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!!!

Clyde Beatty 1964 Datejust Ad

Clyde Beatty

1964 Datejust Ad 

Circus Impresario 

Lion Tamer with Two Tiger Cubs

One of my absolute favorite aspects of journaling Rolex history is discovering brilliant vintage ads that had previously disappeared into the abyss. In other words, I think vintage Rolex ads are often times even more interesting than the Rolex watches featured in them. Every so often I discover a vintage Rolex ad that takes my breath away and this beauty from 1964 is one of them. 

There is something so cool about the overall composition of this ad I recently acquired that makes it so cool looking. As I have mentioned before, I perceive these vintage ads as being high-art in-and-of-themselves.

1964 Clyde Beatty Rolex Datejust Magazine Ad

Another one of my favorite things to do when exploring vintage Rolex ads is to do a deep dive into the backstory behind the person featured in the ad, which often times offers me a fascinating history lesson and this ad is no exception. Let's begin by examining a photo that Nick Gould discovered that features Clyde Beatty wearing his Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet. In the photo below we see Clyde Beatty with Prince Rainier of Monaco along with his son, daughter and beautiful wife, Princess Grace of Monaco with Clyde Beatty pictured on the far right rocking his Datejust which is featured in the 1964 Rolex ad seen above.

What can be said of a man long after he has departed the living world? That he left the world having made it a better place than when he entered it? That he made a significant contribution to mankind's understanding of the world we still share? Or, as Saroyan brilliantly said:

"In the time of our life, live—so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it." 

—William Saroyan 

(Pulitzer Prize winner who wrote: The Time of Your Life, 1939)

Clyde Beatty was born in 1903 in Bainbridge, Ohio and passed away at age 62 in 1965 in Ventura, California. Clyde was a famed animal trainer, actor, circus mogul, and zoo owner. 

Clyde Beatty stood 5 foot 6 inches and was nicknamed  'Scrap-Iron Shorty' was the first lion tamer to be featured in a circus and was best known for his 'fighting Act' where he would enter the cage only equipped with a chair, whip, pistol on his hip and a tremendous amount of courage and confidence. 

I was not familiar with Clyde Beatty until I saw his really cool 1964 Rolex ad featured toward the top of this story, but researching and sharing his career achievements has been fascinating. My takeaway from this story is that he personally exhibited many of the characteristics that make a Rolex a Rolex which are strength, value, competent, timelessness, elegance and precision.

Black Dial "Orange Hand" Rolex Explorer II

...Macro Shot Of The Day...

"Orange Hand" with Black Dial

Rolex Explorer II

Rolex Retail: What is Going on?

 

Rolex Retail

What is Going on?

Scarcity v. Abundance

I was recently in a Rolex authorized dealership and I noticed the strangest thing. I took the photo below which shows the ENTIRE Rolex retail showcase, and could not help but notice there were a total of ONLY 18 Rolex watches in these very small and minimalistic glass exhibition showcases.

Also there are small signs in each case with the watches that say "THE WATCHES DISPLAYED ARE FOR EXHIBITION ONLY". I also noticed there are copies of The Rolex Magazine showcased on the countertop which actually looks REALLY COOL!!!

Granted, the Rolex authorized dealership display case pictured above was in a smaller mall, and was NOT a big store, but nonetheless I was surprised at how sparse the collection was. I remember the first time I really noticed and studied the display case in a Rolex authorized dealership when I was 16 years old and that was 41 years ago, and I remember tripping on how many Rolex watches they had under the glass showcase. In other words, they had EVERY main Rolex model in the showcase, for sale. 

I took the photo above and below at Fourtane in Carmel, California in 2008, which is a Rolex authorized dealer, and notice the amazing difference in the retail casing, in the sense they used to carry their inventory in the exhibition cases out on the retail floor, but it seems now like they must keep their inventory in a safe in the back of the store. 

In the old days, it must have been a complete pain-in-the-ass for the retail employees to have to refill/repopulate the showcase every morning before the retail store opens by moving watches from the safe to the retail showcase cabinets. Then, at the end of the day, having to shlep them back into the safe.

So the question I ask is, why is Rolex moving toward such a minimalistic approach to retail showcasing in authorized dealers? I did notice that none of the other brands in the retailer had changed over to a minimalist approach—just Rolex. 

I wonder if Rolex is taking more of an Apple-like minimalist approach, or maybe it's an anti-theft approach based upon increased insurance premiums for exposure? I think if you walk into a store and there are hundreds of Rolex watches in a case it suggests abundance, coupled with a lack of scarcity. When there are are so few Rolex watch models in the sparsely populate small cases, is suggests rarity and scarcity.

So what is really going on with Rolex Supply and Demand? From what I understand, Rolex demand is still unusually high for many popular models, as Rolex has been able to increase supply a bit. While the broader watch market demand has been cooling down since interest rates increased significantly, Rolex remains at the top of their game as they evolve to embrace the future.

Hans Wilsdorf Smartphone Wallpaper by Captain Danny

HANS WILSDORF

Smartphone Wallpaper

by Captain Danny

Our Captain Danny was experimenting with making wallpaper for his iPhone, and he came up with this super-cool wallpaper that shows an artistic version of a photo of Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf that was taken in 1906, and he simply put his first name (HANS) below the image. 

Captain Danny showed it to me and I was so impressed I asked if we could share it, and, of course, he said yes. So you can download the image below and put it on your iPhone or Smartphone.

Captain Danny never ceases to amaze me with his creativity as he constantly surprises me with great ideas. Speaking of great ideas, if you haven't had a chance, be sure to check out his Coron.et Rolex blog which is very cool.

Captain Danny's Coron.et blog is my favorite Rolex blog, beside Jake's Rolex World, as he always offers superb insight, and he typically does it in bite size pieces, with stories that take around a minute or so to enjoy.

ONE MORE THANG

Captain Danny and I were talking about this article after I published it yesterday, and we decided in the future we plan to build an online library of Rolex images for smartphone wallpaper, and here is another one Captain Danny created to share with you:

Lume Shot of The Day Rolex DEEPSEA

 

...Lume Shot of The Day...

ROLEX DEEPSEA

Jacqueline Bisset with Nick Nolte wearing a Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner

...Rolex Coolness...

Nick Nolte

Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner

[Reference 1680]

THE DEEP

1977 

Summertime is moving full speed ahead in the northern hemisphere so I thought it would be fun to hop in the Rolex Time Machine and travel back a half-century to examine one of the great aquatic adventure movies.

Peter Benchley's 1975 Jaws movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and it was a mega-hit. Jaws prompted a slew of underwater/aquatic adventure movies and TV shows. This include movies like The DEEP, and TV shows like The Man From Atlantis. I originally published this story many years ago, but today I am very excited to update it with much new information. Special thanks  Nicolas @ Adpatina.com for providing the superb Submariner Rolex Magazine ad image below, as well as updated high-res for the Peter Benchley Rolex Ads.

This next photo shows Peter Benchley rocking his yellow gold Rolex Submariner (Reference 1680) in real life.

Nick Nolte wore a Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner as he costarred with Jacqueline Bisset from the movie "The Deep" from 1977, as seen below. I remember tripping on The DEEP when I was a kid. It was a great diving movie.

The DEEP featured an all-star cast including Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, as well as Robert Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr, and Eli Wallach. Robert Shaw (pictured below in center) also starred previously in Jaws in 1975. Robert Shaw had previously also starred in From Russia With Love (1963), A Man For All Seasons (1966), The Sting (1973), and Force 10 From Navarone in 1978. Eli Wallach is pictured below on the far right, with his back to the camera.

The DEEP was filmed in 1976 in Bermuda, and went on to become the top box office film, second only in popularity to Star Wars in 1977. This action/thriller diving movie was about treasure hunters who were searching for lost ampoules of morphine lost in a shipwreck named 'The Goliath' which sunk in 1943. They also discover lost Spanish gold treasure, which includes a bejeweled gold cross.

Peter Benchley is pictured below with Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset on the set of The Deep and notice Peter is rocking a Rolex Explorer II "Orange Hand" (Reference 1655).

Peter Benchley wrote Jaws and The DEEP, and he is featured below in the two Rolex Submariner ads from 1975.