Single Red SEA-DWELLER Lume Shot...

...Lume Shot Of The Day...


Single Red SEA-DWELLER

Palace Of Fine Arts

San Francisco, California 

I took the Rolex Lume shots seen below in front of the Palace Of Fine Arts in San Francisco, of the Single Red SEA-DWELLER. I could not make up my mind as to which image I like better, so I am sharing both. The first image shows only the markers, hands and bezel pearl glowing, and the lower photo shows much more dial detail.

Rolex Diplomat Extraordinare Henry Kissinger Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

 

Rolex Diplomat Virtuoso

& Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Henry Kissinger

Belongs To The Ages

1923-2023

Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

Henry Kissinger passed away today at the age of 100 years old, which is amazing if you think about it. Henry certainly lived a fascinating life, and as we see he wore a Rolex tool watch, specifically a Rolex political tool watch for diplomats, in the form of a super-iconic yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.

Henry Kissinger in 1981 wearing his Rolex President

Henry Kissinger died at age 100 and was born Heinz Alfred Kissinger in 1923 in what is now considered to be Germany. Kissinger is a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany in 1938 with his family who came to the United States. Kissinger graduated summa cum laude from Harvard college in 1950 with a BA degree and a PhD in 1954, and went on to become a politician, diplomat and geopolitical consultant. In 1973, Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations for the ceasefire in Vietnam.

Kissinger served as Secretary of State and was a National Security Adviser to Presidents Nixon and Ford.

SailGP – Intense competition guaranteed

SailGP
Intense Competition GUARANTEED

SailGP combines technological innovation with supreme athleticism in the pursuit of excellence. Competing in this world-leading racing league requires precision, dedication and the highest level of performance from crews and their identical, lightning-fast F50 catamarans. Season 4 of the championship began in June 2023 with the Rolex United States Grand Prix – marking the first time the brand has been Title Sponsor of a SailGP event – and features a record 12 grand prix spread across North America, Europe, the Arabian Peninsula and Oceania. 

Each location is chosen for its international stature and ability to host competitive sailing close to shore for maximum spectator engagement. As well as transforming yacht racing, the series inspires positive change through its initiatives to encourage sustainability and develop career pathways for women and young sailors. Rolex has supported SailGP since its debut season in 2019 as part of its long-standing partnership with yachting dating back more than 60 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.

Restoration of a $100,000 Rolex GMT From 1958!

Restoration of a $100,000 
Rolex GMT From 1958!

Christian's LV Submariner Out In The Tundra

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Christian's LV Submariner Out In The Tundra

Christian from Munich, Germany took this hand-in-glove wrist shot of his LV Submariner outside on a snow covered day. The LV Submariner remains one of my favorite Rolex watches of all-time.

Rare Rolex 6241 John Player Special for Sale

John Player Special

Rolex Daytona

Ultra-Rare Rolex for Sale

        

Jake's recent article about the stainless steel Paul Newman Daytona got me thinking about how beautiful the gold models from that era were, so I thought I would share this story. The yellow-gold Rolex Daytona pictured above and below was sold at auction for the first time back in 2017. A rare reference of the Rolex Daytona Paul Newman, one of the most desirable watches in the world, sold back in November of 2017.

The 1969 Rolex was auctioned off by Pandolfini Casa d'Aste, a 90-year-old Italian auction house that mostly specializes in the sale of rare furniture. 

This model is a Rolex Daytona reference 6241 in 14kt yellow gold. This reference, which was nicknamed the John Player Special, is highly sought after, especially the 14kt version. Notice the "14k" engraved in the center picture below and the reference "6241" in the right picture.

Manufactured between 1960 and 1969, the reference 6241 has about 2,000 steel examples, but only 300 in 18kt yellow gold and less than 400 in 14kt yellow gold! On the wrist below, the actual 6241 for sale.

The watch's nickname, John Player Special, was born as a result of the John Player Special cigarette brand's sponsorship of the Lotus Formula One driven by legendary F1 champion Ayrton Senna. Even today, this car is remembered as one of the finest Formula One cars ever made for its black and gold livery that gave it a look of particular elegance.

The 6241 was designed for the American market with the Paul Newman dial. Only 400 were made in the 14kt version. Below a page, in Italian, from the auction catalog.

The 6241 for sale on Nov. 30 has a well-preserved case, perfect condition dial and original 14kt gold bracelet, according to Pandolfini Casa d'Aste. The watch was estimated to reach between 140,000 and 180,000 Euros ($165,000 to $210,000), but most Pandolfini auctions have exceeded estimates. [UPDATE: This magnificent beauty sold for 478,800 Euros, or $570,284.]

Paul Newman Daytona Refernces...

...Rolex Ultra-Super Coolness...

Paul Newman

Rolex Daytona Video

Captain Danny and I were recently talking about this recent super-cool Rolex video seen below titled "The Triumph of Endurance" which features Paul Newman.

Rolex profoundly quipped: Watch or legend? Launched in 1963, the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona has long since transcended its status in the world of watchmaking to become an icon. Its name, inextricably linked to the famous racetrack, as well as its graphic face, have made it a legend. Since its launch, the Cosmograph Daytona has been the watch of choice for motor sport enthusiasts. Like the legendary actor, experienced racing driver and pioneering social entrepreneur Paul Newman, many have adopted the timepiece in their everyday lives beyond the racetrack. It symbolizes the determination and conviction of those with the courage to follow their own path according to their own rules.

Paul Newman

REFERENCE 6239

Paul Newman was the living personification of the Rolex Daytona in many senses. Newman famously owned two different early vintage Rolex Daytona models which were arguably antithetical in the sense one featured a white dial [Reference 6239] seen below, and the other featured a black dial [Reference 6263]:

Pictured above we see Paul Newman rocking his White Exotic Dial Daytona which sold at auction back in 2017 for a record setting $17.8 Million.

Paul Newman

REFERENCE 6263

Back in May I discovered this vintage Rolex Magazine cover from Japan which features a great photo of Paul Newman rocking his famous black dial Reference 6263 on a bund strap. Having worn both black and white base dial stainless steel Daytona models represents a kind of Yin and Yang that remains popular today as Rolex still offers both of these models.

There is also a bizarre red dial Daytona model on the cover which looks kind of cool, but unfortunately it’s a Fugazi. Back in 2008, I showcased several red dial Daytona models that appeared in the wild, which look super cool, but the best scholarship suggests they were real Rolex Daytona models with modified dials, or perhaps prototype dials. Even though Rolex NEVER made a red dial Daytona, I thought they looked so cool, I created a dream red dial Daytona design reference for one back in 2008.

Later in his life, Paul Newman owned and wore many more stainless steel Rolex Daytona models, but the two pictured above remain the most iconic and sought after...

One More Thang

Current Daytona Models

Rolex currently offers the Daytona models below in stainless steel, which have evolved into some true beauties.

Rolex recently surprised collectors when they introduced a special edition 100the Anniversary of a Le Mans Daytona which features subdials like the ones found on Paul Newmans Daytona models. Rolex put together a special 24 episode documentary series the showcased the fascinating history of Le Mans.

Rolex perfectly described the attributes of the Le Mans Daytona:

    "Rolex is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race with an original version of its legendary chronograph. Crafted in 18 kt white gold, this new watch sports a Cerachrom bezel in black ceramic; on the tachymetric scale, the number ‘100’ in red ceramic evokes the race’s centenary."

    "Standing out against the bright black dial are intense white counters whose graphic design is inspired by a traditional Rolex dial. The Oyster case is fitted with a transparent back and an Oyster bracelet. This original timepiece is equipped with an exclusive movement, calibre 4132, which allows the hours of the chronograph function to be counted over twenty-four hours – another nod to the race – instead of the model’s usual twelve. 

    "This movement incorporates the Chronergy escapement, Paraflex shock absorbers, and bridges decorated with Rolex Côtes de Genève. The cut-out oscillating weight in 18 kt yellow gold is fitted with an optimized ball bearing. Like all Rolex watches, this special version of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, which ensures excellent performance on the wrist."

The 1964 Rolex Le Mans 

It's fascinating to note that Rolex initially planed to call the Rolex Daytona model, the Rolex Le Mans as we witness in this 1964 Rolex ad—which ironically kind of looks like the 100th Anniversary Rolex Daytona Le Mans Editon.

2008 Rolex Hotness

2008 Rolex Hotness

Bejeweled Ladies Pearlmaster

Oh man, you gotta miss the late Heiniger days at Rolex. This image deja vu's me out and it can out at the exact same time I started Jake's Rolex World back in 2008. This ad represents the beginning of a new Rolex Magazine style ad that was Apple-like simple, where it only has the Rolex Logo, and Rolex.com.

Don Walsh Belongs To The Ages 1931-2023

 

U.S. Navy Captain

Don Walsh Ph. D

Belongs To The Ages

1931-2023

King of The DEEP

Legendary Deep Sea Explorer, Don Walsh passed away this week on November 12, 2023. I met and spent many hours interviewing Don Walsh back in 2008 for an article I worked on celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Challenger Deep all-time record set by the U.S. Navy's Bathyscaphe Trieste back in 1960. I really enjoyed the time I spent interviewing Don, and will always remember him as an amazingly intelligent and accomplished Rolex brand ambassador. I remember Don as being very down to earth, humble and extremely knowledgeable.

Don Walsh was one of three Rolex history characters aboard the U.S. Navy Bathyscaphe Trieste back in 1960 when it set an all-time depth record by traveling down 7 miles, with the Rolex DEEP-SEA Prototype (pictured at the top of this story) attached to the outside of the submersible.

The DEEPEST Dive In History

In the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy purchased the Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible from the Piccard's, and hired Jacques Piccard to continue overseeing its testing. 

The U.S. Navy and Piccard were extremely ambitious and after significantly reinforcing the Bathyscaphe Trieste attempted to take it down to the deepest known point in the earths ocean, which was a place named The Challenger Deep, located near Guam in the South Pacific, in the Marianas Trench. Once again, the Trieste was equipped with another Rolex DEEP-SEA Prototype attached to the outside, and of course it came back-up unscathed.

The 1953 Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype

The following ad from Rolex shows the early prototype of the Rolex DEEP-SEA Special that set an earlier record in 1953 on the Bathyscaph Trieste when it set a record of 10,350 feet. This watch differs from the one version that was attached to the Bathyscaph Trieste in 1960 in that it has what appears to be a spinning bezel.

The 1960 Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype

This next ad is from early 1961 and Rolex shares its stunning story of accomplishment. It is fascinating to note that Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex was born on March 22, 1881 and passed away on July 6, 1960 in Geneva, just 6 months after the Rolex DEEP-SEA Special prototype had set the world depth record. 

Han's Wilsdorf's Oyster Perpetual had successfully conquered the top of the world and the bottom of the ocean–his work was done and he must have passed away one satisfied man.

THINK DEEPLY

The U.S. Navy mission patch below for Operation Tekton says "Pensate Profunde" which, when translated from latin means "Think Deeply." It also has the Navy dolphin and Bathyscaphe Triest logo.

The illustration below shows the exact location of where the Bathyscaph Trieste set the all-time world depth record in the Challenger Deep section of the Mariana Trench. The Trieste during the time of Operation Tekton was located at the U.S. Naval Station at Apra Harbor, Guam, which is approximately 200 miles north-east of the Challenger Deep.

The Challenger Deep

The following diagram gives a fascinating perspective on the Mariana Trench and the Challenger Deep. It is profound to note that the Challenger Deep at more than 35,000 feet is deeper than the highest point on earth which is Mt. Everest at just over 29,000 feet.

Pictured below, we see a diagram that illustrates just how deep the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench is at 36,070 feet. Notice the Challenger Deep is significantly deeper than Mount Everest is tall. This excellent illustration really puts things in an accurate and easily understandable perspective.

Anatomy of The

Bathyscaph Trieste DEEP-SEA Submersible

The Bathyscaph Trieste was a work of engineering art and science. In the late 1930's, Jacques Piccard's father, Auguste Piccard came up with an amazing idea to build an "underwater free balloon" that would allow mankind to explore the deep seas.

Auguste Piccard was a mad-genius who had already built the first balloon that allowed a man to reach the earth's stratosphere, and next he applied this same principle toward the ocean. The Bathyscaph Trieste (as diagramed below) was essentially a balloon which Piccard referred to as a float. The float consisted of a thin metal shell that was filled with gasoline. Gasoline is lighter than water, which would allow the float to ascend or climb in the water, once ballast was released.

The float had ballast tanks (as seen in the diagram above) which allowed for positive buoyancy while the float was floating on the ocean surface. The ballast tanks could be vented which would result in filling them up with sea-water, which would, in-turn, allow the Bathyscaph to dive. The dive or descent rate could be controlled or stopped by the release of solid weights which consisted of metal pellets that were in the shot tubs, that could be easily released.

The two member crew stayed in the observation gondola–as seen above–which was located at the bottom of the float. The observation gondola sphere was made by Krupp Works in Essen, Germany and was designed to be able to sustain a maximum depth rating of 50,000 feet, which significantly exceeded the deepest point on the ocean floor which was the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench–off Guam. 

The Krupp observation gondola sphere was a magnificent piece of structural engineering and it had walls that were between 5 and 7 inches thick!!!! The photo above of the Trieste model has part of the gondola cutaway so you can see inside, but the actual gondola (as seen below) did not have this feature. Instead, the team would enter from the top of the Bathyscaph and climb down the entrance tunnel–like on a Submarine.

The photo below shows the Bathyscaph Trieste flying the American flag, since it was owned by the U.S. Navy, along with the Swiss Flag, since Piccard was Swiss as well as the Italian Flag, since it was originally constructed in Trieste, Italy.

After they returned from their record-shattering dive, Jacques Piccard sent Rolex of Geneva a historic telegram that simply said:

"Happy to announce that your watch works as well at 11,000 meters as it does on the surface." –Jacques Piccard

The press release below tells the story of the actual Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype watch, and how it ended up in the Smithsonian Institute.

All Time DEEP-SEA Depth Record 

Trieste Descends To 36,070 Feet

January 23, 1960

The photo below shows the Bathyscaphe Trieste out in the Pacific Ocean as she prepares to set the all-time depth record of 36,070 Feet on January 23, 1960.

The Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible took 4 hours and 48 minutes to descended to the ocean floor.

Don Walsh retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain and went on to earn his Doctorate in Oceanography from Texas A & M University. 

Don continued to be an extremely active explorer and he is pictured below standing in front of the Mir DEEP-SEA Submersible as he prepared to travel down 15,000 feet on an expedition to explore the wreck of the Bismarck. Captain Don Walsh USN (ret), PhD., maintained the title of Honorary President Of The Explorers Club.

–James Cameron 

[National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence].

In the photo below we see James Cameron posing with the National Geographic Society flag, just after he attempted to break Don Walsh's depth record in the same Challenger Deep. I think James Cameron is an amazing explorer, and I LOVE this photo, which has a definite  modern Jacques-Yves Cousteau vibe.

In the photo below we see James Cameron shaking hands with Captain Don Walsh, who successfully set the all-time depth record in 1960 while piloting the U.S. Navy Bathyscaphe Trieste in the same waters. 

Not only was retired U.S. Navy Captain Don Walsh on board, but as a Rolex ambassador, it was his idea to have Rolex collaborate with James Cameron to put a new Rolex DEEP-SEA to this test on this fantastic journey. 

Captain Walsh also served as an indispensable consultant to James Cameron on this epic project, and in the photos above and below we see them after the record dive and Captain Walsh is proudly posing with the original Rolex DEEP-SEA Special prototype that accompanied him on the outside of his Bathyscaphe Trieste, and James Cameron is also proudly posing with the Rolex DEEP-SEA CHALLENGE watch that accompanied him on the outside of his DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible.

In the photo below we see James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER on deck in the background, and we see Captain Walsh standing behind a scaled model of the original Bathyscaphe Trieste. It is amazing how cool and historical these images are. Talk about iconic worlds colliding. This photo really captures the core-essence of The Rolex Spirit of Enquiry and Exploration. This is as real as the real deal gets–the OG hanging-tough with the OG. 

I live-blogged James Cameron's conquest of the Deep-Sea on Jake's Rolex World with minute by minute updates as the whole thing unfolded live. It is fascinating to note this is the most outstanding action related Rolex event I have ever witnessed in my lifetime as an adult! 

In this next photo we see three of the greatest explorers alive; Captain Don Walsh, Doctor Robert Ballard (who discovered the Titanic), and James Cameron. Even though Don Walsh has stepped back into infinity, his amazing lifetime achievements will no doubt continue to inspire future generations of explorers and trailblazers.