Richard Gere has had an amazing acting career that has spanned several decades and included movies like American Gigolo (1980), An Officer and Gentleman (1982), Breathless (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Pretty Woman (1990), Primal Fear (1996), Runaway Bride (1999), Chicago (2002), Arbitrage (2012), The Dinner (2017), and the mini-series MotherFatherSon (2019). Richard Gere is pictured above and below sporting his two-tone Rolex Datejust.
Of course, Richard Gere is known for his rugged good looks and he was voted The Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine in 1999.
American Gigolo
1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SL
It could be argued that Richard Gere's Magnum Opus movie was American Gigolo. The famous opening screen can be seen below in the video, where he is driving his 450SL Mercedes-Benz down the Pacific Coast Highway, while Blondie's mega-hit song "Call Me" plays in the background.
Pretty Woman
Richard Gere also starred in the 1990 mega-hit Pretty Woman which costarred Julia Roberts. This was not only the ultimate chick-flick, but dudes loved it as well.
Richard Gere wore his two-tone Rolex Datejust in the movie Pretty Woman, as you can see in the screen grabs and press photos seen below.
In the two photos below, we see Richard Gere sporting his two-tone Rolex Datejust which he wore in the blockbuster movie Pretty Woman.
The Movie Star and the Model
Richard Gere was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995.
In the photo below we see Cindy Crawford with Richard Gere dressing like twins. And if you look closely they are both wearing two-tone Rolex Datejust models.
Dalai Lama & Richard Gere
2 Two-Tone Rolex Datejust Models?
Richard Gere has been a supporter of His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, for many years. The first photo taken in 1994 shows Richard Gere wearing his two-tone Rolex Datejust and in the second photo we see the Dalai Lama wearing his two-tone Rolex Datejust. Perhaps Richard Gere gave the Dalai Lama his Rolex?
Mikhail Gorbachev, the Russian leader who reformed and dismantled the former Soviet Union passed away today at age 91. In the past I have documented many former Soviet leaders who ironically wore Rolex, including Leonid Brezhnev and Boris Yeltsin, and despite being aware that Gorbachev wore a Rolex Datejust was planning to include this in my upcoming set of 12 Rolex history books, but decided since he passed away to share it now.
In the photo above we see Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 pointing to his stainless steel and gold Rolex Datejust during a visit to London, England. I believe it was Nick Gould who first discovered Gorbachev rocking a Rolex...
Gorbachev worked closely with then President Ronald Reagan to end the Cold War, which unfortunately has been recently restarted as a result of Russia invading Ukraine. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail soon so the world can move on.
In the photo below we see Mikhail Gorbachev during a visit to New York City where he met with President Reagan and Vice President Bush in 1988.
Other Russian leaders wore Rolex Datejust models including Leonid Brezhnev who was the General Secratary of the USSR, as well as Boris Yeltsin who was the President of Russia are pictured below rocking their Rolex watches.
Amanico is an amazing Rolex photographer. He has taken some stunning images and this is definitely one of my favorites for several reasons. Amanico's Pepsi GMT is a Rolex Reference 1675 and in my opinion the 1675 with Maxi-Markers is one of the coolest and most timeless vintage Rolex watches.
"King of Sneakers" Ronnie Fieg and tennis legend Roger Federer, sharing the same initials, will announce on Monday they have joined forces to release new Federer-signed tennis footwear, (RF)².
In the promotional videoRoger Federer, a Rolex brand ambassador, is playing tennis with a Daytona meteorite dial ref. 116509. What makes it special, in my opinion, is how rare we see Federer actually play tennis with a Rolex on his wrist. He usually straps it on after the game for the raising of the trophy. I think it's crazy, yet awesome, Federer is hitting the ball with a meteorite-dial Daytona.
The Rolex Daytona 116509 Meteorite dial was released in 2021 and is literally out of this world as the dial comes from an asteroid that has exploded millions of years ago.
Ronnie Fieg, meanwhile, is rocking a GMT-Master Pepsi on Jubilee. Fieg is an American designer and the founder of Kith. He is also one of the world’s biggest sneaker entrepreneurs. Watch journalist Jack Forster once profiled Fieg for a Hodinkee magazine article.
In the short clip below, we can see Federer hitting the ball hard while wearing the Daytona. That's impressive as the Daytona meteorite dial is in full 18 ct white gold. The full clip can be seen on Ronnie Fieg's Twitter post.
You might never expect to hear the word "Lemon" as a nickname for a Rolex. There is, however, an exception when one very special example of watchmaking history enters the conversation, like this exceedingly rare Rolex Daytona Paul Newman 6264 in gold.
The reference 6264 was not only a transitional model in production for only three years, but the pump pusher exotic dial combination is considered in the rarity realms of a prototype. Jake once said the design language of the 6264 is "a masterpiece of hyper-elegant simplicity."
The known total production of the 6264 sits in the region of 3500, leaving potentially only 350 existing yellow gold models to ever be made or owned. It’s difficult to know how many have survived their 50-year-old lives but the low volume production is certainly the reason behind so few having ever appeared. There are about 11 known examples of a Lemon dial Paul Newman 6264 gold case.
This came up on my radar because for the first time this century, such a watch is being sold in the UK. As part of Sotheby’s September Fine Watches sale in London, this example from 1970 bears all the hallmarks of a highly-prized, collectible watch. Some would call it a true unicorn treasure.
The exotic lemon dial and pump pusher combination are really what makes this Paul Newman Daytona so special in its class. These exotic dials were only used by Rolex in a few of the gold Daytona references at the end of the 1960s before the Oyster case was introduced with screw-down crowns.
Including the exotic dials, the yellow gold 6264 was in a short three-year production at the tail end of the 1960s and into 1970s (1969-72) signifying a transition between the earlier reference 6262 and later references 6263 and 6265. The previous 6262 had an even shorter production run of one year in 1969-1970 and shared the pump pushers with the 6264. The later 6263 and 6265 embodied the Oyster case and screw down pushers. It is thought that the last exotic dial pump pusher ref. 6264 Daytonas were produced in 1971. All of the above used the calibre Valjoux 727.
As a young man intrigued by the mysterious and mythical snow leopard that frequented his native region of Humla in Nepal’s Trans-Himalaya, Rinzin Phunjok Lama was determined to protect the fabled animal as well as the entire mountain environment.
Early on, the 2021 Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate understood that an integrated, community-based approach was required to conserve both threatened wildlife and the habitat. A key for Lama is empowering locals, including students, to help restore the declining populations of animals and biodiversity. He sees them as the true stewards of the land.
When I was a small child, I lived with my paternal grandparents, and I spent a TREMENDOUS amount of time watching TV, and I was a big fan of westerns. One of my favorite western TV shows was The Lone Ranger, which stared Clayton Moore. Of course, the westerns I watched then were primarily repeats, but I loved watching them anyway.
One of the things I remember was hearing all the time was the introduction to the Lone Ranger which said: A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger! ... With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States! Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice! Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear! From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again! The video below is basically the 1949 TV pilot for the ABC show titled The Lone Ranger.
By the way, when I was around 9 years old, I also used to listen to radio episodes of The Lone Ranger that were originally aired back in the early 1930s.
Clayton Moore is pictured below later in his career wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.
Clayton Moore is pictured again below wearing his Rolex Day-Date, which was a Reference 1803.
Clayton Moore is pictured below with his sidekick, Tonto (played by Jay Silverheels), who used to commonly refer to The Lone Ranger as "Kemosabe."
Clayton Moore was quite an accomplished western horseback rider as we see in the photo below from 1956.
GMT Master models always look so cool on a Jubilee. Don't get me wrong, because I love the look of an Oyster bracelet, it is just cool to switch it up with a different vibe.
Stuntmen and famous actors driving fast cars, auctioning off personal sports Rolexes—and getting huge returns—remind us of the true strength of the brand.
By Danny Crivello
A 79-year-old gentleman named Stan Barrett will have three Rolex watches on display in Monterey, Calif., this week in preparation for auction. And this is why it’s notable: Mr. Barrett is a former boxing champion turned leading Hollywood stuntman for the likes of Paul Newman, Burt Reynolds and Dustin Hoffman.
He was also an established NASCAR driver who piloted the Budweiser rocket car in 1979 on his quest to become the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound on land. Anheuser-Busch gifted him a yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master 1675 for his trouble (above).
The other two Rolex watches displayed starting Wednesday — a steel GMT Pepsi and a steel Daytona 6262 — were gifted to Mr. Barrett by Hollywood legend Paul Newman whose own Daytona 6239 broke the world record for a wristwatch at auction, selling for $17 million.
Mr. Barrett, who worked as Mr. Newman’s stunt double in many of the actor’s most famous films, shared a love of cars and watches that would glue the two together for the duration of their 40-year friendship.
Stuntmen and famous actors driving fast cars, auctioning off personal Rolexes and getting 10X, 100X, 1000X returns remind us of the true strength of the brand. And because that publicity is made organically, it easily surpasses brand ambassadors’ Insta posts.
Shortly after Newman's high-profile 6239 auction, in a 2017 podcast, I said such an auction was "great for the buyer, great for the charity, great for Rolex, great for the vintage world in general for the publicity it received. It was great for all the owners of mechanical watches in a world of updates and throwaway and always getting the new iPhone or Apple Watch ... Some things just last for a long time. For a lifetime." Little did I know how much the Rolex market would explode that following year emptying Rolex cases at ADs the world over.
The December auction of Mr. Barrett’s Rolexes — two gifted by Mr. Newman — will be a much-needed shot in the arm for the watch industry though in a smaller measure compared to record-setting Newman’s 6239. But let’s remind ourselves that $17 million Daytona had been a gift also: from Mr. Newman to his daughter’s boyfriend, James Cox.
Jake, who has spoken at length with Stan Barrett, will take us on a journey to learn more about this Rolex-wearing extraordinary daredevil (my favorite kind) and one of Newman's best friends.
STAN BARRETT
By Jake Ehrlich
Stan Barrett was best friends with Paul Newman and if you think he looks a lot like Paul Newman, you are right. As a matter of fact, he was Paul Newman's stunt double in many famous movies, and another thing they shared was a love for Rolex. It was actually Paul Newman who turned Stan Barrett on to Rolex when he began giving him Rolex sports watches as gifts. Stan Barrett is pictured above in a recent photo, still wearing his loyal and trusted Pepsi GMT-Master.
"My Rolex watches have been like good luck charms for me—especially since many of them were gifts from my best pal, Paul Newman." (Stan Barrett)
This is not only a fascinating story about man and machine but a story about a man's man who constantly pushed the envelope. As we will learn, Stan Barrett is The Real Deal. How real? He was a Golden Gloves boxing winner and has two black belts in Karate. Oh, and he used to work-out with Bruce Lee.
Stan Barrett is pictured below with his good pal, Paul Newman, and notice both are wearing Rolex sport model watches. The photo was taken in 1975 at a mud race track one weekend when they were filming the movie, The Drowning Pool. Stan is wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master and Paul Newmanis wearing his trademark Paul Newman Daytona with the exotic white dial. Later in this story, we will delve into their friendship that lasted 40 years.
Let's go back to 1979, and take a look at the man who was the very first to shatter the Supersonic sound barrier on wheels, and his name is Stan Barrett.
In the photo below we see Stan Barrett wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master and Rolex Daytona on his left wrist as he prepares to become the first man to drive a vehicle on earth past the speed of sound. The Rolex Daytona on his wrist is no ordinary watch. Stan Barrett's best friend, Paul Newman gave him that Daytona especially for the occasion of his attempt to break the sound barrier.
Stan Barrett's Daytona with original velcro slip-through strap pictured below in a recent photo from Sotheby's as it is going to auction the way he wore it when he became the first to break the sound barrier driving on dry land in 1979. In other words, the dark navy blue velcro slip-through strap pictured below is the exact same one on his wrist in the photo above taken as he prepared to drive his Budweiser rocket car into the history books...One could argue THIS is an ultimate example of a Rolex Tool Watch...
In the photo below we see Stan Barrett on his Budweiser rocket car, sporting his red K-Swiss sneakers just after shattering the Speed Of Sound Barrier, and notice he is still wearing two Rolex watches on his left wrist.
On Jake's Rolex World I specialize in sharing the stories behind the stories, and this is no exception. In order to really understand this story, I recommend first watching the two compelling video documentaries below, as they offer an amazing historical context.
The first video below showcases live video from the Stan Barrett's event when he drove the Budweiser Rocket Car past the speed of sound–right into the history books. I highly recommend watching this fascinating documentary.
The next video below shows the live coverage of the event from 1979, and I highly recommend watching it as well. It is particularly fascinating to gain Chuck Yeager's insight and passionate perspective.
Stan Barrett is pictured below just after becoming the first man to break the sound barrier on land, and that is no other than Chuck Yeager standing over him. Stan was recorded driving at 739.666 Miles Per Hour in the Budweiser Rocket car in 1979.
Paul Newman was also Stanton Barrett's Godfather, and in the photo below we see Stanton Barrett wearing his father's Rolex Daytona that Paul Newman gave him back in the early 1970s.
Stanton Barrett wore the Rolex Daytona Paul Newman gave his father until recently when the Barrett's learned how valuable the watch is, and now the Rolex Daytona lives in a Safety Deposit box. It's difficult to guess how much this actual Paul Newman Daytona #2 is worth today, but I think it's worth a fortune!!! Stan Barrett is pictured below hugging his son Stanton Barrett who is wearing his Paul Newman Daytona #2. Stan Barrett is pictured below with his son Stanton and Supermodel Carol Alt.
Stanton Barrett took the exclusive photo below of the Rolex Daytona his father wore when he set the land speed record. The Paul Newman Daytona #2 was a good luck charm gift from Paul Newman to his best friend, Stan Barrett in the early 1970s.
Stanton Barrett Barrett is pictured below wearing his Paul Newman, Paul Newman Daytona. Ironically, Stan Barrett told me that Paul Newman took this Rolex Daytona watch off his wrist when he have it to him back in the early 1970s around 1972 to 1973. This means Paul Newman had two Rolex Daytona models back in the early 1970s.
An Amazing Friendship
Stan Barrett and Paul Newman were best friends for four decades. Stan told me, "Paul and I were as close as two straight guys could be for over forty years, sharing many wonderful and fun times, and a few challenging days as well." The photo below of Stan Barrett and Paul Newman was taken in the early 1970s and shows Stan Barrett holding his cast which he cut off so he could go skiing with Paul Newman.
Stan Barrett and Paul Newman first met, when Stan began as Paul Newman's stunt double. Paul was 18 years older than Stan, and used to tease him by saying Stan was his illegitimate son since the looked and were built similar. The photo below was taken in Yosemite in 1975.
In the next set of photos below, we see Paul Newman climbing into the Budweiser Rocket to check it out. These photos were taken at Bonneville.
In the next image below we see Stan Barrett with his back to us, as he helps his best pal, Paul Newman climb in the Budweiser Rocket. In the photos, we see Paul Newman, who was an accomplished race-car driver struggling to get in the Budweiser Rocket, which demonstrates just how challenging it was to get in and out of.
In the next two images taken at the same event, we see Stan Barrett and Paul Newman sharing some smiles.
Stan Barrett said to me in an interview, "We were like father and son in some ways due to our 18 years age difference, but more than anything we were just great pals. We would spend countless hours talking about everything you could imagine."
This next set of images is not only interesting but offers rare insight into Paul Newman's sense of humor. In this first image, we see Paul Newman and Stan Barrett hanging out at a NASCAR racing event where Stan was racing.
Paul Newman sent the signed photograph below to Stan Barrett as a signed memento. It is really funny if you think about it. Stan is saying "Can I open my eyes now?", and Paul's character says "No Autographs PALEASE!" Then Paul signed it, "Two dunces in search of character!"
I believe the photo below is one of the last photos of Stan Barrett and Paul Neman taken before Paul passed away. Stan told me "I really miss Paul and Hal Needham as they were my closest friends. Actually, they were more like kin."
The photo below is a recent close-up wrist-shot of the GMT-Master Paul Newman gave Stan Barrett, which Stan still wears.
The photo below, taken by David Concannon shows the case back engraving on Stan Barrett's Pepsi GMT-Master which reads"
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.
