At BaselWorld 2016, Rolex introduced two new Yacht-Master models. This includes the all-new RootBeer Yacht-Master model I covered recently, as well as the model seen below which comes in a 37MM model, as well as a 40MM model. This steel and platinum model features a dark silver sunburst dial, with a sky-blue second hand, with a matching blue YACHT-MASTER dial designation.
At BaselWorld 2016, Rolex showed off two new gold models. The first is in white gold and it has a cobalt blue sunburst dial with red 5 minute micro markers, with matching red inner sundial rings that match the Red DAYTONA Dial designation.
Rolex also showed off a yellow gold Daytona with a dark kelly green dial with red details as seen below. Both these watches are so great looking!!!! I could not help but notice the yellow gold Daytona has longer lugs than the white gold model...I have never been able to figure out why Rolex does this? Also, I am a big fan of colored dials. Not that there is anything wrong with a black or white dial. I just think these shades of blue and green are timeless and charismatic cool...
Jocke is a famous Rolex fanatic from Sweden and he attends BaselWorld every year. He took the photos below of the new Rolex models.
This is a mind-blowing story, which at the same time is not surprising. Forbes Magazine just broke the news that The Reputation Institute ranked Rolex as the Number 1 Most Reputable Company On Earth. This accolade was based upon polling of close to a quarter million people in 15 countries around the globe according to the Reputation Institutes Annual 2016 Survey. This study is the largest global reputation study.
The following list shows the top 25 Most Reputable Companies On Earth:
1. Rolex
2. Disney
3. Google
4. BMW
5. Daimler (Owner of Mercedes-Benz)
6. Lego
7. Microsoft
8. Canon
9. Sony
10. Apple
11. Intel
12. Adidas
13. Nike
14. Rolls-Royce
15. Michelin
16. Johnson & Johnson
17. Samsung
18. Ferrero (Maker of Nutella:-)
19. Nintendo
20. Levi's
21. Amazon
22. Nestle
23. Philips Electronics
24. L'Oréal
25. Bosch
So what does this mean exactly? It's hard to say, but I will point out that to the best of my knowledge that out of the top 25 most reputable companies on earth, not only is Rolex ranked #1, but it is the only privately held company in this outstanding group.
The following comes from the Reputation Institute web page: Reputation Institute is the world's leading research and advisory firm for reputation. We provide senior communications and marketing executives at global companies the single-best way to measure, communicate and manage reputation performance. With this insight, companies can protect their reputations, analyze risks and drive competitive advantage. We serve clients in more than 400 of the top Global 1,000 companies. Our founders Charles Fombrun and Cees van Riel started the discipline of reputation management more than two decades ago. Groundbreaking professors specializing in business and corporate communications, they founded Reputation Institute in 1997. Founder Charles Fombrun created the original academic models for measuring reputation — refining them with the launch of Reputation Institute and RepTrak®. Reputation Institute’s RepTrak® model is the gold standard for reputation measurement, providing a one-of-a-kind appraisal of how the general public views the world’s best-known companies. The RepTrak® database examines 15 stakeholders in more than 25 industries and more than 40 countries for more than 7,000 companies. Reputation Institute’s research is considered the authoritative source for Corporate Reputation Management by the world’s leading publications, including The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, Time, Bloomberg, Information Week, NY Times and the Wall Street Journal. Our industry leaders are regularly sought out and appear in the news and on the radio, for example on NPR, CNBC, Fox Business News, BBC, and CNN.
Rolex is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster which debuted in 1926. 2016 also represents the 60th anniversary of the Rolex Day-Date which was introduced in 1956. Rolex created a special 60th anniversary model with a green dial to commemorate this anniversary, and it comes with a green dial as seen below. Rolex is offering this model in EverRose Gold as seen below, as well as in White Gold, and both feature the new movement Caliber 3255. You can learn much more about this beauty on the Rolex Microsite dedicated to this model.
Today is Hans Wilsdorf's 135th Birthday!!! It is beyond amazing to me that he left such an amazing legacy. I just updated his story on Jake's Rolex World named, "The Complete History Of Rolex Leadership. Part 1: The Hans Wilsdorf Years", which I highly recommend checking out if you have not already had the chance to. Happy Birthday Old Boy!!!!!! P.S. Notice how big those cups of coffee are :-)
Hans Wilsdorf in 1942 watching (no pun intended :-) his watchmakers work in Rolex workshop in Geneva, Switzerland
Happy 90th Birthday!!!!
Rolex Oyster
2016 represents the 90th Anniversary of the Rolex Oyster wristwatch, which was the first waterproof watch. The Rolex Oyster was the first of many, many, many innovations under the leadership of Rolex Founder, Hans Wilsdorf...
Rolex seems to have really done well with all the Amazing watches introduced at BaselWorld 2016. Everybody thought Rolex had permanently discontinued the Air-King, several years ago, when they stopped making it, but sure enough, like with many other Rolex watches it has returned—and arguably for the better. Michael Bublé is pictured below sporting the all-new Rolex Air King model.
So let's take a closer look at the all-new Rolex Air King. It has a number of interesting details. For one, it is kind of retro-futuristic in the sense Rolex decided to re-use their "Air-King" typeface logo from the 1950s version of the same watch. This model also represents the first time Rolex has made a watch that is available to the public with the green and gold Rolex logo combo on the dial, but NOT the first time it has used it to keep time. More on that at the end of this article :-)
The Air King was originally introduced in 1945 as the Rolex Reference 4925 which used a Caliber 10.5' movement. The Rolex Air-King evolved from a previous Rolex named the Speed-King. At one time in the 1940s Rolex had many Airplane themed models including the Rolex Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air Giant.
The Rolex Speed-King was based upon Sir Malcom Campbell, who thought the 1920s and 1930s set one world land speed record after another, all while wearing Rolex watches.
On April 3, 1933 The Royal Air Force Squadron was the first to fly over Mount Everest. Pictured below is Flight Lieutenant David McIntyre who, with his squadron members flew into history as first men to fly over Mt. Everest, with their trusted Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches keeping their time.
The photograph below is the first photograph ever taken from above Mount Everest, from the 1933 Royal Air Force expedition that was famously equipped with Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches.
What exactly is the Bloodhound SSC? It is a special vehicle designed to set break the all-time speed record and set a new speed record by driving faster than the speed of sound!!! And Rolex is not only custom made the speedometer and clock, but is also a sponsor of the Bloodhound project.
In conclusion the all-new Rolex Air-King looks like it is on its way to becoming a mega-hit. I say this because everybody I have talked to loves it, both women and men alike. A female friend of mine saw it and said "Wow!!! That's a really cool looking watch! I love the colors. Is it for woman?"
Another friend of mine who is a hardcore watch nut said he loved it and can't wait to get one, and he is a serious watch snob. He also said that he really liked the dial because it reminded him of the The Rolex California dial. He said, "There is just something about that dial that is so cool, and I can't quite place it? It has to do with the contrast between the large and bold 3, 6, and 9 markers, in juxtaposition with the digital looking other typeface. And I LOVE how Rolex setup the Rolex coronet and 'ROLEX' logo in the colors of their brand print logo. It just looks so instantly iconic and cool. I also love how it is bigger than the Rolex Explorer at 40MM v. 39MM, but its also 2MM thicker, so it is kind of like a Rolex Explorer on steroids."
Last year at BaselWorld 2015, Role introduced the all-new Lady-Datejust in the larger size of 28MM. Rolex introduced this new model is all the higher end models.
At BaselWorld 2016 Rolex introduced the new Lady-Datejust model in the two-tone silver and gold range. Historically the Lady-Datejust was always a dainty 26MM, and Rolex decided it was time to increase the overall size just a tad. Many women today strive to wear what used to be referred to as Men's Rolex watches, but there is still a bastion of women who prefers the smaller more diminutive and petite size.
The new model pictured above shows the Lady-Datejust in EverRose Gold with stainless steel on a classic Rolex Jubilee bracelet.
The new model below shows the Yellow Gold and stainless 28MM Lady-Datejust in yellow gold with stainless steel on the timeless Rolex Oyster bracelet. Both models carry the Rolex Caliber 2236 movement, which offers a power reserve of 55 hours.
All 28MM Lady-Datejust models also carry the new Rolex Superlative Chronometer Certification, which includes a 5 year international guarantee, with a performance standard of -2/+2 seconds per day, which is mote than twice of what is required for a standard COSC.
Lindsey Vonn is an Olympic Gold Medal Champion Skier, and she is gorgeous! In the picture below she is sporting the new Rolex Pearlmaster 39 in EverRose Gold.
Lindsey Vonn was the first American women to win a Gold Medal in the Olympic Downhill. She is pictured below at the 2010 Olympic Games that took place in Whistler, British Columbia.
The new Rolex PearlMaster is an updated version of the 34MM Pearlmaster, and it now features the Rolex Movement Caliber 3235. All the diamonds are VERY CAREFULLY chosen by Rolex Gem-setters in Rolex's Geneva workshop.
The Rolex PearlMaster pictured above, the one Lindsey Vonn is wearing, is fully blinged out, and the one below still has a lot of diamonds, but is more toned down. The combination below of the EverRose Gold with the purple dial is extremely regal and elegant.
Rolex introduced this stunning new EverRose Gold version of the Rolex Cellini Dual time at BaselWorld 2016, and it is a real stunner!!! If you are not familiar with the Rolex Dual Time, it basically keeps time it two different time zones simultaneously. In my opinion, out of all the Rolex models that can keep time in multiple zones, this model is by far the easiest to read. I also LOVE the guilloche dial. Notice on the secondary timezone sundial at the 9 O'clock position there is a Sun Icon. This indicates that it is daytime in the second, far away timezone...There is something very ZEN about this beautiful watch...
2016 Rolex Explorer pictured above with longer and wider hands
Rolex also significantly updated the dial lume pattern by adding lume to the 3, 6, and 9 indices, as seen below. They also feature the Rolex Chromolite lume in blue which has a strong lume glow pattern. This was a brilliant design improvement by Rolex.
2016 Rolex Explorer pictured above with longer and wider hands
The Rolex Explorer pictured below is the outgoing model, and if you look closely you will notice the 3, 6, and 9 markers are raised, polished indices that lack lume, also you will notice the hands are short and too skinny for the watch. When Rolex introduced the Day-Date II, Datejust II and 39MM Explorer, they made some scaling mistakes, where they overlooked the scaling of some elements. In this case, the hands. 100% of these scaling issues have now be rectified!!! It really is amazing how changing one detail, like updating the hands can make such a HUGE difference!!! The Rolex Explorer now looks SO MUCH more balanced and masculine now...
2010 Rolex Explorer pictured above with shorter and narrower hands
Before and After
The illustration below shows the difference between the outgoing and incoming 39MM Rolex Explorer Lume Patterns in the dark. When you see the lume patterns side by side like this, you really understand just how big a difference there is between the two. Not only are the 3, 6, and 9 invisible on the old version, but you also notice how anemic the hand lume was.
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.
