Looking back in the rear-view mirror it was probably easy to surmise it was just a matter of time before Paul Newman's second Rolex Daytona came to the auction market as Philipps just announced they will soon be auctioning this second "Paul Newman Daytona Grail". I plan to publish a deep dive on this magnificent Rolex Daytona watch soon so stay tuned...This is going to be a fascinating holiday season...
"Dad gave it (his Rolex Daytona) to me straight from his wrist...and it had been given to him by my mother (Joanne Woodward), so although it is his watch, it is also somehow hers too, which makes it very much the most precious thing I own."
With the American Presidential Elections just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to hop in The Rolex Time Machine and take a trip back to look at the history of The Rolex President...
Back in 2010 I discovered photos of Ronald Reagan wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet. These photos were taken during the Summer of 1965 on his California Ranch. Of course these photos were taken before he was even elected the Governor of California, so he was just an ordinary American Citizen who was semi-retired. In 2013, I discovered more photos of Ronald Reagan, while he was the President of The United States, wearing his Rolex.
"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." –Ronald Reagan
So this means, that Ronald Reagan is the second American President to wear a Rolex Datejust after Dwight Eisenhower. Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton wore Rolex Day-Dates, and I have heard Richard Nixon wore a Rolex, but I have still not been able to find a photo of him wearing a Rolex. I also think Harry Truman may have worn a Rolex Datejust, but I have not been able to document that either.
"I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse." –Ronald Reagan
"Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we have ever known." –Ronald Reagan
The photo below shows President Reagan on his ranch in 1983 chopping wood, and his is still wearing his stainless steel Rolex Datejust.
I met President Reagan many years ago when I was a young man as we see in the photos below.
One thing Ronald Reagan and I had in common is our eternal optimism. I remember President Reagan had the best handshake I have ever experienced. In particular, his handshake was flawless as it was neither to limp nor to firm—just right, and he had an amazing aura of that exuded warmth and dignity.
I had a fascinating conversation with President Reagan which I shared in My Rolex Story. When I think back on that time in U.S. History the words from the Barbara Streisand song come to mind when she sang the line from her hit song "The Way We Were": "Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time re-written every line?"
A Reader wrote in recently inquiring about what watch Joe Biden wore during the most recent Presidential Debate and it turns out Joe was wearing a Seiko Chronograph which Nick Gould identified as a watch Biden had been wearing for 10+ years. This naturally made me curious, and I happened to notice Democrat candidate for the Presidency of the United States son, Hunter Biden wears multiple different Rolex models. In the photo below from Popular Mechanics we see Hunter Biden rocking a Batman GMT-Master.
We see Hunter Biden again in the image wearing his Batman Rolex GMT-Master in the photo below.
In this next photo we see Hunter Biden wearing a Rolex Explorer model with the classic 3, 6, 9 dial.
In this last image we see Hunter Biden wearing a Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet.
The image below was the first image I noticed where it looked like Hunter Biden was wearing a Rolex.
I would like to begin this article by thanking Eagle Eyed horological researcher, Nick Gould @Niccoloy for his invaluable contribution to this story. Below we see Fulgencio Batista wearing a Rolex Prince dress watch back in 1942. The Rolex Prince was an extremely popular dress watch for Rolex from the time it was introduced up until the 19660.
The photo below shows a similar Rolex Prince model to the one Batista is wearing in the photo above. The photo above was taken in 1942 when Batista visited President Roosevelt in Washington D.C. at the time.
1936 Italian Rolex Prince Ad
The Italian Art-Deco Rolex ad below was originally published in 1936.
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro is pictured below back in the 1950s wearing his Big Crown Rolex Submariner "Reference 6538" that he wore when he overthrew then Cuban President Fulgencio Batista during the Cuban Revolution which which was a coup d'état.
In the photo below we see Fidel Castro wearing his Rolex Datejust with a Rolex President Bracelet.
Raul Castro
Many members of the Castro family wear Rolex. In the photo below we see Raul Castro who was Fidel Castro's brother wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual model which was also discovered by Nick Gould.
In this next photo below we see Raul Castro wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master standing next to fellow Cuban Revolutionary, Che Guevara.
Che Guevara
Speaking of Che Guevara and Rolex GMT, we see him pictured below wearing his GMT-Master.
If you are a regular reader of Jake's Rolex World you know I am fasciated with vintage Rolex ads, and the story in this one is superb as it tells the story of a Rolex Watchmaker who worked for 50 years...
I was taking with Nick about the other NASA Apollo 7 Astronaut who wore a 'Paul Newman' Rolex Daytona which was Walter Cunningham. Cunningham's 1966 Rolex Daytona [Reference 6239] is pictured below in a photo from when it was auctioned by Christie's Auction House back in 2013 for 245,000 CHF.
Walter Cunningham is pictured below wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master. It is fascinating to note two NASA Apollo 7 team members were not only both named Walter (Schirra & Cunningham) but both also wore a Pepsi GMT-Master and a Rolex Daytona!?!! I mean, what are the odds??? Reality really is stranger than fiction!?!!
Walter Cunningham joined the U.S. Navy in 1952 and went on to become a fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953 to 1956, where he flew a total of 54 missions in Korea as a night fighter. He went on to get a PhD in physics from UCLA and worked for the RAND Corporation before he was selected to become a NASA Astronaut.
Walter Cunningham was selected by NASA as part of the third group of astronauts in 1963. Walter was the Lunar Module Pilot aboard Apollo 7, which was launched from Cape Canaveral on October 11, 1968. Apollo 11 was the first manned Apollo mission and it lacked a Lunar Module, but was a test-run for all the upcoming Apollo missions.
The official NASA caption for the image below reads: "Apollo 7 astronauts (l-r) Walter Cunningham, Donn F. Eisele, and Walter M. Schirra, Jr., compare notes at a mission debriefing conducted today at the Kennedy SpaceCenter. October 23, 1968. Notice Apollo 7 Astronaut Wally Schirra is wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master.
This next photo was also taken on October 23, 1968 shows Wally Schirra with fellow Apollo 7 Astronaut, Walter Cunningham, and we see Schirra rockin' his GMT-Master.
One of the most interesting things in life is when you see two people you are familiar with that are unrelated meet each other and have a fascinating conversation. In this Part 1 video, Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary) from Shark Tank gets together with Producer Michael to discuss some watches from their collections, with a number of surprises.
"We must not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive at the place where we began, and recognize it for the first time."
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON
The Complete History
YACHT-MASTER
Rolex very, very rarely introduces all-new models, as a matter of fact, the last Rolex model introduced before the Yacht-Master was the Rolex Daytona which was introduced in 1964. Rolex introduced the Yacht-Master in 1992, so it took them 28 years to come up with an all-new model! Just for frame of reference, it took Rolex another 20 years to come up with another all-new model, which was the Sky-Dweller, which they introduced in 2012.
In 2012, Rolex also introduced an all-new version of the stainless steel and platinum Yacht-Master, with a cobalt blue sunray dial and it was an instant classic!!!
An Ultra-Rare Rolex Prototype
The 1967-1969 Rolex YACHT-MASTER
My pal and fellow Rolex fanatic from Italy, John Goldberger recently sent in these stunning photos of his Ultra-Rare 39.5mm Rolex Yacht-Master Chronograph Prototype [Reference 6239/6242] the dial of which was made in 1967 and the watch in 1969. How rare you ask? It is one of only two known examples. I know Eric Clapton owned one.
Note: You have to click on this image to check out the detail. It is also a great piece of desktop wallpaper courtesy of John Goldberger.
John is one of the worlds leading vintage Rolex collectors and last year he published his amazing 100 Superlative Rolex Watches which I did a detailed review of, along with a fascinating podcast interview with John which you can see by clicking here.
So what is the origin of the Rolex Yacht-Master Chronograph? From my study of Rolex design, it is crystal clear to me that Rolex experimented like crazy and one could argue that Rolex threw everything they could think of at the wall and waited to see what stuck. The original Rolex Yacht-Master is interesting because it was the second Rolex developed around the Nautical theme–the first being the Rolex Submariner.
Ironically, Rolex developed the Yacht-Master Chronograph before they developed the SEA-DWELLER. I believe Rolex wanted to try to capitalize on the extreme success of the Submariner as a tool watch.
The original Yachtmaster looks like early Rolex Daytona models, but the Daytona models at the time were 36mm, where the Yachtmaster was 39.5mm. Rolex ultimately decided not to bring the Yachtmaster Chronograph to market in the late 1960s, but it remains a very interesting piece of Rolex design history!!!
The Rebirth Of The Rolex Submariner Yacht-Master
In 1992 Rolex introduced an all-new Yacht-Master, but what was its design genesis? A friend of mine, many years ago told me the story of how and why Rolex developed the modern Yachtmaster. I can't confirm his story because I was not there but I will share it with you:
In the late 1980s, Rolex wanted to significantly update and modernize its Rolex Submariner model. The Rolex design team experimented like crazy and came up with what today is the modern Yacht-Master. The challenge was that Rolex loved the new design, but was scared to death to radically transform the Submariner. The Rolex Submariner was at the time and remains to this day, the most iconic watch in the world.
One could argue that for the last half-century, the Submariner has been Rolex's bread & butter.
Rolex loved the design of the new Submariner prototype; where the original had hard right angles, the new one had smoothly radiused edges. The new version had an etched bezel insert that was permanently soldered to the bezel. The new watch had fat hands and maxi markers and was a magnificent work of streamlined art. The challenge was that it looked nothing like the original.
Jocke, the famous Rolex photographer took the side by side photo above of the Rolex LV Submariner with Black Bezel Insert next to his Stainless and Platinum Yacht-Master. If you look at the two watches side by side, you really see how similar they are so much so, one could argue they are the exact same watch.
Rolex Design Language Evolutionary Steps
Design Note: Rolex design language has always been about evolving and then checking back-in with the past. This design methodology typically results in a timeless product that has strong ties to its past. If you examine the all-new Rolex Submariner Rolex Introduced in 2011, you see how it leap-frogged right over the Yacht-Master, while building on the Yacht-Master design language.
In other words, the new Supercase Submariner (2011 Model) has a ceramic bezel insert with lowered white gold markers, which give it a more sculptured/etched look like the Yacht-Master bezel in reverse. Just in the same way the crown guards grew fatter on the Yacht-Master than on the older Submariner, the new Ceramic Submariner has even fatter, crown guards.
Same thing with the new Ceramic Submariner getting fattened up lugs that give it a SuperCase. Also, add the fat hands, and Maxi-Markers, and the Ceramic Submariner leap-frogs the Yacht-Master by adding the super-innovative glide-lock clasp.
I realize I got a little sidetracked with the Submariner/Yacht-Master discussion, so now let's go back to the Yacht-Master. Rolex ultimately decided to revive their old trademark of Yacht-Master, and the rest, as they say, is history. If you carefully examine the modern Yacht-Master you will find it is almost identical in every way to a Submariner!!! The stainless steel and platinum Yacht-Master below almost looks like an albino version of the Submariner.
Rolex originally introduced the 40mm Yacht-Master in 1992 it was a Reference 16628 in 18kt gold, with a white dial and 3135 movement, which was the same movement used in the Rolex Submariner. The Yacht-Master had a triple-lock crown, and it was water resistant to 100 meters (10 bars) which is 320 Feet. Essentially, the first Yacht-Master was positioned as a Luxury version of the Submariner. The Submariner was for use underwater, and the Yacht-Master was for use topside. If the Submariner was for The Captain/The Skipper, the Yacht-Master was for Thurston Howell III (The Millionaire). Just for frame of reference, I am sharing these image of Emeril Lagasse and Brad Pitt sporting full-size 40MM Men's Rolex Yacht-Master models. In 1994, Rolex introduced a 35MM "Mid-size edition" named the Reference 69628 which was geared toward the Asian market, or for men with smaller wrist sizes. In the photos below we see Charlie Sheet rockin' a three-quarter size Rolex Yacht-Master.
That same year Rolex introduced the women's 29MM version of the Yacht-Master named the Reference 69628.
In the same year, Rolex also introduced a 18KT gold 40mm men's version with a blue sunray dial, which I happened to purchase. I took the wrist-shot photo below of my yellow gold Yacht-Master in 2002. I don't own this beauty anymore, but I really enjoyed wearing this striking work of art.
In 1999, at Basel Fair, Rolex introduced the 40 MM stainless steel and platinum version of the Yacht-Master known as the Reference 16622. Rolex referred to this stainless steel and platinum combo as Rolesium. This watch is unique in the sense it has a platinum machined bezel with beautifully raised markers, as well as a dial made out of platinum. I have often criticized this model for lacking contrast and being too monochromatic, or albino, but in certain lighting, conditions the dial really comes to life as you can see in this photo taken by Vu.
In 2005 Rolex introduced a 40MM Rolesor stainless steel and gold two-tone version of the Yacht-Master known as Reference 16623. Rolex refers to two-tone stainless steel versions of their watches as Rolesor. Rolex also started making Yacht-Master watches with a special mother of pearl dial, as seen below.
...Rolex Instantly Re-invents A Classic...
Stainless Steel & Platinum Yacht-Master
Cobalt Blue Sunray Dial
[40mm: Reference 116622]
Rolex very, very rarely introduces all-new models, but when they originally introduced the Yacht-Master in 1992 it was a Reference 16628 in 18kt gold, with a white dial and 3135 movement, which was the same movement used in the Rolex Submariner.
All New Blue Dial Yacht-Master Photo By Jurgen
At BaselWorld in 1999 Rolex surprised everyone when the introduced the stainless steel and platinum version. Rolex refers to the combination of Stainless Steel and Platinum as Rolesium. This all-new model was the first to bring back the timeless Maxi Markers and fat hands. Since then Rolex has slowly returned all sports models to incorporate Maxi Markers and fat hands-Thank God!!!
The stainless and platinum Yacht-Master dial and bezel were made out of platinum but, the challenge was that the watch had no contrast. It was beautiful but it looked albino and had no pop. That all changed this year at BaselWorld when Rolex introduced the new 40mm Reference 116622 with a Cobalt Blue Sunray dial, which is just stunning. With this new version, Rolex also updated the case design, by giving the Yacht-Master a Supercase, which means, they made the lugs much thicker.
YACHT-MASTER 42MM WHITE GOLD
Last year Rolex introduced the all-new white gold Rolex YACHT-MASTER in 42MM, which is stunningly magnificent!!! I LOVE the 42MM sizing, and noticed the Fat Hands and Jumbo Markers, which look amazing!!! Essentially, the Rolex Yacht-Master—just like the SEA-DWELLER—has always been a Rolex Submariner variant. So basically, we are are seeing what a 42MM or 43MM Submariner would look like, and it's BRILLIANT!!!!!
Also notice that Rolex seriously narrowed the lug width on this puppy, as the design language is going retro, back to the old-school lugs.
Below you can find my previously published story from 2014 that will walk you through the history of the Rolex Yacht-Master so you will get a much better understanding of the evolution of the model and understand how we got to this point:
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.
