Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Paul Newman Watching The 1977 Indianapolis 500



...Rolex Super-Coolness...


Paul Newman

Watching The 1977 Indianapolis 500

Exotic Dial Stainless Steel Rolex Daytona 

Rolex is one of the most iconic brands in the world, and when it comes to Rolex icons, there are icons, and there is Paul Newman—who exists in a class all by himself. Paul Newman wore a Rolex better than any other human being in history. The only person who can even come close to Paul Newman in the Rolex-Coolness category might be Steve McQueen.

Forty years ago, during Memorial Day weekend, Paul Newman attended and watched the Indianapolis 500, as we see him in the photo below, and watched fellow racing legend, A.J. Foyt race into the history books.  If you look closely, you will notice Paul Newman is wearing his exotic white dial Daytona on a custom alligator FatStrap.


So let's hop in the Rolex Time-Machine and go back to May 29, 1977 to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana by checking out the video below.  The 1977 Indianapolis 500 was covered by The ABC Wide World of Sports by Jim McKay, and if you watch the live coverage below, at 3:15 racing legend and Rolex Ambassador and racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart enters the video to begin offering his commentary. At 47:45 you get a clear shot of Sir Jackie Stewart sporting his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. Sir Jackie Stewart had just retired from his racing career just the year before in 1973. 



A. J. Foyt won his fourth Indianapolis 500 Race in 1977, and below we see A. J. Foyt wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date in a Rolex Magazine ad from 1974.


Jackie Stewart was a beloved sports commentator during the 1970s on ABC's Wide World Of Sport and we see him below at the the Monaco Grand Prix, giving Argentinian Formula 1 racing legend, Carlos Alberto Reutemann a Rolex GMT Master wrist watch. American's loved his Scottish accent and colorful personality as a sports commentator.


Paul Newman and Sir Jackie Stewart are pictured below at at the Riverside International Raceway.


Tuesday, May 30, 2017

David Beckham Becomes Tudor Brand Ambassador



...Tudor Coolness...

David Beckham

Tudor Brand Ambassador



Tudor is a brand owned by Rolex, and they just announced legendary Soccer super-star, David Beckham has come on-board as an official Tudor brand ambassador and appears as part of their #BornToDare campaign. David Beckham said: 

"I was attracted to Tudor by the attention to detail I could see in their watches. I then learned about the history of the brand. One of adventure, pioneer diving and daring expeditions. I was instantly hooked". —David Beckham

David Beckham wearing Two-Tone Tudor Black Bay 



As I previously mentioned, Tudor is owned by Rolex, and Tudor offers watches that typically offer a very cool vintage-style tool watch look, coupled with a pricing structure that makes them much less expensive than their sibling Rolex watches. As an example, the 41MM Tudor Heritage Black Bay S&G model David Beckham is wearing in the photo above, which is also pictured below, retails for $4,975. Compare this with a standard Stainless Steel & Gold Rolex Submariner, which retails for $13,400, and you get the idea. This is arguably a brilliant marketing move by Rolex to offer much less expensive gateway watches that incorporate a great deal of very cool Rolex DNA. 




David Beckham, whose nickname is "DB7", is considered to be one of the greatest soccer players of all time. As a result of his career achievements he has become internationally recognizable icon. David is also considered by many to be a modern fashion & style icon. This is largely based upon his good looks and blend of classic cool style with his modern twist. As a soccer player he could curl three kicks like no other, so much so his free kicking style became his trademark. He was also the first major footballer (soccer player) that came to the United States to play.



I recently wrote extensively about UNICEF Ambassador, Roger Moore, an it is interesting that David Beckham is also a successful UNICEF Ambassador, and in the video below, you can watch a fascinating interview with where David discusses his UNICEF Fund.


David Beckham is pictured below with Soccer legend Pele who is wearing his trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.


As I just mentioned, David Beckham has been a long-time Rolex fanatic, and has worn many different Rolex models, so I though it would make sense to take a look back at many of the different Rolex models he has worn in the past. This first set of photos of David Beckham are from early 2012, and show David at an LA Galaxy press conference wearing a vintage Rolex Datejust.


Yellow Gold Datejust models are so rare to see, I almost mistook it for a Day-Date! David Beckham is married to Victoria Beckham who is also a huge Rolex fan.



David Beckham has alway been an unusually hard-working man. He was also a trendsetter and style icon, as he was one of the first super-stylish soccer players who paid close attention to his appearance. You could say he was one of the first Metrosexual guys in sports. 






In this next set of photos we see David Beckham back in 2009 wearing his stainless steel Rolex DEEP-SEA SEA-DWELLER.








Victoria Beckham

David Beckham is married to recording superstar Victoria Beckham and they are pictured below at an Los Angeles Lakers Game. Notice they are both wearing Rolex watches. David Beckham is wearing a blacked out Rolex DEEP-SEA and Victoria Beckham is wearing a yellow gold Rolex Daytona.









Victoria Beckham
Posh Spice Girl 

Victoria Beckham began her singing career as a founding member of The Spice Girls and is also a solo artist today. Victoria Beckham is considered to be one of the most stylish women in the fashion world today and she is pictured below wearing a 36mm men's Rolex Day-Date on an Oyster bracelet. Victoria Beckham is also a hardcore Rolex fanatic, and she also wears many different Rolex models.


Victoria Beckham used to manage her husbands career and these days, she is an incredibly successful businesswoman and fashion designer. Her Victoria Beckham brand sells all kinds a clothing and accessories, including eyewear, makeup, handbags and shoes.








Victoria and David Beckham are pictured above leaving a restaurant


Victoria is performing in her solo career in the video below




Victoria & David have four children, and are renowned for being amazingly dedicated parents. Their children are renowned for their social-networking prowess.



A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on




Gordon Ramsay & David Beckham
L.A. Lakers Mini Rolex Superstar GTG & RISitus

This series of photos is so funny!!! Cooking superstar Gordon Ramsay is pictured back in 2010, on the left and soccer superstar David Beckham is pictured on the right–at an L.A. Lakers Game. In the first photo we see Gordon and David, who are both from the United Kingdom, trading Rolex sport watches. It appears they traded to check out each others Rolex watches. David Beckham wears a Rolex DEEP-SEA SEA-DWELLER, and Gordon appears to be wearing a Submariner or SEA-DWELLER.


Just for the record, GTG stands for Watch Get Together, which is when a group of watch enthusiasts get together and talk about each others watches. One of the things that typically occurs at a watch GTG is each person takes off their Rolex and shares it with the other members. 






Around The World with David Beckham


The documentary below offers takes you on a journey around the world to all the continents, with David Beckham.




In all the photos above of David Beckham, he looks so serious, so I thought I would post this image from David Beckham's Instagram account, that shows his softer, family-man side:


A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Rolex Hotness and Coolness: Cher and Gregg Allman...




...Rolex Music Legend...

Gregg Allman

1947-2017

Belongs To The Ages

I just learned a few minutes ago that music legend, Gregg Allman just passed away, which is a bummer. Cher got married to Gregg just three days after her divorce from Sonny Bono became final. At the time, in 1975, Cher was 29 years old, and she married Gregg Allman in Las Vegas, who was 27 at the time. In the photo below we see both Cher and Gregg Allman wearing yellow gold Rolex watches. Gregg Allman arguably represented the leading face and voice of Southern Rock.




Cher just Tweeted this about her loss of Gregg Allman:





Both Cher and Gregg Allman have had unbelievable careers that spanned 5 decades. Cher started her career with her first husband, Sonny Bono and later she married Gregg Allman who is a member of the Allman Brothers and has also had a successful solo career.





Cher and Gregg Allman have both worn Rolex watches though their entire careers. In the this first set of photos below, we see Cher wearing her Rolex Lady Date, and Gregg Allman wearing his stainless steel Rolex Submariner.


Photo above of Cher & Gregg Allman Performing together in Frankfurt, Germany in 1977 appears courtesy of Klaus Hiltscher/Affendaddy


The next three photos in this article were taken by Michael Ochs in Los Angeles, California in 1977. They were taken at a party at Rona Barrett's home.











Cher must dig dudes who wear Rolex GMT's because her first husband Sonny Bono and her second husband Gregg Allman both wore them. Even Cher's daughter/Son Chaz wears one. 


In this recent photo (below) we see Gregg Allman wearing his stainless steel Rolex Submariner while he performs.






Below is video footage of The Allman Brothers Band live at Fillmore East in 1970, which was the concert that put them on the map.

This next video features The Allman Brother's live in 1981, and it is considered to another one of their great performances.


The video concert below is from The Allman Brothers 40th Anniversary performance in 2009.


Below is a video which features Gregg Allman on Late Night with David Letterman, with a special guest, Red Foxx, who joins them, and notice Red Foxx is wearing a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. Ronand Reagan was still the President Of The United States when this originally aired in 1987.



A number of celebrity friends paid their respect and said goodbye to Gregg Allman on Twitter:


Wednesday, May 24, 2017

James Bond Died




James Bond Died



Yesterday was a sad day as I reported Roger Moore passed away. I must admit, I am really surprised at how many different people are taking it. I just had a close friend send me a text a few minutes ago that simply read, "James Bond Died".


Then two minutes later, they texted again, and simply said, "Roger Moore." I texted them back and sent them a link to my coverage of Roger Moore's passing, which can be in yesterday's story seen below this post.

I spoke with another friend yesterday who said, "I can't believe Roger Moore died? He was such an icon of our childhood." I never really thought about it that way before, but I agree, and I think for everybody who grew up watching Roger Moore play James Bond, this is so true. I kind of feel like when Roger Moore died yesterday, a small part of all of us died along with him.



I remember thinking to myself yesterday, "Wow, that's weird Roger Moore passed away before Sean Connery, since he was obviously the younger of the James Bond actors. He must be younger since he played Bond after Connery. I wonder how much younger he is?" A quick Google search revealed Roger Moore was four years older than Sean Connery!?!?!?!?!? WHAT!?!?? If you look at the photo above of Sir Roger Moore with Sir Sean Connery, Roger looks at least 10 years younger, yet in reality, he was 4 years older than Connery!?!! 





Roger Was The Best Bond 

I have also been noticing since Roger Moore passed away, many people suggest Roger Moore was the best Bond Actor, which I have heard some people say before. It is a fact both Sean Connery and Roger Moore both played James Bond 7 times each. If I recall correctly, Sean Connery played him 8 times, if you include "Never Say Never". In the past I have written extensively about the link between James Bond and Rolex, which you can explore in my 13 part series titled, "The James Bond Rolex Story: The Complete History Of James Bond Watches."

I think some of the reasons people say Roger Moore was the best Bond, is they grew up watching him on the big screen, thus he is their archetype for a real-life 'super man'. From an informal consensus perspective, I think most peoples favorite Bond actor is probably the first one they watched in a movie. Personally, I enjoyed all the James Bond actors, but I was never really crazy about Timothy Dalton.

Another interesting point Roger Moore pointed out, when discussing the success of the James Bond franchise, is that peoples enjoyment of Bond, is similar to children watching their favorite same cartoons over and over again. Same with repetitive James Bond movies. The Star Wars franchise has become the same way...at the end of the day, deep down inside, these franchises likely appeal to our inner child...




Bonding Over Bond

I remember a story my uncle Chris once told me about how his father took him to the movies to see the first James Bond movie, Dr. No in 1962, when my uncle was 12 years old. I remember seeing Star Wars when I was 10 years old, and I remember how strong of a impact it had on my imagination, as I was old enough to understand what was going on, but young enough to suspend any disbelief. This combination was amazing, and had a very strong positive impact on my imagination. 

I also remember the first James Bond movie, I saw in the movie theater, which was The Spy Who Loved Me, when I was 13. I also remember seeing Moonraker in theaters in 1979. I remember wanting to be like Jame Bond...I am pretty sure I also remember seeing Live & Let Die in movie theaters, because I distinctively remember the highly iconic Rolex Submariner with the spinning sharp bezel that helped Bond escape.





Back to the story about my uncle Chris and his father. They watched Dr. No as part of a double feature at the Grenada Theater on a Wednesday evening in 1962, and Chris' father said: "Son, this movie you are about to watch is about how an ideal man should be!" Essentially, my uncle bonded with his father over watching Dr. No and discussing the details after the movie, about how cool Sean Connery's James Bond character was. 

If you think about the James Bond characters over the years, they really are kind of like a real life archetypical Superman in the sense they are hyper-competent. In other words, they are always extremely super-smart, successful, handsome, cultured, well groomed, and dressed, and bad guys always try to kill them, but instead James Bond ends up killing the bad guys. James Bond also always ends up getting all the beautiful women around him. James Bond is the ultimate Alpha male.

In the final analysis though, it really all boils down to competence. In other words, James Bond really is the ideal man, in the sense he is simple a model for the ideal hyper-competent man that all men are hardwired to appreciate, respect and aspire to deep down inside. The thing about Superman, is he is not supposed to die, is he? Methinks that is why there has been such a strong emotional response to James Bond Roger Moore dying. It turns out, he was a super man, who was real, and was not immortal. 

I don't think I ever watched the entire cult-classic movie named "Trainspotting", but I think I remember a scene where two of the characters are high, and they are watching Sean Connery in a James Bond film, and one turns to the other and one says with a really thick Scottish accent, "That Sean Connery—he's a masculine actor!!!!" I could't find the clip, but this one featuring Ewan McGregor also references Sean Connery in a funny way. I think that part of the storyline in Trainspotting was that they were obsessed with Sean Connery, thus the reference to the movie "Untouchables", which Sean Connery starred in. My curiosity is getting the best of me, so I am going to have to watch Trainspotting in the future:


It's kinda funny (as T. Walker Lloyd would say), they mention Georgie Best in the beginning of the Trainspotting movie clip above, who once famously said:

"I spend a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered." 

George Best, incase you are not familiar, was a professional footballer (soccer) who played as winger for Manchester United. Georgie was a really funny dude, known for his witty quips. He also famously once said, 

"In 1969 I have up women and alcohol—it was the worst 20 minutes of my life." 

He also said:

"I've stopped drinking, but only while I am asleep.', as well as: "I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World."

Back to Bond: My point is Roger Moore, was really kind of the opposite of Sean Connery in many ways. Sean was a masculine actor, and Roger was a beautiful man, as we see in the photo below from the 1974 James Bond  movie, The Man With The Golden Gun, which showcases Swedish beauty, Britt Ekland. Britt Ekland Tweeted the following on Roger Moore's passing yesterday:





"I Will Miss Him"

-Sir Sean Connery 

Sir Sean Connery paid tribute to fellow James Bond actor, Roger Moore and said:

"I was very sad to hear of Roger's passing. We had a an unusually long relationship by Hollywood standards, that was filled with jokes and laughter. I will miss him."

Pierce Brosnan, who also played 007 paid tribute to the Roger Moore on Facebook when he wrote:


Fellow James Bond actor, Timothy Dalton tweeted the following:


Daniel Craig, posted the following tweet on twitter, in which he simply and elegantly said, "Nobody Does It Better — Daniel"



Last but not least, fellow James Bond Actor, George Lazenby said:

"I liked Roger, he was an genuine fellow, a really good guy."



On a side note, I have an interesting Rolex history corollary to share with you. The James Bond Movie Franchise began in London in 1962, when Sean Connery starred as Bond in Dr. No. Since then, there have only been 6 men in total to play James Bond. Rolex was founded in London in 1905, and since then, there have only been 6 men in total who ran Rolex.