awe of Ray's amazing command performance. Also the lyrics to "A Song For You" are also extremely emotionally moving and hauntingly prescient...


I love you in a place
Where there's no space or time
I love you for in my life
You are a friend of mine
And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and
I was singing this song for you


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Martin Kaymer wins U.S. Open


...Rolex Coolness...


Martin Kaymer Wins U.S. Open

50th Anniversary Platinum Rolex Daytona

Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open golf tournament which ended this last weekend, and in the photo below we see him standing with the U.S. Open trophy, while he is wearing his 50th Anniversary Platinum Rolex Daytona.






The Platinum Rolex Daytona
50th Anniversary Edition

In the photo above, Martin Kaymer is not wearing just any Rolex Daytona, but the all-new Platinum Rolex Daytona, which Rolex introduced to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex Daytona model. This model marks the first time in history Rolex has offered a Daytona model make out of Platinum.



...Deja Vu U.S. Open Rolex Coolness...

In the photo below, we see Jack Nicklaus winning the 1972 U.S. Open, posing with the same trophy Martin Kaymer is holding and Jack is sporting his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. What was it that Mark Twain said?: "History does not repeat itself, but is sure does rhyme!"

Jack Nicklaus
Winning The 1972 U.S. Open Golf Tournament
Rolex Day-Date


Monday, June 16, 2014

Cristiano Ronaldo: Best Soccer Player In the World...





...Rolex Coolness...

Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Soccer Player In The World
Wearing Rolex Daytona Watch Models


The 2014 FIFA World Cup is upon us, so I thought it was a good time to check out some Rolex Soccer coverage. According to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Cristiano Ronaldo is the best soccer player in the world today. Cristiano Ronoldao was born in Portugal and plays as a forward for the Spanish club, Real Matrid, and is also captain of the Portugal national team. Cristiano pictured below wearing his stainless steel Rolex Daytona.



Cristiano Ronaldo is pictured below wearing a Yellow Gold Rolex Daytona






Cristiano Ronaldo is an amazing athlete as we see in the photo below, where you see how strong his leg jumping power is.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Dr. Dre The First Hip Hop Billionaire


...Rolex Coolness...

Dr. Dre
The First Hip-Hop Billionaire
  Rolex Day-Date Masterpiece

Dr. Dre recently signed a deal to sell his namesake brand to Apple for $3 Billion, which made him a Billionare, and in his own words, Dre referred to himself as "Hip-Hop's First Billionaire."  Dr. Dre is a hip hop artist that started his Dr. Dre brand with legendary recording producer, Jimmy Lovine. Together they built out the brand to include making Dr. Dre "Beats", over the ear headphones, as well as Beats Music. As previously mentioned, Apple recently acquired Beats by Dr. Dre, and now Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine are Apple employees. Dr. Dre is pictured below wearing his Rolex Masterpiece Day-Date.


Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Rolex Outdoor Shot of the Day: Nicolas' Rolex Submariner On A Marker Matching NATO


Nicolas' Rolex Submariner
On A Marker Matching NATO
[Reference 5508: No Crown Guard]

Sunday, June 8, 2014

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date


...Rolex President History...





U.S. Vice President 
Dick Cheney
Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

There have been many U.S. Presidents who have worn Rolex watches over the years, and Dick Cheney is the first Vice President of the United States that I am aware of to wear a Rolex Day-Date during his two terms in office. Today, Dick Cheney still wears his Rolex Day-Date with a champagne god dial as seen in these recent photos that appear below.













THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ROLEX PRESIDENT

Table Of Contents








Saturday, June 7, 2014

Sultan of Oman Rolex Day-Date Models


...Auction Results...

Sultan of Oman Rolex Day-Date Models
Record Setting Price Results at Christies Auction

Christies recently auction off some amazing Rolex watches on May 12, 2014, in Geneva, Switzerland that were made for the Sultan of Oman, and this auction included a number of Rolex Day-Date "Presidential" models that shattered previous records. We begin with this platinum Rolex Day-Date made which was made in 1974, and features a blue dial with a red Omani crest, coupled with diamond dial markers and with matching diamonds running around the bezel. This watch was estimated to sell for between $51,000 and $79,000, and it ended up selling for more than four times the estimate at $352,119!!! Basically, vintage Rolex watches are going through the roof at auction!!!


The next watch pictured below which features baguette cut baton markers cut from rubies on a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date [Made in 1984 Reference 18038, Caliber 3055], as well as the Omani crest on the dial. This watch was estimated to sell from between $42,000 to $82,000 and it ended up selling for $182,287!!!

On a side note, watches that were made by Rolex that feature Arab logos on the dial are typically know as "Arabic Rolex Watches."
Next up we see another yellow gold Rolex Day-Date made for the Sultan Of Oman, and this one was made in 1979, and it sold also had an estimate selling price of between $42,000 and $68,000, but sold for more than double at $168,700.



Monday, June 2, 2014

"The" Rolex President Coming To Auction!!!




"The" Rolex President Coming To Auction!!!
The International Mark Of Success & Achievement





The First Rolex President
President Dwight Eisenhower's Rolex
[1951 Yellow Gold Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet]
The 150,000th Officially Certified Rolex Swiss Chronometer

It is hard to believe, but true, the first Rolex watch worn by a U.S. President is coming to auction, which is unprecedented! Just to be clear, Rolex watches worn by U.S. Presidents are not only very rare, but to date, one has never been offered at auction!

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower pictured above wearing his yellow gold Rolex Datejust in the 1950s


This is no ordinary Rolex Presidential watch, but the one that Rolex gave to then Supreme NATO Commander of Europe, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, after he successfully freed Europe from the shackles of Nazi tyranny. Essentially, General Eisenhower was the architect of D-Day, under which he assembled the largest armada in history and sailed across the Atlantic, and stormed the beaches at Normandy to defeat the Nazi's. After winning World War II in Europe, General Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of NATO, under which command, he got everything straightened out and oversaw the rebuilding of Europe.

I will have more details coming up in the future as I learn more about this auction. It is obvious that President Eisenhower's Rolex is arguably the most historically significant watch. 


An Unprecedented Rolex President

President Eisenhower's watch will be available for preview on June 6th in England, and all the details can be seen at the bottom of this post.








Every Rolex Tells A Story

It has been said, that every Rolex tells a story, and when a Rolex is engraved on its case back, also know as a "verso" it adds a unique characteristic, that tells a story. 



The back of President Eisenhower's Rolex is engraved with Eisenhower's 5 Stars, which form a pentagon–in the middle of the stars. The engraving also has his initials DDE, as well as the date he was appointed Supreme Commander Of NATO. I would argue that if every Rolex tells a story, that President Eisenhower's yellow gold Rolex Datejust offers the most dynamic, and wonderful, ultra-succesful story. After all, it really was President Eisenower's Rolex that made Rolex The International Mark Of Success and Achievement. What is your Rolex story?





70th Anniversary of D-Day: Revisiting the historic site of General Eisenhower’s residence, Telegraph Cottage - Kingston, Surrey

Rare artifacts including an extraordinary original oil painting by General Dwight D. Eisenhower of his UK refuge during D-Day operation, his World War II brown leather flight jacket and more, during a special media preview of the internationally renowned Raleigh DeGeer Amyx collection.

To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, RR Auction is proud to present a historic collection of museum quality memorabilia relating to General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Commander-in-Chief, Franklin D. Roosevelt, during an upcoming press conference that will take place near the former site of where Eisenhower stayed during the operation, Telegraph Cottage.

On June 6, 1944, when 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Eisenhower would call the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.”

As the location of General Eisenhower's main office while commanding the Allied Expeditionary force, Telegraph Cottage was where the general planned two of the most war's important invasions—as he attests to himself on the reverse of an original oil painting—in Torch, the invasion of North Africa, and Overlord, the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

“Very few people knew that Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander and the man who would take the decision to launch D-Day, was living there,” says Bobby Livingston, VP at RR Auction, “his small staff went to great efforts to maintain his privacy and to avoid reminders of the war, so that the cottage began a kind of refuge and Eisenhower had some brief respite from the pressures of his job.”

Who: Bobby Livingston, Exec VP of RR Auction will be on hand to discuss the historical significance of the items.

Vicky Good - Author, The Warren House Tales, a new book that details the fascinating history of Warren House and six of the families who lived there. Good is a historical researcher and genealogist, whose family is the current owner of the Warren House.

What: Among the Museum quality pieces to be featured at the event: (see attached for complete listing) 

An extraordinary original oil painting by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, depicting his wartime retreat outside of London known as Telegraph Cottage, with handwritten notes in his own hand on the reverse “where I lived while planning both Torch (1942) and Overlord (1944).”

Eisenhower’s Rolex Watch, considered by many the most important and valuable wristwatch in the entire world, a 1951 18K iconic yellow gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust chronometer on a Jubilee bracelet.

President Eisenhower's World War II brown leather flight jacket — which features four-star epaulettes on the shoulders.

President Roosevelt’s personally-owned and -worn top hat, worn for his first presidential inauguration on March 4, 1933.

President Roosevelt’s remarkable personally-owned and -worn blue-black cape custom made of the highest quality manufacture and material by Lewis & Thos. Saltz of Washington, constructed of a fine heavyweight wool with a satin lining and velvet-trimmed collar. FDR’s personally-owned and -used walnut cane with a white bone handle and tip.


All items are part of the internationally renowned collection of Raleigh DeGeer Amyx, and will be included in a live auction event to be held in Boston, MA on September 2014.

Where: Warren House, Warren Road, Kingston Upon Thames Surrey KT2 7HY

When: Thursday 5 June 2014, from 11AM – 1PM

About RR Auction:

Headquartered in Boston’s North End, RR Auction is a globally recognized and trusted source for rare documents, manuscripts, autographs, and historic artifacts. Since its inception in 1980, RR has achieved countless record-setting prices in over 425 successful sales, including Truman Capote’s hand-notated manuscript for Breakfast at Tiffany’s for over $300,000, President Kennedy’s 1963 convertible for $318,000, and a pair of Bonnie and Clyde’s guns for over $500,000. Internationally known and frequently featured in all media outlets—with appearances on NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, Fox News, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, and the London Times—RR Auction prides itself on selling authentic material, thoroughly examined by in-house experts and third-party authenticators, to uphold the guarantee of authenticity. With a stunning full-color print catalog and a massive online presence, RR Auction’s nearly four decades of business continue to grow, achieving record prices for clients around the world. More details can be found online at www.rrauction.com
Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection:

More than an assortment of artifacts, this represents the life-long dream of a single man, a personal quest to preserve and share American history—indeed, the Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection, with a special focus on the 20th century, embodies the nation's past at its finest. RR Auction is proud to present the internationally renowned collection of Raleigh DeGeer Amyx in a live auction event to be held in September 2014.

VKL Good - Author, The Warren House Tales

Vicky, whose family are the current owners of Warren House, was born in London in 1965 and educated at Wimbledon High School and Keele University where she read International Relations. She is a historical researcher and genealogist, and lives with her husband and young family in Surrey. http://www.warrenhouse.com



The Complete History Of The Rolex President

Years ago, I wrote a super detailed 11 Part story named The Complete History Of The Rolex President, which covers President Eisenhower's Rolex, and exactly how he obtained it from Rolex.


1966 Rolex President's Watch Ad
The Presidents' Watch