Under The Pole DEEPLIFE | Svalbard Expedition Episodes 1-3

Under The Pole

DEEPLIFE | Svalbard Expedition 

Episodes 1-3

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.

Rolex Macro Shot of the Day: Vu's Magnificent Yachtmaster...

...Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day...

 Magnificent Yachtmaster 

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.

Vintage Rolex GMT-Master Pilot Ad

Jacques Piccard Bathyscaphe Trieste

Vintage Rolex GMT-Master Pilot Ad

I Dream Of Rolex: Larry Hagman & Barbara Eden

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.

2009 SuperCase Rolex GMT Master II Ad Yellow Gold with Ceramic Bezel Insert

2009 SuperCase Rolex GMT Master II Ad

Yellow Gold with Ceramic Bezel Insert

Liza Minnelli Yellow Gold Date Lady Datejust...

Academy Award Winner For Best Actress

Liza Minnelli

Yellow Gold Date Lady Datejust

Liza Minnelli is an absolute SuperStar! She is one of the very few people in history to win an Emmy, Oscar, Tony and Grammy Award. Liza Minelli is pictured below with Sammy Davis Jr., and she is wearing her yellow goal Rolex Ladies Date. Sammy Davis Jr., also wore many different Rolex watches.

Liza Minnelli's mother was Judy Garland, who was also achieved extreme success in her lifetime, beginning with her role as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz. In the video below we see Judy and Liza (Mother and Daughter) perform together in 1964, live at the London Palladium!

Rolex Macro Shot of the Day: Daytona Detail...

Daytona Detail

Champthekid took this fantastic shot of his Rolex Daytona reference number 16520 between the lugs.

Raquel Welch Belongs to the Ages

 

Rolex Beauty

Raquel Welch

Belongs to the Ages

1940-2023

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.

10 Millionth COSC Rolex

 

Just When You Thought You Have Seen It All

All Platinum Unique Yacht-Master

10 Millionth COSC Rolex

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.

How would you like to own this unique Platinum Rolex Yacht-Master!?!! Well it's coming to auction this April 22nd with the Monaco Legend Group, which is located in Monte Carlo at Le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel. Monaco Legend Group has one AMAZING Instagram page if you wan't to check out some seriously cool watches...

1977 Rolex Brochure Cover...

1977 

Rolex Brochure Cover

I am pretty certain this is the first Rolex brochure I ever looked at when I was young...Total Deja Vu when I look at this now!!!

...Rolex Tennis Super-Hotness... Ana Ivanovic

...Rolex Tennis Super-Hotness...

Ana Ivanovic

Rolex Daytona

Vintage Tudor Submariner Porche Ad

Japanese Tudor Submariner

1968 Porche 906 Ad

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.

ROLEX Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The Pinnacle of Classic Offshore Racing

ROLEX 
Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 

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.

Lume Shot Of The Day Sascha's DEEP-SEA Darkness

Lume Shot Of The Day

Sascha's DEEP-SEA Darkness

Red Adair: Oil Well Firefighter Extraordinaire...

Red Adair

Oil Well Firefighter Extraordinaire

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 two photos below of Red Adair were originally published in a 1980 story on Red Adair by the Stars and Stripes, and featured these two photos of him wearing a black dialed Rolex Day-Date with a custom dial made by Rolex that shows an oil well fire.

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.