Sunday, December 31, 2023

Captain Danny's Espresso GMT-Master



...Rolex Pilot Shot of The Day...

Captain Danny's Espresso GMT-Master

Captain Danny has been writing for Jake's Rolex World since 2017.  Dannye took this amazing wrist shot photo of his all black dial Rolex 'Green Hand' GMT-Master...





Saturday, December 30, 2023

From Russia With Rolex Love: Adriyan Nikolayev Soviet Cosmonaut



From Russia With Rolex Love


Andriyan Nikolayev

Soviet Cosmonaut

Deputy Director of Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center


One of the most fascinating things about Rolex history is the fact that we keep discovering new puzzle pieces that keep changing and enhancing the course of Rolex history. This story being a perfect case-in-point! Pointed Crown Guard (PCG) in particular...



The photo above of Soviet Cosmonaut, Andriyan Nikolayev appears courtesy of TASS and was shared by Philip from Moonwatch Universe. Philip wrote the third chapter in the 3rd edition of Moonwatch Only, and was also a recent guest on the podcast Time 4 A Pint where he discussed A Brief History of Watches in Space



In the photo above which was taken in August of 1963 we see Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin (left), Pavel Popovich (second left), German Titov and Andriyan Nikolayev (right). Andriyan Nicolayev was the third cosmonaut to travel into space.


Nikolayev traveled to the United States in 1971, where he met with NASA Astronauts who gave him signed photos.




Many U.S. Test pilots and NASA Astronauts wore Rolex GMT-Master models, including to and on the moon! What would you think if I told you a Russian Cosmonaut wore a GMT-Master before an American Astronaut? It's hard to belive but true as we see in the photo below taken in 1965 that shows Russian Cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev sporting his Pepsi GMT-Master in photos with his wife and daughter discovered by Nick Gould. To the best of my knowledge this predates any American Astronaut wearing a Rolex GMT-Master.






As a Soviet Cosmonaut, Andriyan Nikolayev was number 3, and flew two space flights. His wife, Valentina Tereshkova is pictured below with their daughter, Elena who is considered the first space child in history, since both her parents with spacefarers.





Adriyan Nikolayev was married to Valentina Tereshkova (pictured above and below) and she was the first women in Space, whereby in 1963 she orbited earth 48 times in her Vostok-6 over the course of 3 days!!!








Friday, December 29, 2023

Rolex Studio Shot of the Day: Quantities Of Rolex Quality...


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

Quantities Of Rolex Quality

Photo Credit: Freddy

Thursday, December 28, 2023

1927 Rolex Oyster Introduction Advertorial & Brochure


...Rolex Coolness...

Hans Wilsdorf
1927 Rolex Oyster Introduction Brochure

The next two photos are from a Rolex Oyster brochure and the first image depicts The Founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf observing the Rolex advertorial he placed in the London Daily Mail on November 24th, 1927. I included a copy of the original Daily Mail ad at the bottom of this story.



This next illustration depicts Mercedes Gleitze as she emerges from the English channel. In the past, I wrote a detailed article about Merceds Glietze swimming the English Channel.



1927 Rolex Oyster Introduction Advertorial

Sneaker & Pant Wrist Shot Of The Day: Darren's Single Red Submariner & Converse All Stars


Note: One of my favorite things to do is hop in the Rolex Time Machine and go back and examine Rolex stories I posted in the past. I just stumbled into this story that I originally published back in 2011, which is pretty interesting:



Sneaker & Pant Wrist Shot Of The Day
Darren's Single Red Submariner & Converse All Stars


If you are a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World, you are probably familiar with Sneaker and Pant Wrist Shots. To the best of my knowledge, Bernhard (Bullibeer) who lives in the Dutch Netherlands started this trend.

Who is Bernhard and what exactly is a Sneaker and Pant Wrist Shot you ask? Basically, Bernhard (Bullibeer) is not only a collector of vintage Rolex watches, but he is so into them, he will basically conduct a vintage Rolex fashion show, just for himself, and he photographs these shots and posts them on the web in forums and most recently on his "100 Percent-Rolex (The Blog For Rolex Passionado's.)"


I almost forgot to mention, Bernhard (Bullibeer) typically only wears vintage sneakers to match up with his vintage Rolex watches. Of course other collectors all over the world were inspired by Bernhard's Vintage Sneaker and Rolex Wrist Shots, and started posting their own.

The logic with this is remarkably similar to photographing wrist-shots and posting them on the web, but the photographer takes it several steps further by showing how they match their watch with what they are wearing. It is really kind of a fashion-play for men.

The photos in this set are not from Berhnard, but from Darren, who is sporting his Single Red Submariner [Reference 1680] and matching it up with some leather Chuck Taylor, Converse All Stars.


So why would anybody in their right mind pose by themselves and take photos of a Rolex on their wrist and show their clothes, but not their face? I know Bernhard (Bullibeer) likes to make a shot or more of espresso before he takes the photos, so he gets all hyped-up on caffeine and takes these photo, but why?

I can't speak for Bullibeer or Darren, or anybody else for that matter, but there is just something about vintage Rolex watches that is so inspirational and timeless. Something that inspires people to achieve more. Rolex watches not only tell you the time, but they also tell you something about yourself.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day: Larry's Stainless Steel Daytona


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

Larry's Stainless Steel Daytona

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Celebrating 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023


Celebrating 100 years 

of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023


A time to celebrate. This year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, motor sport’s oldest and most prestigious endurance race, marked its centenary. In this epic endurance test, the best drivers harness their machine’s performance as much as their own. As a long-standing partner of the event, Rolex counts among its family of Testimonees race icon and record nine-time winner Tom Kristensen.


Monday, December 25, 2023

400 Years Of Watchmaking: Watches From The Hans Wilsdorf Collection



400 Years Of Watchmaking

Watches From The

Hans Wilsdorf Collection

In the past, I have written extensively about Hans Wilsdorf, who founded Rolex in London, England 109 years ago in 1908. Hans Wilsdorf ran Rolex until he died in 1960. Hans Wilsdorf was an extremely passionate vintage pocket watch collector, who in his lifetime amassed an incredible collection of historically significant pocket watches, which we will learn about in this article.



Today, we will gain great insight into what made Hans Wilsdorf tick, literally and figuratively. When we look at vintage Rolex watches today from the 1910s through the 1960s we see how the genesis for the modern watches evolved. In other words we see the inspiration, but what inspired Hans Wilsdorf? In 1905 when he started his first watch company, Wilsdorf & Davis, what vintage watches inspired him?

Remember, when he started in 1905 wristwatches were almost non-existent, so all he had was pocket-watches for inspiration. As a matter of fact, at the time, the consensus was that watch 'wristlets' as they were commonly referred to were considered to be effeminate on men.

In November and December of 1974, Rolex assembled an incomparable collection of watches to show off at the new Rolex Building in New York. This collection included watches on loan from the Metropolitain Museum of Art in New York as well as the Zale Collection of Dallas, the Benis Collection of New York, and most importantly, watches from the Hans Wilsdorf Collection.



When I first saw this 1974 Rolex magazine ad, I was surprised to learn  the Breguet in this ad that was made in 1825 had "One of the first automatic movements." Most people belive Rolex made the first "Automatic" movement when they patented their automatic Perpetual movement in 1931. 

Thus it is fascinating to learn pocket-watches had automatic movements almost 200 years ago!?!?! It just goes to show that indeed, we do learn something new everyday!!!


I must also admit, the more I study this ad, the more I like it. It is really profound, the more you think about it!!!!!

In this incredible article we will be examining just some of the fascinating watches from Hans Wilsdorf's personal collection. The first thing that stands out in my mind about Hans Wilsdorf is that he was extremely passionate about collecting beautiful watches with staggering detail. 

The second thing that stands out is that he loved colorful watches, and particularly jewel-tone colors. Just to be clear, ALL the watches below are from the Hans Wilsdorf Collection.


Fully Enameled Dress Watch
Made in 1665 by Jeremias Flug of Passau. 38mm. Number 116.

This first watch is from 1665 and it was made in Germany by Jeremias Flug of Passau. The watch is fully enameled and the form has silver-set turquoise and the back enamel depicts the Departure of Ulysses. The diameter is 38mm, which means it is bigger than a current Rolex Datejust (36mm), but smaller than a Rolex Submariner (40mm)

The most fascinating thing in my mind is that the original pocket-watches only had one hand and that was an hour hand. Having a second hand (pun not intended) did not come along for many, many years.



XVII Century Gold Enamelled Dress Watch
Made between 1670-1680. 36mm. Number 118.

This next dress watch (pictured in the next three images) is from 1670-1680 and was made my Thomas Willimson of London. The movement has no hairspring and the bassine case is painted inside and out in multicolored enamel by Huade le Puisne (1665-1723), whose signature appears in the cartouche. Puisne was an eminent member of a famed dynasty of early Geneva painters in enamel. 

The back of the watch which is pictured below shows Cleopatra and the Asp. The Asp is a poisonous snake and as legend goes, Cleopatra put the snake to her chest to kill herself rather than surrender to Caesar Augustus. This watch is 36mm.

The watch case also has mythological landscapes inside


XVII Century Gold Enamelled Dress Watch
Made between 1676-1680. 36mm. Number 119.

This next watch (as seen in the next three photos below) was made by a Parisian named Dumoulin sometime between 1676-1680. The watch has an open face bassine and dial. The inside and outside are done in multicolored enamel by the great Huaud le Pusine. The dial represents Salome with the head of John the Baptist and the outer cover shows Herod, Herodias and Salome. This watch is 36mm.





Pair-Case Window Automaton Watch
Made in 1702 by Baltazard Faure. 62mm. Number 118.

This next watch is really interesting. It is called a pair-case window automaton watch and it was made by Baltazard Faure of Geneva in 1702 out of silver. 

The oval aperture is the silver dial successively reveals fine multicolored enameled figures representing stage personae. The panels are moved by depressing the pendant. This watch is a whopping 62mm.


 Enamel & Gold Bedside Watch
Made in 1760. 36mm. Number 138.

This next watch is know as a Bedside Watch and it is a jumbo 79mm. It was made in England and strikes hours and quarters and has a center second hand which is not visible in the photo below. The case is pierced and engraved with splendid detail on Geneva enamel. The flowers are inlaid in gold. The case and bezel have two circles of rubies and pearls.



Louis XV Sedan Chair Watch
Made between 1750 by Julien Le Roy. 110mm. Number 140.

This next watch is called a Lois The 15th Sedan Chair Clock-Watch. This French made beauty has an alarm movement and is signed by Julien Le Roy of Paris and was made in 1750. The watch is a quarter repeater–on a string with a silver acorn–and has alarm and calendar subsidiary dial. The case and bezel are pierced and engraved silver. This 110mm watch has a swivel suspension that enables it to follow the movements of the sedan chair thus avoiding injury.


Opera-Glass Telescope With Watch
Made in 1760 by James Cox, London. Length 237mm. Number 145.

Next we have an Opera-Glass Telescope with a built in watch from the Loius the 15th era. This telescope has a wooden interior tube that is covered with transparent lacquer on a gold ground. It is decorated with pierced gold, repousse and open work. The six golden panels contain enamel silhouettes of birds and animals. The hinged , swing-out watch at the end is movable and signed by James Cox, London and was made in 1760. The bezel on the watch is studded with rubies and the telescope is 237mm long.


Danish Gold Dress Watch
Made between 1750-1760 by I. Iac. Lincke of Copenhagen. 55mm. Number 146.

This dress watch has an outer case that  depicts the Three Graces with and the watch features a repeater movement.



Chatelaine With Watch In Geneva Enamel
Made between 1750-1760. Length 190mm. Number 150.

This next contraption is a Chatelaine with a watch in Geneva Enamel. This elaborately jeweled fob is named a chatelain and it caries a watch with a rare-half quarter repeater movement that was signed by Benjamin Gray and Justin Vullimay in London in 1750-1760. The watch has a double Geneva-made case is gold with enameling and engraving. The Chatelanin has charms that include a locket of hair, a good luck horseshoe, a watch key and a hand-shaped amulet. It is 190mm in length.

Louis XVI Ring Watch 
Made in 1770. 23mm. Number 154.

Next we have a Louis The 16th Men's Ring Watch. This watch was likely made in Geneva around 1770 and has a cylinder escapement movement with  a repeater which chimes quarter hours on an invisible bell. The ring diameter is 23mm.


Directoire Silver Decimal Watch
Made in 1793. 60mm. Number 159.

This next watch is really unusual. It was made in 1793 and was designed for the post-French Revolutionary era and it is called a Republican calender Directoire Decimal Watch. The watch has a twelve month year, thirty day months and ten-hour days with hundred minute hours. The dial represents the new decimal system which only lasted a year. It shows the ten days of the Republican week, with their quaint and forgotten names. A small traditional dial synchronizes the classic twelve-hour cycles with the new ten-hour day. This watch is 60mm.


Breguet Pair-Case Gold and Enamel Watch
Made in 1810 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. 57mm. Number 168.

This next masterpiece was made by Abraham-Louis Breguet and it has his secret signature on the dial of the ruby cylinder movement. The white enamel dial has both Turkish and Western numerals. The multi-color enamel on the outside of the watch is amazing as you can clearly see. The watch is 57mm.


French Empire Self-Winding Gold Watch
Made in 1820 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. 66mm. Number 170.

This next watch is a highly complicated self-winding watch and is a so-called Perpetuelle which contains a platinum rotor. It has an hour, quarter and minute repeater, as well as a 31-day calendar that shows the moon phases. The engine-turned dial is silver and contains a centered calendar hand. Breguet's tiny, but not secret signature and shop number are engraved on both sides of the XII indices. It is just amazing to realize this watch was made in 1820, long before Hans Wilsdorf was born.


Triple-Case "Turkish" Dress Watch
Made in 1824. Movement By Rundell & Bridge, London. 56mm. Number 173.

This watch has a triple case in gold that is highly decorated with Turkish landscapes done in magnificent Geneva enamel.  The watch has a quarter repeater movement.


Gold and Enamel Automation Watch
Made in 1815 with a Piquet & Meylan of Geneva Movement. 55mm. Number 174.

This next watch is a musical repeater type. It has an automaton of a moving figure which becomes visible by opening the back. The figures on the front are of Titus and Berenice.


Gold and Enamel Bonbonnier-shaped Watch
Made between 1815-1820. 63mm. Number 175.

This French Empire watch skillfully painted in enamel. The center panel has a fruit motif encircled by 12 floral segments which is surrounded by 750 pearls.


French Restoration Pistol Watch
Made in 1820 signed by Garrand. Length 125mm. Number 176.

This gold and enamel automaton pistol watch with pomander has a watch hidden in the handle. When the trigger is pressed a lotus flower springs from the barrel end which sprays perfume.


French Empire Mandolin-Shaped Watch
Made between 1815 & 1820 by Piguet & Meylan, Geneva. Length 130mm. Number 179.

This mandolin shaped watch has a music box and repeater gongs that play O du Lieber Augustin.

Conclusion

I must admit I was never a fan of pocket-watches before putting together this article, but I learned so much about the evolutionary steps of the pocket-watch that made it absolutely fascinating. 

I think the greatest takeaway point from this story is that Hans Wilsdorf was extremely passionate about exploring watch design and had a very deep appreciation for horology. 


Sunday, December 24, 2023

Holiday Video: Marshmallow World with Frank and Dino

 


...It's A Marshmallow World...


Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra


1967 Family Christmas Special

Dean Martin singing Marshmallow World has always been one of my favorite Holiday songs, since it is so positive and upbeat, and what could be any better?  Watching Dino singing Marshmallow World with Frank Sinatra.  It doesn't get any better than this!!!!!

 

In the photo below we see Dean Martin's family with Frank Sinatra's family on the set of a Christmas special from 1967.


In 1967, Dean Marin and Frank Sinatra had a special two-family Christmas Show and in the photo below you see Gail Martin with her dad Dean Martin, and then you see Frank Sinatra with his daughter Nancy.




Also, you can watch the entire 1968 Dean Marin Christmas Show below...


Speaking of great Christmas shows from the mid to late 1960s, The Andy Williams Christmas show from 1966 which you can watch below is amazing—especially the music...


Since we are enjoying some amazing Christmas music video, I could not leave this one out which features David Bowie and Bing Crosby singing Little Drummer Boy...

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Season's Greetings from Hans Wilsdorf, Founder Of Rolex



Season's Greetings

From Christmas 75 Years Ago


Hans Wilsdorf

Founder Of Rolex


Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. He built a world-wide wrist watch empire that is stronger and healthier today than ever. I have been utterly fascinated with learning everything I could about his life and times which I have shared with my readers over the past 16 years. I wanted to learn what made Hans Wilsdorf tick, as it offers clues into what makes Rolex tick. 






The Season's Greetings message above from Hans Wilsdorf was originally published in 1948 and appears as part of my story titled "The Vintage Rolex Christmas Ads & Black Tie Guide." Hans Wilsdorf message is as apropos and on-point today as it was when first published 75 Christmases ago in 1948. Rolex has always been a chic brand for women as we see below in the vintage 1931 Rolex Ad.




The next Rolex ad was originally published in 1968 and features a beautiful woman wearing Pucci.




In this last image we see the gorgeous Skier and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Lindsey Vonn rocking her Submariner from a few Christmases ago. You can learn much more about The Rolex Woman and How Women Began Wearing Men's Rolex Watches on Jake's Rolex World.



To all my readers located all over planet earth, I wish you a very Merry Christmas,  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!