I am sad to report that amazing pioneering journalist, Barbara Walter passed away today at age 93. As we see in the photos below, Barbara Walters wore a yellow gold Rolex Lady Date...
Wikipedia perfectly summed up her brilliant career by saying:
"Barbara Jill Walters was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including Today, the ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The View."
In one of the T. Walker Lloyd podcast episodes, T. Walker mentioned a famous female newscaster and I can't help but wonder if he was talking about Barbara Walters?
I have never been crazy about precious stones on a Rolex dial or bezel, but when Rolex began blinging out Rolex GMT II models in 2012 I thought is was so tastefully done. It really is a masterful work of art!!!
In an outreach that has extended for more than half a century, Rolex has partnered some of the world’s most talented artists and leading cultural institutions in disciplines including music and cinema. With 2022 coming to an end, Rolex congratulates these esteemed partners who have again set the benchmark for artistry at the highest level, as well as demonstrated a dedication to championing and preserving the arts. This ongoing commitment to perpetual excellence is one of the brand’s basic tenets.
Soccer legend, Pelé passed away today at age 81. He remains to date the only soccer player that won the World Cup three times!
In the world of Sports, there are players who are considered to be the best in history. In basketball we have Michael Jordan, who has also been a lifetime Rolex man; and in the world of soccer, Pelé is considered to be the all-time best. Pele first wore a yellow gold Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet, then went on to were his trademark yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date for decades.
Pelé was born Edison "Edson" Arantes so Nascimento in October of 1940 in Brazil. During his amazing career which ran from 1956 to 1974 he scored 760 official goals, and 541 in league championships, thus, making him the top scorer of all time!!! In his career Pelé scored a total of 1281 goals in 1363 games. Pelé began playing for Santos Futebol Clube in 1956, and stayed with them for almost two decades. In 1958, at 17 years of age, Pelé helped Brazil win its first World Cup.
Pelé is widely considered to be not only the most famous soccer/football player in history, but also the best. To this day, Pelé is the winningest soccer player in FIFA World Cup history remaining the only player to have won 3 Wold Cup Winners' Medals (1958, 1962 and 1970). Pelé was also received a special recognition award from the FIFA World Cup for the title of "FIFA Player Of The Century."
Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil on October 21, 1940. Pelé's father was a soccer player and named oldest son after Thomas Edison. Edson was nicknamed Pelé when he was a young man, which was based upon his favorite soccer players name, who's nickname was Bilé. Pelé was a young soccer prodigy and went on to become the greatest soccer player of the 20th Century!
Pelé Rolex and Brazil '66
48 years ago in 1966, in the vintage photos below, we see world-wide soccer superstar, Pelé rocking his Rolex Datejust. Pelé is most famous for wearing his trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, but before he wore his Day-Date he wore a Rolex Datejust as seen in the two photos below.
In the photo below of Pelé we see him in the London Airport as he prepares to return home after winning the 1966 World Cup.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Senator Edward Kennedy August 8, 1966 (AP Photo)
Pelé's Trademark Bicycle Kick
In the photo below we see Pelé executing his famous trademark "Bicycle-Kick."
In this next photo we see Pele with Muhammad Ali in 1977 in New York. What a photo!!!
In the next two recent photos we see Pele sporting his Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date that he typically wears.
In the next photo below, we see the visible clasp on the back of the Rolex "President" bracelet, which likely means Pelé acquired and has been wearing this Rolex Day-Date since sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s!!!
Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust
In this next photo below, we see Pele wearing a stainless steel Rolex that appears to be a Datejust on an Oyster Bracelet.
Twenty-twenty-three will be unlike any other year. Rolex started its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program which means for the first time in years, it will be possible again to walk into a Rolex authorized dealer and buy a watch on the spot to crown an achievement — with a peace of mind rarely paralleled on the grey market.
But the biggest factor of 2023 is how quickly China fully reopens. Beijing recently abandoning its zero-tolerance approach to Covid likely means the luxury world will be again able to rely on China to be a locomotive of growth as the U.S. and European economies slow. China health authorities plan to lift Covid-19 quarantine requirements on international arrivals in January.
The Chinese market going back to pre-Covid demand might just be what the grey market needs to reverse the falling trends in value of second-hand Rolex pieces.
A survey in China of 1,500 adults with an annual income of over 500,000 yuan (USD 71,700) found that 88% of respondents expected to maintain or increase their spending on luxury watches over the next 12 months. Prestigious timepieces, especially Rolex, are an attractive alternative for wealthy Chinese at a time when authorities are cracking down on property speculation.
Still, it avoided a manufacture shutdown: The Swiss government as part of its energy-crisis contingency plans had big consumers of energy stop operating for up to a month if those plans are activated. The contingency plan is staying in place for the winter of 2023/2024 should the reserve levels trigger its execution.
Europe, however, will continue in 2023 to benefit from U.S. consumers coming with a strong dollar, making shopping of luxury products in Europe more attractive. The Rolex CPO program has already started in Europe, months ahead of the American market. In the U.S., authorized dealers worry they will capture enough inventory to offer as CPO. One manager of a well-established authorized dealer in California told me he currently has 20 pieces he could start selling this spring, but he doesn't think that will be enough.
Under his leadership Rolex has embraced YouTube, Instagram, and most recently Twitter. It brought back the Pepsi in steel and released a GMT with a crown on the left. At the same time, the brand hasn't been afraid to walk back a few design decisions; the Explorer is again at 36mm, and the Submariner lost its blocky case design. Last month and for the first time ever, it commercialized a watch that could go down to the Mariana Trench, a place Rolex had first visited in 1960. Mr. Dufour's company finished 2022 by buying 24 acres of land in rural Switzerland for 31 million CHF and plans to build a fifth manufacture.
Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour
Rolex has slowly switched the entirety of its watch lineup to a new generation of movements which feature a longer power reserve, but a few models remain, like the Milgauss and Cellini. The Daytona, which will mark its 60th anniversary in 2023, houses a movement that is more than two decades old. The Yacht-Master II's movement will be 10 years old in 2023.
Whether the U.S. will tip into recession sometime in the next 12 months could affect the Rolex market though, I predict, to a small degree. The super-affluent will continue to spend money and now they can spend it worry-free on CPO Rolex watches. But others, especially those with no spending history at ADs, will exercise a more timid approach until Rolex prices on the secondary market stabilize. Either way, demand for Rolex watches is still strong, and the reopening of the Chinese market will guarantee to make 2023 interesting.
I just completed a Major update on this story which now features many more cool photos of Tom Selleck wearing Rolex watches including this one with Frank Sinatra who was a guest star on Magnum P.I.
This time last year I published a story aboutThe Return of The Magnum P.I. Showto ABC which looks great! Ned Saric, who is a regular reader of Jake's Rolex World recently wrote in to share a fascinating Tom Selleck interview that was published by The Haute Horologie Journal. The quote below came from the Haute Horology Jornal interview:
"I've had my fair share of "sport" watches but never one as tough as the Rolex Pepsi."
—Tom Selleck
The Pepsi
In the interview mentioned above, Haute Horologie asked Tom Selleck: "What about the famous Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi, a legend for collectors?" Tom Selleck responded: "My Rolex GMT-Master has been underwater, buried in sand, taken I don’t know how many knocks, and never a problem. It’s called the Pepsi because the bezel colors are the same as the Pepsi logo. Personally, I thought the red went well with the Ferrari and the blue matched Hawaii’s lagoons and sky."
—Tom Selleck
There is something really iconic about Tom Selleck style. First of all, he doesn't look like anybody else. He has his own unique look. It is fascinating to note that in my opinion, Tom Selleck epitomizes the GMT-Master more than anybody I can think of. The way he wore his Rolex GMT-Master on Magnum P.I. is so iconic, just like his Ferrari 308 GTS.
The photo below is a screen grab from an episode of Magnum P.I., which shows Tom Selleck's Reference 16750 Rolex Pepsi GMT he wore on the show.
In the photo below we see Tom Selleck on the set of Magnum P.I., sitting next to Frank Sinatra who starred on an episode of Magnum P.I. Sinatra's appearance on Magnum was his last appearance on a TV show.
In the two photos below we see Tom Selleck with legendary comedian and actress, Carol Burnett who was also a guest star on Magnum P.I.
Tom Selleck
As Jesse Stone
The photos above are of Tom Selleck playing Magnum P.I. which began in 1980. In the images you see Tom sporting his trademark Pepsi GMT Master and in the images below from you see him starring recently in Jesse Stone, still wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT Master after all these years. Really cool if you ask me!!!!!
Tom Selleck is pictured above with his Rolex and a 1911A1 cocked and locked, which is classic cool. Today I am officially designating the Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master asThe Tom Selleck Pepsi GMT-Master. If you can think of anybody who you think better symbolizes the Pepsi GMT-Master than Tom Selleck, please let me know!?!
In the recent photo below we see Tom Selleck is still wearing his timeless Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master.
The Gold GMT-Master
In the photos below we see Tom Selleck as Magnum P.I., sporting a yellow gold Rolex GMT Master. The first image below shows Tom Selleck on the cover of People Magazine from March 8, 1982, and notice he is wearing his yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master.
Three Men & a Datejust
Tom Selleck also wears a two-tone Rolex Datejust and the earliest known image I found of him wearing it is pictued below from 1987 when he starred in the major motion picture titled Three Men & A Baby.
Friends
Playing Courtney Cox's Boyfriend
Tom Selleck played the recurring role of Dr. Richard Burke who was Monica's boyfriend on the ultra-successful TV show Friends on Season 2 (1995), 3 (1996) and 6 (1999).
Blue Bloods
Playing New York City Chief of Police: Frank Reagan
Tom Selleck's most recent and current role is in the TV show, Blue Bloods, where he plays the NYC Chief Of Police.
In the photo below we see him still wearing his two-tone Rolex Datejust, on a Jubilee bracelet.
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.
