Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Richard Gere Two-tone Datejust...


...Rolex Coolness...

Richard Gere

Turns 73 Today

With a Stainless Steel & Gold Rolex

Datejust on His Wrist



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?






Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Mikhail Gorbachev Belongs To The Ages


Mikhail Gorbachev  


Belongs To The Ages


1931-2022

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.


Monday, August 29, 2022

Rolex Studio Shot of the Day: Amanico's Pepsi GMT Master


...Rolex Studio Shot of the Day...

Amanico's Pepsi GMT Master

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.

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Roger Federer: Tennis with a Meteorite-dial Daytona




...Tennis with a Meteorite-dial Daytona...



RONNIE FIEG & ROGER FEDERER



By DANNY CRIVELLO
 

"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 video Roger Federer, a Rolex brand ambassador, is playing tennis with a Daytona meteorite dial ref. 116509What 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.



Saturday, August 27, 2022

Rolex Hotness: Sylvie Van der Vaart...


...Rolex Hotness...

Sylvie Van der Vaart

Yellow Gold Day-Date


Thursday, August 25, 2022

Lemon Paul Newman Daytona: Ultra rare




By DANNY CRIVELLO
 

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.




Tuesday, August 23, 2022

2021 Rolex Awards Laureate Documentary: Rinzin Phunjok Lama



2021 Rolex Awards Laureate Documentary

Rinzin Phunjok Lama

Protecting Snow Leopards 



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.






Clayton Moore The Lone Ranger Rolex Day-Date



...Rolex Super-Coolness...


Clayton Moore

The Lone Ranger

Rolex Day-Date


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.

Monday, August 22, 2022

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day SMBRNR's Rolex GMT Master [Reference 1675: Jubilee Bracelet]


...Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day...

Rolex GMT Master
[Reference 1675: Jubilee Bracelet]

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.

Sunday, August 21, 2022

1986 Rolex Dolphin Submariner Ad


1986 Rolex Dolphin Submariner Ad


Saturday, August 20, 2022

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day: Klaus' Rolex Coronet Up Close


Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day
Klaus' Rolex Coronet Up Close



Friday, August 19, 2022

Speaking of Beautiful Women Wearing Mens Rolex Watches...



...Super Leggy Model...

Filippa Hamilton Palmstierna
Stainless Rolex Daytona


Sorry, I could not resist this image of Super-Leggy-Model Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele sporting a mens Stainless Steel Rolex Daytona with a Black Dial. Ouuuuuuuuch!!! Oh Behave!!!!