Back in late July, I posted a story on how Captain Danny had created a really cool Hans Wilsdorf smartphone wallpaper, that got us both so inspired that we discussed creating a dedicated collection of cool Rolex related wallpapers. I mentioned that Captain Danny and planned to build an online library of Rolex images for smartphone wallpaper that would look rad on an iPhone, or Android smartphones. I mean, just look at how dope that Rolex Daytona image looks on an iPhone with all the colors dialed in 👆🏼👀...
In the future, Captain Danny and I plan to expand the collection of free images, but in the meantime there are a lot of awesome images, so be sure to check them out over on the free Coron.et Wallpapers gallery.
I find it to be totally fascinating that as the world has moved full-speed-ahead into the digital age, many people have stopped wearing watches and instead just use their smartphone which they always have with them, or they wear a smartwatch like the Apple Watch, yet Rolex watches, as anachronistic and old-fashioned as they may be—are more popular than ever—and continue to defy obsolescence as they are built-to-last, and very low-maintenance as they don't require being plugged-in to charge every night, not to mention they don't bother you to death with stupid and unnecessary notifications...
This excellent photo from Stefano Mazzariol is of a first generation stainless steel Rolex Explorer II with a cream colored dial and white gold applied indices and matching hands. All later generation versions of this watch have a white dial with black applied indices with black hands.
Marcello Mastroianni is pictured below in 1972 with his gorgeous and talented wife, Catherine Deneuve, and in this photo we get a clear shot of Marcello Mastroanni's Rolex Datejust.
Marcello Mastroianni was a major style icon and famous international actor. He was born in Fontana Lori, which is a small village in The Apennines. He grew up in Turin and Rome.
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress, singer model and producer. She is also to be considered to be on of the most beautiful women that ever lived. She is pictured below wearing her Rolex Ladies Datejust on an Oyster Bracelet.
Rolex Datejust
...La dolce vita...
Marcello Mastroianni is perhaps best known for his role in the 1960 Italian Film Noir, La dolce vita which was directed by Frederico Fellini. In the photo below we see Marchello Mastroianni with the stunningly beautiful Swedish model, Anita Ekberg. Of course La dolce vita is Italian for The Good Life.
Marcello Mastroinni and Catherine Deneuve (pictured above) had a daughter named Chiara Mastroianni, and she is pictured below with her father, Marcello when she was a little girl, and you notice his Rolex.
Chiara Mastroianni is pictured below wearing one of her father's Rolex Datejust watches. Chiara Mastroianni is a famous actress and singer.
NOTE: It's that time of the year again, as the dog days of summer have passed, and the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere sneaks upon us yet again. The demarcation point for most people in the U.S. for the end of summer, is Labor Day, as the days and evenings usually begin getting shorter and cooler, with the majority of summer behind us in the rear view mirror.
Another key dividing line between Summer and Fall is the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in Flushing Meadows, New York, where the finals take place in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. I always tend to associated the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament with 3 things:
-Rolex
-Great Tennis
-The End of Summer
This years U.S. Open began on August 9th and will conclude on September 9th, thus I thought it would be a great opportunity to hop in The Rolex Time Machine and take a look back at one of the great tennis players in history...
...Rolex Coolness... Arthur Ashe
Three-Time Tennis Grand-Slam Winner
A Lifetime Of Achievement With A Rolex President On His Wrist
Arthur Ashe is one of the greatest tennis players in history, and the only African American player to ever win the men's singles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. Arthur is pictured below sporting his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. It is amazing how timeless and evergreen Rolex watches are, especially when you realize this photo was taken 54 years ago, in 1970, at the Queen's Club in London. Arthur Ashe is the first black man in history to wear a Rolex President (Day-Date). I know Bill Cosby wore many Rolex Day-Dates and so did Pele, but I believe Arthur Ashe was the likely the first.
"I only wear Rolex." –Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe pictured above in 1970, at the Queen's Club in London, England
Tighten Up
I really like the photo of Arthur Ashe above and I think Arthur looks really tight and tough and you can tell by the way he is posing that he is extremely proud of his Rolex–which I really digg. For some reason, every time I look at the photo above of Arthur Ashe, the song "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells starts playing in my head so I thought I would share the video below. Play it and look at the photo above of Arthur...
I first learned of Arthur Ashe wearing a Rolex President (Day-Date) from T. Walker Lloyd who told me a great story about how Arthur said that he only wore Rolex. In the photo below we see Arthur Ashe pictured on the cover of a 1966 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Arthur Ashe is pictured below in 1968 holding up his U.S. Open trophy he received after winning the U.S. Open.
Winning Wimbledon 1975
Arthur Ashe is pictured below holding up the Wimbledon Trophy for having won the Men's Final Tournament in 1975. Arthur Ashe had previously attempted to win at Wimbledon eight times, before finally winning.
Arthur Ashe is pictured below shaking hands with the reigning Wimbledon Championship, Jimmy Connors in 1975 after Ashe destroyed Connors to win the Wimbledon men's final championship.
Arthur Ashe is pictured below in 1974 playing golf on a TV show where well-known sportsman competed against each other in a variety of events, and notice he is wearing his Rolex Day-Date while he is playing golf!!! This is something only a REAL Rolex Fanatic would do—play golf while wearing a Rolex President!!!
The video below features Arthur Ashe showcasing his Ashe Comp 2 tennis graphite tennis racket he used when he won Wimbledon in 1975. Arthur Ashe was not only an amazing tennis player, but an equally successful entrepreneur.
Arthur Ashe is pictured below in 1979, while promoting a prototype of his famous Arthur Ashe tennis racquet, which was made by Head. I used to have one of these Head tennis racquets which at the time was, considered the most state of the art racquet you could buy.
Arthur Ashe is pictured below with the 1982 Davis Cup team which he was the caption of. John McEnroe is pictured next to Ashe.
It is amazing that Arthur Ashe wore a yellow gold Rolex President his entire life. Arthur Ashe died way too young, but he inspired the tennis world like very few ever have or ever will. Arthur Ashe was a man of great achievement and he made it every step of the way with his trademark Rolex Day-Date on his wrist which kept the time of his life!!!
Arthur Asher is pictured below in 1992 in a famous shot of him hugging his Tennis Racquet while wearing his trademark Rolex Day-Date, which was taken three decades after the first image of him at the beginning of this story. It is fascinating to note Arthur Ashe proudly wore a Rolex Day-Date his entire adult life. A year after the picture below was taken, Arthur Ashe died from AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion that contained the HIV virus in the early 1980s.
Arthur Ashe is featured below in a video he made just before he passed away. Arthur Ashe passed away on February 6, 1993.
The documentary below on Arthur Ashe is AMAZING!!!! I highly recommend watching it!
Have Rolex Will Travel
If you watch the BBC interview that takes place 36 minutes and 36 seconds into the video above, you will see Arthur Ashe rockin' his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date while being interviewed just after winning Wimbledon in 1975. This is interesting in that the interviewer asked Arthur Ashe if he was materialistic in any way? Arthur Ashe ironically answered: "Right now I have very few possessions. Not because I don't want them, or wouldn't want to use them, but because there is no real need for them logically. I don't have a car because I am never in one place long enough."
So what makes Arthur Ashe's answer so ironic? The fact he has so few material possessions, but he is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. Also, notice this Rolex Day-Date has a matching Champagne dial, where in the later photos of Arthur Ashe, his Day-Date has a dark dial. Another key takeaway point is that to the best of my recollection, Arthur Ashe is the first tennis player who won Wimbledon who wore a Rolex, and not just any Rolex, but he flagship 'Rolex Presidential' model.
Paul Schutzer was an American photojournalist who worked for LIFE Magazine. His name may not be familiar but some of his photographs are instantly recognizable, and he is arguably one of the great photojournalists of the 20th Century.
Note from Jake: After Nick wrote this story, Ralf from Germany send in this superb 1965 photo of Paul wearing his Submariner as a real tool watch.
The earliest photo I came across of Schutzer wearing a Rolex timepiece was in 1958. He was covering the inauguration of newly elected Argentina's newly elected president Arturo Frondizi in Buenos Aires.
Schutzer followed Presidential candidate John. F Kennedy during his successful campaign against Richard Nixon in 1960. While traveling onKennedy'strain, Schutzer snapped a photograph of JFK reading through some notes while lying down in his cabin. What makes the photograph so cool, is the fact Schutzer took it through the reflection of the mirror. It shows Schutzer wearing his stainless steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual, while JFK is talking to someone at the door in the background.
"It doesn't just tell time. It tells history"
Schutzer took the iconic photo of Bobby Kennedy with his wife and kids, wearing their pajamas just before bedtime in their home in Maclean, Virginia on April 30, 1957.
The famous photograph below of JFK at his inauguration ball on January 20th 1961, after being elected the 35th President of the United States, was taken by Schutzer.
Paul Schutzer was a regular in Washington D.C. and attended the March on Washington on August 28, 1963 and he shot this magnificently profound photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. standing in the Lincoln Memorial rotunda.
In 1962, Schutzer travelled to Iran to cover the aftermath of an earthquake. Schutzer was wearing his Oyster Perpetual on Oyster bracelet, which is clearly seen on his wrist in the picture below.
In 1964, Schutzer went to Israel, where he took photographs of the Israeli Army and is seen below next to a group of marching female soldiers. His trusty Oyster Perpetual can be seen on his left wrist.
In 1965, Schutzer was sent to cover the Vietnam War, and his photograph of a captured Viet Cong solider was the cover photo for the November 1965 issue of LIFE Magazine.
Schutzer was photographed wearing a No Crown Guard Submariner during his time in Vietnam, which is clearly recognisable due to the bezel, dial and Oyster bracelet. I can't tell the exact reference but due to the crown size being small it is either a reference 6536 or 5508 Submariner.
Paul Shuzter was an amazing photographer. “Unfortunately his career was cut short as he was killed while on assignment during the first day while covering the ‘Six-Day War’ in 1967. One thing is for certain and that is the fact his images will live on as part of our historical record.
This is a really unusual white gold Rolex Daytona that was auctioned by Antiquorum few years ago. The thing that makes it unusual is over time the dye from the red hands have migrated onto the subdials, which give it a fascinating patina look.
Keeping The Time Of His Life with a Rolex GMT Master
Who is the greatest Rock n' Roll band of all time? Led Zeppelin–of course!!! Or another way to put it, is that NOBODY ever rocked like Led Zeppelin, and I mean NOBODY!!! I would even go so far as to say that Led Zeppelin is in a class all by itself, just like Rolex is like no other watch. I am really excited to share this fascinating story with you, which has three amazing full-length Led Zeppelin concerts included at the end of the story.
John Paul Jones is a founding member of the Led Zeppelin and is considered to be one of the greatest and most innovative musicians alive today. John Paul Jones has always been really low-key, and kind of quiet, but a giant in the world of music.
John Paul plays many, many different instruments, and in Led Zeppelin he plays bass guitar and keyboards.
If we take a close look at John Paul Jones Two-Tone Rolex GMT Master, we can see it is definitely a vintage Rolex GMT with nipple indices, and a Jubilee bracelet. I saw a photo of him wearing it in 1977, and my best guess is that it was made in the early 1970s. He still wears it today, so we know he is in his fourth decade of wearing it–at least.
Led Zeppelin are one of the best-selling, most innovative, successful rock bands is history. Not only is their music unlike anything else, it is otherworldly. All their songs are unusually long-form, and almost more like a hard Rock n' Roll symphony. It's also interesting to note, that despite being a British band, in many ways they seem a lot more American, which likely makes sense since they were so deeply influenced in their early day by American Rhythm and Blues.
John Paul Jones is pictured below sitting between fellow founding Led Zeppelin band members, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, in a photo taken in 1985 at the Live Aid concert, which represented the first time Led Zeppelin got back together for a reunion after they broke up in 1980, and you can see that John is wearing his two tone Rolex GMT-Master.
John Paul Jones is pictured below in in 1985 wearing his two-tone Rolex GMT-Master.
John Paul Jones is pictured below, chillin' backstage with Jimmy Page in 1977, and John Paul is wearing his Rolex GMT Master.
As I mentioned earlier, John Paul Jones was the quiet giant of Led Zeppelin, and that is easy to understand when he was on stage with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, who rocked like nobody else ever has, or likely ever will. Led Zeppelin was together going full-speed ahead from 1968, to 1980, when they disbanded after their drummer, John Bonham died.
Nobody Ever Rocked Like Led Zeppelin!!!
In many ways Led Zeppelin music definded a generation, and in the photo below we see Robert Plant and Jimmy Page rocking out on the Madison Square Garden stage in 1977.
Stairway To Heaven
Founding Led Zeppelin members, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are pictured below with U.S. President Obama, at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012, where they were presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the video below, we see President Obama celebrate Led Zeppelin at the White House.
You can and SHOULD watch Led Zeppelin at the Kennedy Center Honors in the video below which is superbly INSANE!!!!! Heart's rendition of Stairway to Heaven, featuring Ann and Nancy Wilson with John Hohman's son, Jason Bonham is absolutely mesmerizingly otherworldly and outrageous!!!!! I mean it's almost impossible to believe that anybody could ever top Led Zeppelin's own version of Stairway to Heaven, but this version certainly is a great candidate for doing so...It's so great, I could listen to it a million times!!!! Even, Rolex brand ambassador, Yo Yo Ma, is rocking out super hard to Stairway to Heaven...
Next we see a performance from their seminal Robert Plant and Jimmy Page reunion in 1995, as they rock-out to Kashmir.
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.
