Rolex Explorer II

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Rolex Explorer II

2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
75th Anniversary
Rolex just came out with a bunch of great new videos celebrating the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race which are fascinating.

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King Kong Rolex Christmas

King Kong

Christmas Poster

Jeff Bridges 

Rolex Submariner

1976

On May 27, 1977, the original Star Wars was released and it completely changed the game for Science Fiction movies. Today, we have the latest Star Wars movie in theaters named 'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' which marks the end of the original Star Wars Saga. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but I heard it is pretty good.


The Christmas before the original Star Wars movie debuted, The remake of King Kong was in movie theaters across the world, and was a huge hit. Below we see the original 1976 King Kong Christmas Launch poster, which starred Jeff Bridges wearing his stainless steel Rolex Submariner which is fascinating.







Speaking of Jeff Bridges wearing his Rolex Submariner in a 1976 movie...Day before yesterday, I ran a story on Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing his yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master, and in the photo below we seem both Jeff and Arnold together, back in the day...staring together in the 1976 movie titled, "Stay Hungry." Talk about two super-iconic Hollywood actors...

In these next two image from the classic 1984 movie "Against All Odds", we see Jeff Bridges wearing his Rolex Submariner and in the second photo we see him driving a Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

The Dude Abides

Speaking of iconic, in the photo below we see Jeff Bridges playing "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski...

Have A Groovy COMEX Christmas...

Have A Groovy COMEX Christmas

And A Very Happy New Year

Founder Of COMEX, Henri-Germain Delauze [1970]

The COMEX Christmas Card seen below was sent out in 1979. You can learn a great deal about the special relationship between ROLEX and COMEX by clicking here.

Founder Of COMEX, Henri-Germain Delauze [2008]

Rolex Hologram Photo Of The Day: Christmas Colors

Rolex Hologram Photo Of The Day

Christmas Colors

Ralph took these amazing photos of the Rolex Hologram sticker on the back of his Rolex which reminds me of Christmas Tree lights...

Eddie Murphy Returns to Saturday Night Live

Eddie Murphy 

In his opening monologue of SNL Eddie Murphy was rocking his bejeweled Rolex Day-Date Masterpiece  and as we see below Chris Rock came out to greet him on-stage.

Dave Chappelle also came out onstage and he was sporting a stainless steel Rolex Daytona with a ceramic bezel. 

Returns to Saturday Night Live Tonight

After 35 Years 

Later this evening, Eddie Murphy will be returning to host Saturday Night Live after having first joined SNL 40 years ago. In these 3 videos snippets of Eddie Murphy on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon we hear from Eddie about all the exiting projects he is working on including his upcoming sequel to "Coming To America" with Arsenio Hall, as well as his current movie which is in theaters now. Also, notice Eddie is rocking his blinged-out Rolex Day-Date Masterpiece...

Season's Greetings from Hans Wilsdorf, Founder Of Rolex

Season's Greetings

Hans Wilsdorf

Founder Of Rolex

Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. He built a world-wide wrist watch empire that is stronger and healthier today than ever. I have been utterly fascinated with learning everything I could about his life and times which I have shared with my readers over the past dozen years. I wanted to learn what made Hans Wilsdorf tick, as it offers clues into what makes Rolex tick. 

In the image above I am trying to figure out who the men are in the photo behind Hans Wilsdorf. The bald man on the left would is future Rolex CEO André-Jean Heiniger. I think the man on the far left is one of Hans Wilsdorf's nephews. I assume the men on the far right are Rolex executives.

The image above of Hans Wilsdorf appears courtesy of Joël Laplace who is a vintage watch lover that lives in Geneva, Switzerland. Joël published the image on his Jojolamontre Instagram page, which is filled with very interesting vintage watch history images.

The Season's Greetings message above from Hans Wilsdorf was originally published in 1948 and appears as part of my story titled "The Vintage Rolex Christmas Ads & Black Tie Guide." Hans Wilsdorf message is as apropos and on-point today as it was when first published 71 Christmases ago in 1948. Rolex has always been a chic brand for women as we see below in the vintage 1931 Rolex Ad.

The next Rolex ad was originally published in 1968 and features a beautiful woman wearing Pucci.

In this last image we see the gorgeous Skier and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Lindsey Vonn rocking her Submariner from a few Christmases ago. You can learn much more about The Rolex Woman and How Women Began Wearing Men's Rolex Watches on Jake's Rolex World.

To all my readers located all over planet earth, I wish you a very Merry Christmas,  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!

Fred Haise: Third NASA Apollo 13 Astronaut Discovered Wearing Rolex

Fred Haise

Third NASA Apollo 13 Astronaut

Discovered Wearing Rolex Datejust 

For the past dozen years I have been publishing stories about many previously undocumented NASA Astronauts who wore Rolex watches. When I first started Jake's Rolex World nobody knew that many, many of the NASA Apollo Astronauts wore Rolex watches personally and professionally. Over the years, I have continued to discover and share more NASA Astronauts wearing Rolex and today we can add another Apollo Astronaut to that list! 

Philip from Moon Watch Universe recently made this discovery which confirms that Fred Haise who was a member of the Apollo 13 Moon Mission wore a yellow gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual as seen in the photo above and below.

This story is fascinating as I previously documented that all Apollo 14 NASA Astronauts also wore Rolex watches. I first documented Apollo 13 mission member, Jack Swigert wore his Rolex GMT-Master to the moon and back. 


Below is a fascinating list of NASA Astronauts, Test Pilots and Flight Directors I have discovered and documented wearing Rolex watches over the dozen decade:
Chuck Yeager of Edwards Air Force Base was first to break sound barrier in 1947 while wearing a Rolex Perpetual Oyster.
William Knight of Edwards Air Force Base Fastest manned flight of Mach 6.7 (4,250 Miles Per Hour ins X-15 which is nearly 7 times the speed of sound) in 1967. John Glenn of Mercury 7. Wore a Pepsi and a yellow Gold Rolex GMT-Master.
Scott Carpenter of Mercury 7.
Walter Schirra of Mercury 8, Gemini 6A & Apollo 7. Wore a Pepsi GMT-Master.
Frank Borman of Gemini 7 and Apollo 8. Wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual.
Pete Conrad of Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2.
Richard Gordon Jr. of Gemini 11 and Apollo 12.
Jack Swigert of Apollo 13 (Wore his Pepsi GMT-Master to Moon).
James Lovell was a U.S. Navy Test Pilot and went onto NASA to participate in Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 & Apollo 13.
Stuart Roosa of Apollo 14 (Wore Pepsi GMT-Master to Moon).
Dr. Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14 (Wore Pepsi GMT-Master to Moon).
Alan Shepard of Mercury 3 & Apollo 14 (Worn A Pepsi-GMT Master on Cape Canaveral & Possibly To The Moon).
Ronald Evans of Apollo 17 (Wore a Pepsi GMT-Master to Moon).
Eugene Cernan of Gemini 9A, Apollo 10 & Apollo 17 (Wore a Pepsi GMT-Master Outside Space Suit and Possibly To The Moon).
Lloyd Blaine Hammond of 1991 Space Shuttle. Discovery Mission STS-39, and 1994 Space Shuttle Discover STS-94.
Dr. Leroy Chaio (Wore Pepsi GMT-Master on 3 Space Shuttle Missions and while Commander of the International Space Station Expedition 10).
Christopher Kraft founding NASA flight director.
Michael Collins of Apollo 11 wore a Rolex Turn-O-Graph, as well as a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.
Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 wore a Rolex SEA-DWELLER.
Fred Haise of Apollo 13 as seen in this story wearing a yellow gold Rolex Datejust.
Albert Scott Crossfield who was an X-15 NASA spaceplane test pilot.
Philip from Moonwatch Universe also discovered the following Astronauts wore Rolex: Scott Altman, Sonny Carter, Michael McCulley, and Drafyyd Williams (Canada).

In the photo below we see James Lovell during the Apollo 8 mission on the far right wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master which he still wears to this day. James Lovell is pictured above on the far left, as he was part of the Apollo 13 prime crew.




In the photo below we see Apollo 13 Astronaut, Jack Swigert rocking his Pepsi GMT-Master, just before he left earth for the moon.

In the photo below we see Jack Swigert after he returned from his harrowing Apollo 13 Mission and notice he has replaced his Pepsi GMT-Master with a yellow gold 'Mocha' GMT-Master...

One More Thing

Are there more undocumented NASA Astronauts who wore Rolex watches? Yes, and in the future I will be publishing more stories like this :-)

Phillips Auction Reflections: Marlon Brando & Jack Nicklaus...

Phillips Auction Reflections

Marlon Brando

& 

Jack Nicklaus

I have to say that when the Phillips 'Game Changers' auction was over, I was exhausted from working so hard on my Rolex History background stories on Marlon Brando and Jack Nicklaus. 

Also, I watched the live auction feed here on RolexMagazine.com seen in the previous story. The auction was fascinating, and pretty long. Special thanks to Phillips Auction house for giving my readers live access to the history making auction. If you haven't seen the 'Game Changers' auction you can watch a complete replay of it in my previous story.

Phillips auctioned Marlon Brando's 'Apocalypse Now' GMT-Master for $1,952.000 which is a world auction record for a GMT-Master at auction. 

Marlon Brando GMT-Master Auction photo appears courtesy of Arthur Touchot

Phillips also auction Jack Nicklaus' legendary Day-Date for $1,220.000, which also set a world-record for auction price for the Day-Date. 

Jack Nicklaus Auction photo appears courtesy of Arthur Touchot

These prices included the typical buyers premium auction houses typically charge, but in the case of both these watches, as with the Phillips auction of Paul Newman's iconic Daytona, Phillips donated 100% of their auction proceeds to the charities that the watch proceeds went to.

In the case of Paul Newman's Daytona, the vast majority of the $17.8 Million went to the Nell Newman Foundation, and in the case of Jack Nicklaus auction, 100% of the proceeds went to The Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, and with Marlon Brando's GMT, a significant portion of the proceeds went to the Brando Fischer Foundation, which was set up by Marlon Brando's daughter to continue her father's legacy of helping disadvantaged children.

In my personal opinion, I find it to be heartwarming that all these funds are going to great causes :-) Also, in my usual fashion, I dove unusually deep into exploring the life and times of Marlon Brando. Whenever I complete these super-detailed stories, it feels like I get so close to the history, that I lived through many of the moments and experiences myself. In other words, I have argued for years that when you immerse yourself this deeply in the history, it not only feels like you lived through it, but you became part of it. Marlon Brando's life was full of the highest highs and lowest lows, but after all is said and done, he left behind an incredible legacy!

Edmond from Le Monde Edmond wrote a superb article regarding the results of the article which I highly recommend named Auction Review: How Coolness Beat History. 

Also, Barron's published an excellent article regarding the Phillips Auction. In the Barrons article which I highly recommend reading, Paul Boutros made a fascinating point regarding the relationship between the fame of the Rolex watch wearer and the market value of the actual Rolex model:

While the Brando didn’t reach the eight-figure level of the Paul Newman Rolex, Boutros underscores how outstanding the result is, considering the sales price compared to the market value of a similar model without the celebrity provenance. 

“We like to see multiples in the results when there’s great provenance behind the watches,” Boutros says. “If you look at the multiple achieved compared to the market price for this Ref. 1675 without a bezel or bracelet, the retail price would be about $15,000. With a result of $1,952,000, the multiple is 130 times.”


He adds that the Brando multiple figure is even higher than the Paul Newman Daytona. At the time it sold, the market price for a non-celebrity Paul Newman Daytona was about $150,000. So, when it sold for $17.8 million, the multiple was about 118 times. “That’s how we view success,” he adds. “It shows the power of Marlon Brando and the power of the Rolex brand when tied to a famous celebrity like this.”

Watch Phillips "Game Changers" Auction Live Tuesday, December 10, 2019 LIVE BROADCAST HERE ON JAKE'S ROLEX WORLD

GAME CHANGERS!!!

Live Auction Coverage

from New York City

WATCH IT AGAIN ON JAKE'S ROLEX WORLD!!!

Rolex history was made tonight in New York and you can rewatch the auction below. Among other amazing things, we saw Marlon Brando's 'Apocalypse Now' GMT-Master for for $1,975,000 with a buyers premium, as well as Jack Nicklaus' Day-Date which sold for $1,200,000 including buyers premium. 

Cammeron Barr from Craft & Tailored 

Live Auction Blog

6:50 PM: Marlon Brando's 'Apocalypse Now' GMT goes for $1.6 Million...With a sellers premium that works out to $1,952,000. I think the consensus is that people were surprised that it did not go for more...

6:01 PM: Jack Nicklaus' Rolex Day-Date sells for $1Million, which is $1.22 Million including the buyers premium.

5:01 PM: Everybody getting seated...

4:47 PM: Entering Game Changers Auction Gallery

4:43 PM: Getting Seated and ready for auction to start

4:40 PM: Checking in to @Phillips Game Changers Auction!!!

The live auction began at 5PM EST Today...

Luck Be A Lady—Tonight!!! 

Marlon Brando in 'Guys and Dolls' wearing his Rolex Oyster Bubble Back in 1955

Craft & Tailored 

Live Auction Coverage

from New York City

So not only will we have a live video feed later today from the @Phillips 'Game Changers' Auction, but Cammeron Barr from Craft & Tailored will be live blogging coverage later today direct from the bidding gallery (right here) live on Jake's Rolex World as well!

Last night in New York City @Phillips Auction house hosted a fascinating event featuring Jack Nicklaus and Marlon Brando's daughter, Petra which you can watch below:

Marlon Brando v. Paul Newman

The number one question everybody keeps asking me is how Marlon Brando's watch will do at Auction v. Paul Newman's? It's hard to say, as both of them were super-iconic, super-cool actors as well as civil rights activists, and philanthropists...Time will tell...

Jack Nicklaus 1967 Rolex Day-Date Coming to Phillips Auction

Jack Nicklaus

1967 Rolex Day-Date 

Coming to Phillips Auction

We have been looking quite a bit at Marlon Brando's GMT Master he wore in Apocalypse Now which is coming to auction in several days on December 10, 2019 @ Phillips Auction House in New York. Another amazing historical Rolex will also be up for auction, and that is one that has been worn by Golf Legend, Jack Nicklaus for more than a 50 years! 

100% of the Auction proceeds from Jack's Rolex Day-Date will be donated to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation at The Bear's Club in Florida.

Jack Nicklaus is pictured below a half-century ago in 1970 wearing the very same Rolex Day-Date as he poses with his World Series of Golf Trophy.

47 Years ago, the first time the U.S. Open was played at Pebble Beach, Jack Nicklaus upstaged his rivals, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer to won the 1972 U.S. Open. This years U.S. Open is unusual as Jack Nicklaus' Rolex Day-Date has been making the rounds. The fascinating back story is that Rolex, under the leadership of André Heiniger gave Jack Nicklaus a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date in 1967. The photo below is the oldest photo of Jack wearing his Day-Date I have been able to find and it was taken in 1968.

In the photo below we see Jack Nicklaus on the far right, next to fellow Rolex Ambassador, Gary Player. On the far left are gold legends, Gene Sarazen, and Ben Hogan. These men represent four of the five men who have won the elete career Grand Slams, along with Tiger Woods. 

Jack Nicklaus

Winning The 1972 U.S. Open Golf Tournament

Pebble Beach, California

Rolex Day-Date

Jack Nicklaus is pictured below with Tiger Woods at the 2012 ATT National Tournament where Tiger passed Jack to the 2nd Place on Career List with his 74th victory.


Jack Nicklaus has been wearing his same Day-Date for 52 years straight and he recently decided to put it up for auction with Phillips Auction House, the benefits of which will all go to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation (@anchcf). Jack's watch can be viewed in-person by contacting @pboutros on Instagram.

Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995

Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus

Two Golf Legends

Jack Nicklaus was the second Rolex Golf Ambassador appointed just after fellow legendary golfer Arnold Palmer and along with Gary Player make up Golfs Big 3.

The photo above of Jack Nicklaus was taken in 1972 and the one below was taken recently.