Rolex recently published this stunningly beautiful & magnificent documentary trilogy which among other things discovers the first arctic marine animal forest. The videos are in French, so if you don't speak French, be sure to turn click on the Subtitles button, which should offer English subtitles. The following text accompanies each Rolex video:
The ecosystems of the Arctic seas remain mysterious even as the sea ice retreats due to climate change. To learn more, Under The Pole’s Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout led an expedition to Svalbard, supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. The explorers dived into the frigid waters in search of marine animal forests. These ecosystems are just as essential to life on Earth as forests on land, yet little is known about them.
When the explorers at Under The Pole dive into the Arctic Ocean, they face formidable challenges. The water is so cold it hurts, and the chill also wears out their equipment. Arctic dives require careful preparation and the right frame of mind but the reward is discovery. The team has found the first-ever marine animal forest in the Arctic off the coast of Svalbard, as part of its ongoing DEEPLIFE programme supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
By exploring the Arctic seas, the team at Under The Pole aims to document the region’s hidden ecosystems and preserve them. Only by understanding the marine animal communities that exist in these icy waters – and how they are changing – is it possible to take action. Divers Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout want to ensure a living world for the next generation. Their science-driven exploration is supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Vu took this stunning macro shot of his stainless and platinum Yachtmaster which is just amazing!!! The bezel and dial on this model are Platinum and the rest of the watch is stainless steel. That platinum dial is really something else when you catch it in the right light.
I Dream Of Rolex Larry Hagman & Barbara Eden Rolex Lady Date & Day-Date
What does I Dream Of Jeannie have in common with Rolex? They are both beautiful Timeless Classics that make people smile! I Dream Of Jeannie is one of the most iconic TV shows in history, right up there with I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show.
I Dream Of Jeannie originally aired on TV in 1965 and ran to 1970, which covered 5 seasons and 139 episodes. The premise of the show was that a NASA Astronaut was in a rocket that was launched and went off-course and landed on a desert island, where he finds a beautiful genie in a bottle he opens, who calls him 'Master'. Probably every man's dream :-0
Larry Hagman passed away on November 23, 2012, and in the photo below, we see Barbara Eden who played Jeannie, and Larry Hagman who played Major Nelson on I Dream Of Jeannie, hanging out together not so long before he passed away, and notice both of them are still wearing their yellow gold Rolex watches!!!
So let's go back in The Rolex Time Machine and take a closer look at their Rolex watches.
First we see Barbara Eden wearing her yellow gold Rolex Lady-Date model on Jubilee Bracelet.
The photo below of Barbara Eden was taken when she turned 90 years old and notice she is still wearing her yellow gold Rolex Lady Date. Today Barbara is 91 years young.
DALLAS
Next we see Larry Hagman who went on from playing Major Nelson on I Dream Of Jeannie, to playing J.R. Ewing on the epic TV Show Dallas. Dallas ran from 1978 to 1991, and was ultra successful. Larry Hagman is pictured below wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date on Dallas.
In later episodes of Dallas, Larry Hagman's character started sporting his yellow gold Rolex "President" on a special special custom-made gold and leather strap with his J.R. initials on it, as seen below.
Larry Hagman reprised his role as J.R. Ewing on Dallas when it came back to TV in 2012, and in the photos below we see Larry Hagman wearing his Rolex Day-Date on his special JR Gold Band.
On I Dream Of Jeannie, Larry Hagman played the role of Air Force/ NASA Major Anthony Nelson. The show aired from 1965 to 1970 and in many ways it mirrored the times. Specifically, between 1965 and 1970, NASA went from Project Mercury to Gemini to Apollo. Project Mercury put the first American in space to orbit the Earth, and Apollo was the first to put a man on the moon. At the time, the NASA Astronauts were like the new cowboys.
DEADLY ENCOUNTER
1982 Helicopter Action Movie
Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner
Reference 1680
In the photos below we see Larry Hagman in a different role, rockin' a different Rolex model–this time he is wearing a Rolex sports watch, which appears to be a Submariner Reference 1680 in Stainless Steel.
I received an email a decade ago from a reader of Jake's Rolex World who lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, named Luiz, and he sent me the following email:
Hi Mr. Jake...
My name is HEITOR AZEVEDO, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil... I´m a Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter pilot. I have two Rolex Submariner Supercase Ceramic... and I´m a great admirer of your blog and histories.
I saw a Larry Hagman´s movie from 1982. In the first scene, you can see Mr. Hagman proceeding a helicopter pre-flight check wearing a beautiful Rolex Submariner in the movie DEADLY ENCOUNTER.
I was looking for this movie, to watch the helicopters performances, but I was very surprised when in the first scene I saw Larry Hagman wearing a Submariner almost like my two 116610LN (I have one with steel bracelet and another one with a black rubber bracelet with white needlework line that I usualy wear to work).
I hope to have helped to improve your fantastic blog histories.
Thank you very much, best regards,
HEITOR AZEVEDO – Rio de Janeiro – Brazil.
Thank you so much Heitor, and yes I watched the whole movie and got some screen grabs of Larry Hagman wearing his stainless steel Submariner. By the way, Larry Hagman made this movie in 1981, while he was staring in Dallas. Dallas began in 1978 and ran until 1991.
Watching this movie was a trip. The helicopter flying and stunts were fascinating, but it was really kind of a cheesy early 1980s movie. Think, Airwolf, meets Charlie's Angels, meets Star Wars, meets Miami Vice ;-) Either way, it is still a trip to see Larry Hagman rockin' a stainless steel Rolex Submariner.
Raquel Welch is considered to be one of the most beautiful women that ever lived, and she passed away today at age 82. In the photo below we see Raquel wearing her two-tone Rolex Lady Datejust.
Just when I started thinking I might have seen it all in the world of Rolex, Nick Gould shares this over-the-top unique all platinum Rolex Yacht-Master model with me that was made for either former André-Jean Heiniger, or his son, Patrick Heiniger. In case you are not familiar, this model historically only was made out of stainless steel with a Platinum bezel, or in yellow gold, but has NEVER been made in Platinum.
This special model was made to commemorate the the epic milestone as it is the 10 Millionth Rolex ever made with a COSC movement. This watch features a special dial designation that says "DIX MILLIONIEME CHRONOMETRE", which is unusual as Rolex which is very unusual as I don't recall seeing many Rolex watches that did not feature all English characters on the dial. This watch even features a special engraving on the Rotor that has a 10,000,000th Chronometer designation.
My amazing researcher Alan from Hong Kong just surprised me when he sent in this amazing Japanese Tudor Submariner ad that features a Porsche 906. Very Cool!!! Ironically, the Porsche 906 was designed by Ferdinand Piëch, who was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche.
The photo below is from 1969 and shows Japanese racecar driver Tomohiko Tsutsumi who was a member of the Tudor Watch Racing Team, and notice he is rocking a Tudor Submariner in this photo.
The box below is from 1968 and features the same Porsche 906. If you look carefully you will notice on the front hood of the car there is a 'ROLEX' logo just below the steering wheel, as well as a 'TUDOR' logo at the front of the hood.
This next image below shows Tomohiko Tsutsumi is the same Tudor branded car in 1969 and notice the Rolex logo has been removed from the front hood of the car.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is renowned for being one of the toughest tests of sailing ability and an icon of the sport since its inauguration in 1945. The 2022 edition of the so-called Great Race South featured a fleet of 109 yachts, comprising professionals and Corinthians, and some 20 double-handed (two-person) crews that set off under blue skies and bright sunshine from Sydney Harbour on 26 December. Sam Haynes, owner of the 52-foot (15.85 metre) Celestial, received the Tattersall Cup, the most coveted prize awarded for overall victory on corrected time, while John Winning Jr’s Andoo Comanche took line honours, completing the 628-nautical mile course in one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds – two hours outside the race record established in 2017. Rolex has supported this offshore classic, organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) with its partner the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, for 20 years as part of the brand’s wide-ranging support for yachting dating back almost 70 years.
Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand’s enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world’s most famous harbours. Rolex’s partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.
Below is a map that shows the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race route.
I have been meaning to write this Red Adair Rolex story since I originally posted a story back in 2008 on a vintage Rolex ad that featured him. Red Adair is legendary oil well firefighter and he appeared in Rolex ads beginning in the late 1960s that featured Day-Date models. Red Adair also wore other Rolex models during his amazing career.
The image below shows Red Adiar's watch with the special oil well fire graphic.
The Red Adair Rolex Day-Date ad seen below is from 1969.
Red Adair Rolex Day-Date ads ran from the late 1960s through the 1980s, and the one below is similar to the one at the top of this story.
John Wayne played Red Adair in the 1969 movie named "Hellfighters" as we seen from the lobby card below.
Red Adair is pictured below in Kuwait in 1991 during the Gulf War where his company put out all the fires that Saddam Huissen started when they withdrew from Kuwait after their invasion was thwarted by the United States.
I originally published this story on Jake's Rolex World 15 years ago—back in 2008 that featured exclusive photos that Elvis Presley's Graceland took for Jake's Rolex World. Since Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie Presley recently passed away, this story has been getting a lot of attention so I thought it made sense to bring it back to the top and extend it significantly to also include my discover of Elvis rocking his Rolex Submariner. In many ways it seems surrealistic that Lisa Marie is gone, as she was like Rock n' Rolex Royalty, and just like her father, she died way too young...
The King's King Elvis Presley Rolex King Midas & Rolex Submariner
I would like to thank Graceland for their extremely kind and gracious assistance with taking the exclusive photos of Elvis Presley's Limited Edition Rolex King Midas for Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. Elvis Presley is known as The King of Rock & Roll. Elvis Presley changed the world with his amazing music. Elvis was extremely handsome, charismatic and ultra-talented.
Very few people knew Elvis wore a Rolex, but it was not just any Rolex. Elvis wore a limited edition Rolex King Midas (Model Reference Number 9630) which Rolex only made 1000 examples of. The King Midas at the time was the most expensive Rolex money could buy. As a matter of fact, in 1970 a Rolex Day-Date retailed for $1825 and a King Midas retailed for $2500. In 1975 a Day-Date retailed for $3300 and a King Midas retailed for $5500.
This very, very rare limited edition Rolex King Midas was given to Elvis as a token of appreciation for playing 6 days of sold-out concerts in 1970 at the Houston Astrodome Livestock Show & Rodeo.
Elvis is pictured above with his Rolex King Midas in his right hand along with the special Rolex King Midas case that was shaped like an urn.
The fascinating video below shows Elvis in 1970 recording at MGM Studios, and if you've ever wondered why he was nicknamed "The King" this video spells it all out:
The following photos were recently taken by a Graceland photographer exclusively for Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. This first image has Elvis Presley's Limited Edition Yellow Gold Rolex King Midas on top of Elvis & Priscilla Presley's wedding bible. Lisa Marie Presley is in the photo with her father, Elvis Presley kissing her head. All the artifacts in these Graceland photos personally belonged to Elvis.
The Return of The King
As always, you can click on the images to get a better view.
Elvis' beautiful Limited Edition Rolex King Midas is pictured above with matching trademark custom Sunglasses. His custom 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Colt 45 is pictured on the left. In the photo below you see Elvis' Diamond TCB (Taking Care of Business in a Flash) pendant and on the far right you see Elvis' Denver Police Captain's badge next to his Hamilton watch.
In the 1970s Elvis became obsessed with Kung Fu and collecting badges. In Part 3 of The Story of Elvis Presley's Rolex King Midas we will explore Elvis' obsession with badges.
Elvis wore his Limited Edition Rolex King Midas quite a bit and it appears he wore it swimming or in a hot tub because it appears to have water damage on the dial. The King Midas was a hand wound watch that was not an Oyster.
Rolex made 1000 Original King Midas watches and Elvis owned and wore number 343, which ironically was a left handed special for south paws. The back in engraved and reads "To Elvis Presley From The Houston Livestock Show Officers 1970."
The original Limited Edition King Midas was NOT a Rolex Cellini. It had a standard Rolex Midas designation. The words King Midas were engraved on the side of the watch as seen below, and had a winding crown that was shaped like the sun.
When Rolex originally introduced the King Midas in the early 1960s it was the heaviest gold watch money could buy. Years later, Piaget came out with a model named the Piaget Polo that was three grams heavier.
The clasp had KING MIDAS BY ROLEX OF GENEVA etched into the clasp as seen below on Elvis' watch.
In Part 2 of The Story of Elvis Presley's Rolex King Midas, we will look closer at the design details of the Rolex King Midas.
Update: I originally published this story on September 3, 2017, and I just updated it with some great new content!
The King Of Rock & Roll Elvis Presley Rolex Submariner James Bond Reference 6538 'Big Crown'
Elvis Presley passed away forty in 1977, but remains one of the most enduring and successful icons in history. Several days ago I published a fascinating detailed story about Elvis Presley and his Rolex King Midas watch from 1970. Today, I am very excited to to show you some photos of Elvis Presley from 1962 that show The King wearing his Rolex Submariner. The photos are from the Elvis Presley movie titled, Girls, Girls, Girls. Elvis is pictured below with the gorgeous Stella Stevens on the set of the movie, and notice Elvis is wearing a Rolex Submariner with a Big Crown!!!
1962 was not only a great year for Elvis, but a great year in general. JFK was the President Of The United States, and all was good in the world...We typically think of Steve McQueen as The King Of Cool, or even Paul Newman, Miles Davis, and Robert Redford, but I think Elvis Presley exists in that same pantheon of Rolex coolness, and in 1962 was the coolest of all...In the close-up photo below, we see Elvis is wearing his Rolex Submariner on a nylon strap.
So why was I so freaked-out when I recently discovered undocumented photos of Elvis Presley wearing a Rolex Submariner? For many reasons!
First of all, Elvis Presley remains to this day, one of the most iconic men and most handsome men in modern history. Especially the younger Elvis from the early 1960s. This is something young Elvis Presley has in common with the Rolex Submariner, is they are both timeless, great looking icons. Also, I was fairly certain that Elvis wore more Rolex watches than just his King Midas, but nobody had ever spotted him wearing one. On a personal note, one of the greatest thrills is the adrenaline rush that comes when I discover a really famous cool person wearing a Rolex nobody has ever seen before. It is kind of like Rolex Spotting/Hunting at it's finest. A specific example of this would be when in 2011 I discovered the now famous photo of Pablo Picasso wearing his Rolex GMT-Master. I remember I almost fell out of my chair when I found it—same with the photos of Elvis Presley wearing a Submariner. It's almost like finding, long lost buried treasure that nobody even knows exists!!!
The photos above and below are from the movie titled Girls, Girls, Girls and shows Elvis singing on stage in a club in Hawaii. If you look closely in the photo above you see Elvis' Submariner, and in the photo below he is checking the time on his Rolex.
The photos above and below are also from Girls, Girls, Girls, and show Elvis wearing his Submariner.
Elvis Presley's movie, titled, Girls, Girls, Girls was filmed in Hawaii in 1962.
Big Crown Sub
1962 was an interesting year, and in the photo below from Girls, Girls, Girls, Elvis Presley is wearing a Rolex Submariner Reference 6538 "Big Crown".
I assume it is a mere coincidence, but on of the best-known, most iconic movies to date that features a man wearing a Rolex Submariner is the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, which also debuted in theaters in 1962.
In the photos above, taken in 1962, we see Sean Connery playing James Bond wearing his 'Big Crown' Submariner, and in the photo below, taken the same year, we see Chuck Yeager wearing his 'Big Crown' Submariner.
Nick Gould recently discovered a photo of Elvis where he appears to be rocking a Rolex Datejust on an adjustable band, which is below. The telltale clues that suggest Elvis might be wearing a Rolex Datejust are the Cyclops Magnifier bubble on the crystal as well as the overall shape of the Oyster case.
The image above MIGHT add a clue to to the watch below, as it is possible, I think, that the watch above could be a Rolex Day-Date?
...The King Of Rock and Roll...
TCB
Elvis Presley's Rolex Day-Date Surfaces [Reference 1803]
On December 8, 2008, I originally published the story below about a purported Rolex Day-Date that belonged to Elvis Presley's, and at the time, I published an image of the engraving of the back which said:
"Elvis. Merry Christmas. Your Pal. Col. Tom Parker."
The photo above is an exclusive photo of the hand-engraved back of Elvis Presley's Rolex Day-Date.
It turns out that Elvis Presley's Rolex Day-Date surfaced on November 23, 2008 and is was offered by the Christie's Auction House, and here is a photo of the watch. According to Christie's, Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker gave the Rolex to Elvis as a Christmas gift in 1976.
The following document was provided by Christie's Auction house as part of the provenance for the Elvis Presley watch, but on the day before the auction, Christie's withdrew the watch for unknown reasons.
Years ago I discovered the image below of a Rolex casebook that was reputed to be a gift from Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker which he may have given Elvis as a Christmas gift, but I cannot confirm its authenticity. If you have photos of Elvis wearing a Rolex, please send them in and I will put them up.
In Chapter 2 named, The Midas Touch we will take a closer look at the Rolex King Midas Limited edition watch and discover its ethos.
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.
