Macro Nature Shot Of The Day: Snow Flake Magnified 40 Times

...Ever Wonder?...

Macro Nature Shot Of The Day

Snow Flake Magnified 40 Times

Ever wonder what a snowflake looks like really close up? Pekka Honakoski of Jonkajarvi, Finland took this amazing macro shot of a snowflake magnified 40 times and it is really amazing!!!!!!

Rolex Hotness: Victoria Secret Models...

...Rolex Hotness...
Victoria Secret Models

Stainless Steel Rolex Daytona

Casey Neistat on How He Broke His Rolex..

Top Influencer

Casey Neistat
How He 'Broke' His Rolex
The world is changing very quickly, and some of the most influential personalities are YouTube vloggers. "vlogger" stands for Video Blogger, and last month Danny Introduced us to Logan Paul who is a 22-year-old vlogger, who recently bought his first Rolex. Today, if you are not already familiar with Casey Neistat, I am happy to introduce you to him. Casey is one of the top vloggers with 8.5 million followers on YouTube. It is pretty difficult to shatter a Rolex synthetic sapphire, and I certainly never have, but in this video, we witness how Casey shattered his. This video is from September 9, 2016 and already has 3.5 million views! Also, in this video, Casey mentions he had just passed 1 Billion video views, and a little more than a year later he has passed 2 Billion View...



Rolex Christmas Gift
"A day without laughter is a wasted day." —Pablo Picasso
Speaking of 3.5 million views and Logan Paul, he published a vlog on YouTube less than 24 hours ago, and it already has had close to 3.5 million views!!! In the video below, Paul and his brother Jake gave their mother $10,000 in cash for Christmas as well as a ladies Rolex Datejust.  Logan Paul's approach to vlogging is really high in energy, quirky, silly, emotional, funny and in many ways, he is like a modern Benny Hill on steroids. This video may not be safe for viewing at work :-0

Since we are on the subject of Logan Paul and Rolex, Logan's brother Jake (not me ;-) is also a top vlogger. Jake has had over 4 billion video views to date, which is also remarkable. Yesterday, Jake gave his mother her first Rolex watch, which you can view in the video below that already has close to 2.5 million views. Jake's vlogging style is very similar to his older brother Logan, and once again, this video may not be safe for viewing at work.

It's interesting, at the end of this video Jake and his mother do the Ayo & Teo "ROLEX" Dance

Two-Tone Rolex Submariner

...Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day...

Two-Tone Rolex Submariner

Hard-to-find: Green Submariner "Hulk"

Hard-to-find Rolex

Looking for a

Green Submariner?

(Try the Police)  

 By DANNY CRIVELLO           

The photo above appears courtesy of Scott Shafer.

There are very few current Rolex models that are selling for more money on the used market than the full retail price. The stainless-steel Daytona, of course, is one of them.

Over the past few months, the Rolex Submariner Date 116610LV, unofficially nicknamed "The Hulk" because of its green dial and bezel, has joined this exclusive group of Rolex watches that are less expensive when bought brand new from an authorized dealer—if you can put your hands on one, that is. 

Good catch: the Rolex 116610LV.

The Submariner Date LV is one of the hottest watches on the market today, with a full retail price currently listed at $9,050. But due to scarcity, they have recently shot up in value on both the grey and used market, from $8,000 just six months ago to well North of $10,000, a few standing at $12,000. 

Dialing up demand for one of the hottest watches on the market today.

Though sales figures in the used market are hard to come by, price listings are a good indication of where the market for Hulks is trending. 

On watchrecon.com, which aggregates for-sale listings from most watch forums, the Submariner Hulk easily reaches five figures. A listing that advertised a Hulk for $10,900 last week, for example, is now closed because the watch has sold. (Though we don't know the final sale price, a deal reached in just six days is a good indication it sold for close to the asking price.) 

I used to own a Rolex Submariner LV, which I had bought brand new at an AD on St Patrick's Day 2017 (my watch, below). I fell in love with the watch—like many—and wanted my name on the warranty card with the date showing 03/17/17. I sold it a few months later, but I enjoyed my time with it and would still recommend the watch.

It's unclear why almost no authorized dealer has the green Submariner in stock today and why very few dealers have any sports stainless-steel Rolex left. One theory is that demand for Rolex watches has surged in the past year, outpacing supply.

Another theory is that Rolex is about to upgrade its line of Submariners with new movements, similar to the new Sea-Dweller's 3235, which has a 70-hour power reserve and is anti-magnetic. But the new Submariners may not hit your local AD until next May.

So, what is a Rolex prospective buyer to do during the holiday season? One option: turn to the police. 

Yesterday, a police department in New Jersey auctioned off a Rolex Submariner Hulk, as well as a new-reference, two-tone Submariner. They were seized during a narcotics operation, according to the police, along with a Rolex Yacht-Master 116822. The watches were part of the contraband. (Every Rolex tells a story!)

While the bids for the two-tone Submariner and the Yacht-Master closed below retail price, at $8,000 and $7,000, respectively, the Submariner Hulk managed to reach $9,500 after no fewer than 27 bids. The terms of the auction require the winner to go to the police station to collect the watch. The actual watch auctioned yesterday is pictured below.

The fact that buyers are now willing to pay above retail price at such auctions—for a watch that comes with no Rolex warranty card—is the latest sign of the Hulk craze. Still, the closing bid is one of the lowest prices on the market. And there are no buyer's fees.

So, is it simply watch lovers fighting over a beautiful Rolex, or pre-Baselworld jitters when speculations are flying high? Maybe both. I was always impressed by Rolex as a watchmaker. But every year, I'm more and more impressed by Rolex's marketing genius.

Adieu Johnny: A French Music Legend Dies

Music Legend Dies

Adieu, Johnny!

'French Elvis' Honored 

 By DANNY CRIVELLO

           

In a career that spanned more than six decades, he recorded more than a thousand songs, sold 100 million records and earned more than 60 gold and platinum records. Jean-Philippe Smet, whose stage name is "Johnny Hallyday," was dubbed the "French Elvis" because he is credited for bringing rock 'n' roll to France. He passed away last week from lung cancer at the age of 74. And France is mourning.

Fats Domino, left, Johnny Hallyday and Sugar Ray Robinson

Johnny was also a lover of watches (top picture, with a Cartier Tank) and a Rolex wearer. He wore a two-tone Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date in the 1980s (next two pictures). Later in life, he owned a Rolex Daytona black dial 116520 (last picture). 

I grew up in France listening to his music. For me, he was more of a French Johnny Cash mixed with Bruce Springsteen — a combination of raw masculinity, rebellion and hard work — and I shed tears when I learned of his passing a week ago. His funeral brought 800,000 French to the Champs Elysées Saturday. This weekend the Eiffel Tower was lit with letters that said, "MERCI, JOHNNY." And French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech.

He was married four times and had a four-year relationship with Nathalie Baye, above, a French actress who played in "Catch Me If You Can." Below, Johnny wearing a Daytona.

Finally, I love this video of him with Sammy Davis Jr. 

Festive Finland 100 Submariner

Festive Finland 100 Submariner

Jouni is a reader of Jake's Rolex World and he recently wrote in from Finland and said:

Hi Jake,

Hope you've had a good year.

Got my five-digit Submariner back from service about four days ago so decided to finally snap some photos of it - because of the time of the year that it is, and it being Rolex's official color I used a green Christmas ornament as the "backdrop" for the watch.

I also thought it was very fitting to have my blue-dial Submariner back right on time for the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence - so this is also a bit of a tribute to my homeland; some Green for the festive season and Rolex, some Blue & White for Finland.

I'm not a professional photographer but you can use the photos on your site if you wish - I noticed there aren't too many shots of the blue-dial 16613 in there so maybe they'd be a nice change for all the shots of the more modern Rolex watches. No need to use all of them but maybe you can sneak in a photo or two to give an "old" 16613 (and Finland) some love.

Also added a couple lume-shots.

Take care,
Jouni

Never Before Seen Photos of Fidel Castro & Che Guevara

...Rolex Revolutionaries...

Never Before Seen Photos of

Fidel Castro &  Che Guevara

One of my favorite things is when a reader sends in cool historical Rolex photos. In this case, Erik sent in the images below with this nice email message: 

Dear Jake

My name is Erik Twiest, and I am a longtime collector of original photos/documents of the Cuban revolution, in particular, Fidel and Che. I' am not a Rolex collector, but your story in the online magazine was very interesting. 

I went through my collection to see if I could find a Rolex in the photos and I found 2 interesting early photos which as far as I know are never published. 

Please see attachments; 

1) Fidel in 1959 with 2 Rolex watches in Cuba, photo was taken by Korda (famous for the Che Guevara portrait). The photo is original and never published, and "forbidden" in Cuba over the years, I didn't see any similar example from Korda in books.

2) Che playing chess, probably at one of the first Capablanca Tournaments in Havana 1961/63, which he organized after the revolution. 

Regards Erik. 

The Return Of Jake's Rolex World Podcast

The Return Of 
Jake's Rolex World Podcast
I am happy to announce that Jake's Rolex World Podcast is back! Ironically, the last time Jake's Rolex World Podcast was published was back in December of 2008, which was 9 years ago! In this podcast, Danny and I talk about several stories, as well as the new Paul Newman Daytona combination I recently discovered. If you are not familiar with the podcasts I did in the past you can check them out on iTunes.

Show Notes
New Daytona Found: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/12/another-paul-newman-daytona.html

The Corporal's Watch: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/12/rolex-history-corporals-watch.html

Hans Wilsdorf Video Interview: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/hans-wilsdorf-founder-of-rolex-only.html

Logan Paul Rolex: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/logan-paul-first-rolex.html

Ayo & Teo Rolex: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/search/label/Ayo%20%26%20Teo

SEAL-Dweller: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/seal-dweller-tyrone-woods-story.html

1966 Playboy Rolex ad: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/1966-playboy-magazine-rolex-ad.html

FBI Director Rolex: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/christopher-wray-fbi-director.html

Madison Blank GQ Magazine Fashion Assistant

...Rolex Hotness...

Madison Blank 

GQ Magazine Fashion Assistant

Wrist Shot Of The Day

Jay-Z Rolex Life...

Winner of 21 Grammy Awards

...Rolex Coolness... 


Jay-Z

A Brilliant Career Wearing Rolex 

The 60th Grammy Awards list of nominees was released this week, and Jay-Z, an American entrepreneur and hip/hop rapper, is again a top contender. Jay-Z has sold over 50 million albums so far and has already won 21 Grammy Awards. The nomination this week gets him eight nods for the album “4:44,” which mixed dark personal confessions with meditations about race. According to Forbes Magazine, Jay-Z is estimated having a net worth of around $810 million dollars and he is one of the owners of the NBA New Jersey Nets. He recently sat down with Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times, for this interesting interview, and notice he is wearing his platinum Rolex Day-Date.

In the photo below we see Jay-Z wearing his trademark platinum Rolex Day-Date in 1997 on the cover of his album named "In My Lifetime."

Jay-Z is married to the ultra-talented, and ultra-gorgeous Beyonce Knowles and you see them together below, and notice Jay Z is wearing a new stainless steel Rolex Daytona with a ceramic bezel.

Jay-Z is pictured below with his daughter, and notice he is wearing a Rolex Sky-Dweller.

The photo below shows Jay Z holding his son, while he is wearing his stainless steel Rolex Daytona, with a ceramic bezel.

Forever Young 
Beyonce and Jay-Z

Platinum Rolex Day-Date II
In this next video, we see Jay-Z being interviewed on The Daily Show wearing his all-new Platinum Rolex Day-Date II.


In this recent interview (below) we see Jay-Z wearing a different yellow gold Rolex Day-Date II.


The video below is a fascinating CNN interview with Jay Z from 2011.

This next image is very interesting. It shows Jay Z wearing his yellow gold Rolex Sky-Dweller with the biggest gold necklace and bracelet I have ever seen in my life...It's interesting how his watch kinda matches his gold chain and bracelet...

The video below is absolutely fascinating as it features Jay Z and Warren Buffett being interviewed by Stephen Forbes. One interesting thing Warren Buffett and Jay Z have in common is they both wear Rolex Day-Date models.

Watch Spotting at the Davis Cup

Watch Spotting 

at the Davis Cup

 By DANNY CRIVELLO           

France on Sunday won its 10th Davis Cup after a suspenseful 3-to-2 victory over Belgium in the yearly international team tournament in tennis. I was in France during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and could feel the excitement first hand. Bars and bistros, which usually have soccer games on the television, now were tuned to the Davis Cup.

While most were following the small yellow ball, I noticed that French players waiting on the bench were wearing Rolex watches. As a tennis fan who grew up in France when Yannick Noah won Roland Garros, I was happy to see him as the captain of the team... wearing a Daytona!

I still play today, and I love Rolex also because it's a leader in tennis sponsorship, a tie-in that will mark its 40th anniversary next year. 

Not only the Rolex brand graces the tennis courts during Wimbledon, the Australia Open, Shanghai Masters, Monte Carlo Masters, the Laver Cup, the NITTO ATP Finals and Indian Wells. But a Rolex timepiece also graces the wrists of the best tennis athletes like Roger Federer or, below, French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who sports a 41-mm Datejust at the Davis Cup Sunday.

But the real hero is Lucas Pouille who sealed the victory for France in a three-set match against Belgian Steve Darcis. After a 16-year Davis Cup title drought, France is finally bringing the Davis Cup home! Like his team captain, he wears the very cool, very masculine Rolex Daytona.

Lucas Pouille is not a Rolex brand ambassador like Roger Federer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but his white dial, ceramic Daytona never left his wrist during the tournament. 

Hans Wilsdorf, Founder Of Rolex: The Only Known Film Interview

Hans Wilsdorf

Founder Of Rolex

The Only Known Film Interview

Ten years ago, when I started publishing Jake's Rolex World, I wanted to learn everything I could about Rolex's founder, Hans Wilsdorf. The challenge was that history seemed to have forgotten him, which made no sense to me. There was only one photo of him that had ever been published, and that drove me crazy! I thought this was blasphemous, and began my eventful exploration to try to learn all I could about his amazing career, and to share it with you, my readers. This resulted in my publishing "The Complete History Of Rolex Leadership: Part 1: The Hans Wilsdorf Years."

The subtitle for my story was "Ghost In The Machine", as every Rolex ever made has a significant amount of Hans Wilsdorf's DNA inside it, yet he seemed to never have existed. Today, I am so excited to share the above video with you, which is the only video I know of that shows Hans Wildorf speaking. The video is in French, but you get a tremendous sense his personal disposition and manner of speech. Enjoy!!! The video was shot on September 19, 1959, and Hans Wilsdorf passed away less than a year later on July 6, 1960.
The context of this features Hans Wilsdorf speaking French, at the Rath Museum in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was attending a Watch & Jewelry exhibition. This occurred just after Rolex was crowned the winner of The Geneva Grad Prix. To add further context, Hans Wilsdorf had introduced the Submariner for sale in 1954, as well as the GMT-Master in 1955. In 1955 Rolex also introduced the Day-Date. So at this time, Rolex and Hans Wilsdorf had already laid the foundation for the Rolex of today!
In this video, Hans Wilsdorf talks about his early years, and the contributions he made to the horological world to popularize the wristwatch. Special thanks to Jose for interpreting this video from French to English!:


Translation Transcript September 19, 1959

We are here at the Rath Museum in Geneva, at the Watches & Jewelry exhibition to be precise and our objective today is to present the laureate of the Geneva award.
We have Mr. Hans Wilsdorf at our microphone and in front of our camera. He is the director of a big watch company who received the award. Sir, you have been here in Geneva for a very long period of time if I’m not mistaken.
Hans Wilsdorf: For 40 years. I came to Geneva after the first war in 1919, with some absences due to trips I made around the entire world. I've traveled a total of three times around the globe, to every nation in the world. I know a little bit something about all people and their taste. This helped me not only to understand the needs to make watches which… (Interrupts Mr. Wilsdorf) I see. Your watch is a wristwatch and I believe we can say that you helped diffuse the wristwatch.
Well, I entered the watch business as a young man at 19 years of age, in the year 1900, which was 60 years ago when wristwatches didn’t exist. People didn’t wear watches on their arms. Women wore pendant watches, especially enamel watches or watches with diamond settings, attached to chains worn around the neck. Wristwatches for women or men didn’t exist at all. Men wore pocket watches which went from father to son and son to grandson and the opportunity for the watch industry to grow was extremely limited as sales were very slow. As a young man, I understood my future would be very difficult in order to obtain results in an industry that had little chance to make lots of money. Watches were cheap and the quality was not very good, especially since there was no factory able to produce small watches with lever escapements which were necessary for wearing them on the arm…
(Interrupts Mr. Wilsdorf) And you are especially proud that a wristwatch won the award, I think that you consider this a little bit like the peak of your career.
Hans Wilsdorf: It’s the peak of my career as I foresaw the total development of the wristwatch for the Swiss watch industry. Of course, we still produce some pocket watches but the biggest business is wristwatches and here and I can say I was one of the initiators in the whole watch industry...
(Interrupts Mr. Wilsdorf) One of the pioneers…
Hans Wilsdorf: One of the pioneers, as I was not only the first to understand the potential of the wristwatch but I also made personal efforts which contributed largely to the development of the industry... (Interrupts Mr. Wilsdorf) Thank you very much, Mr. Wilsdorf…