Sunday, July 28, 2019

Rolex Super-Coolness: Tenzing Norgay


...Rolex Super-Coolness...


Tenzing Norgay


Mountain Climbing Legend

Conquerer of Mount Everest




Back in 2009 I wrote an 8 part series named, "The Complete History of Rolex Conquering Mount Everest, and in that series I documented how both Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary might have worn Rolex watches when they were the first humans to successfully climb to the top of Mount Everest in 1953. The photo below of Tenzing Norgay was taken on October 31, 1957 wearing a Rolex on an Oyster Bracelet.



The super iconic photo below taken by the Royal Geographic Society shows Tenzing Norgay with Sir Edmund Hillary on their way establishing Camp 9 as they head to the summit of Mount Everest.



In the photo below taken in 1953 by the Royal Geographical Society we see Tenzing Norgay with Sir Edmund Hillary and they both might be wearing Rolex watches. Tenzing received a Rolex as a gift from Swiss climber, Raymond Lambert after he and Lambert almost reached the summit of Everest the year before on a Swiss Everest Expedition in 1952. 



The photo above shows Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary on May 25th, 1953 during the Mount Everest Expedition as the duo prepares their oxygen systems just before they set off from Camp 9 for the summit of Everest. If you look closely you will notice Tenzing has their Summit flags wrapped around his ice axe which he is holding like a cane.

This next photo of Tenzing Norgay was taken by Sir Edmund Hillary on the summit of Mount Everest. Tenzing offered to take a photo of Hillary on the summit but Hillary refused the offer.




The Rolex advertorial seen below was published 3 days after Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Everest.







1957 Rolex Mount Everest Ad



This next two photos below show Tenzing Norgay at  Rolex International Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland taken on July 5, 1953 and he is wearing a Rolex on his wrist. 




The photos above and below were recently discovered by our super-talented researcher, Alan who is located in Hong Kong. The next photo shows Tenzing Norgay examining a Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet in Rolex Founder, Hans Wilsdorf's private office at Rolex Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.




It is believed Hans Wilsdorf traded Tenzing Norgay a Rolex in exchange another Rolex which is now in the private Museum collection. 



The photo above and below appear courtesy of Rolex Passion Report who first discovered this historical yellow gold Rolex Datejust that apparently was a gift from Rolex to Tenzing as a memento for the 1952 Swiss Expedition to Everest.