1951 ROLEX Magazine Datejust Ad...

1951 ROLEX Magazine Datejust Ad

BLUEPRINT OF Supremacy

Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative: “Expedition Amazon – Into the Waters”

 

 National Geographic +Rolex 

Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative 

Expedition Amazon - Into the Waters 

Over the course of two years, teams of Explorers on the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition have studied the Amazon River Basin from source to mouth – across six countries. In this bonus material to National Geographic’s “Expedition Amazon” documentary, premiering on 10 October, National Geographic Explorers Thomas Peschak, Fernando Trujillo, Thiago Silva and Julia Tavares guide us from the farthest source of the river, the Nevado Mismi in Peru, to the official start of the Amazon at the Brazilian Meeting of the Waters. 

Along the way we meet an adored Colombian rescue manatee named Moechi, and travel to rare Bolivian clearwaters, where gilded catfish are plentiful. Discover more of the Amazon's incredible wildlife, nature, and communities through the immersive experience on National Geographic.

Dimitri Rebikoff and How the Rolex SUBMARINER was Born

...Story Preview...

DIMITRI REBIKOFF

The Genesis of the Rolex Submariner

A Story of a Man and His Machines

Nicholas Foulkes interesting new book on the Rolex Submariner goes into some detail on the role Dimitri Rebikoff played in the development of what went on become the most famous dive watch in history. I have been working deeply on researching Dimitri Rebikoff's role in the genesis of the Rolex Submariner watch model for many years now, and have been preparing to publish a detailed story with my clarifying findings sometime soon, so the timing seems perfect to share this preview with you now:

In my upcoming story we will hop in the Rolex Time Machine and travel back to yesteryear to learn all about Dimitri Rebikoff (pictured above and below) and his amazing lifetime career achievements from many people I have interviewed who were close with and knew him well. This is an amazing story about a man and his machines he brought to life as necessity compelled. The photo and excerpt below on Dimitri Rebikoff were published in 1957.

The Rolex Submariner is one of the most iconic and famous sport watches on earth. It's handsome, rugged, and sporty, yet super versatile.

The late art-deco design language from the early 1950s that still permeates the Rolex Submariner continues to transcend time. The Submariner can be dressed-down with everything from a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt with flip-flops, to being dressed-up with a formal black tie. The photos below of Hollywood actor and producer, Brian Kelly rocking his Rolex Submariner illustrate this point perfectly as they were taken more than a half-century ago, yet they almost look like they could have been taken yesterday...Brian Kelly played Porter Ricks on the 1960 aquatic show named Flipper.

There are many examples of this from the vintage Sean Connery as 007, rocking his Rolex Submariner while he dives, as well as when he wears his Submariner with his white dinner jacket, and you can fast forward to today and see the greatest tennis player in history, Roger Federer wearing shorts and a T-Shirt or a tuxedo, and the coolest thing is anybody and everybody can accessories a Submariner any way they want and truly make it theirs.

One of the great unanswered questions is 'Where exactly did this timeless Rolex Submariner tool watch come from, and how—precisely—did it get its name? And, how is Submariner properly pronounced? This upcoming story will answer these and many of other seminal questions for the first time.

The Life Aquatic

In this upcoming story we will learn all about how the Rolex Submariner began its humble life as a Rolex Explorer variant, which of course, began its Maratime career as an Oyster Perpetual variant, which we witness with the 1929 Rolex Magazine ad (pictured below) for the then avant-garde Rolex "Oyster" tool watch. 

Just to be crystal clear, on the simplest level, I am saying the Rolex Submariner evolved from the Rolex Explorer, which had previously evolved from the Rolex Oyster Perpetual.

This early 1929 Rolex Oyster advertisement pictured above appears in my upcoming book series in Volume 1 and is the earliest known aquatic themed Rolex Magazine advertisement I am aware of, but suffice it to say Rolex's founder Hans Wildsorf was always very aware of the role it could play in the life aquatic. 

Below we see another magnificent art deco Italian Rolex mermaid Rolex Magazine advertisement which is so beautiful...

Rolex's very first Rolex Magazine advertisement that featured a deep sea diver made its debut in 1948, and featured Italian diver, Adolfo Vanni. Adolfo was a hardhat diver, which means his breathing apparatus was tethered to a ship up on the surface, and in October of 1948 he reached an extraordinary depth 1066 Feet, which is 325 meters, while wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Watch on his wrist. Special thanks to Rolex history researcher, Pierre Jean @therolex_archivist, who discovered this amazing vintage Rolex Magazine ad.

Basel Fair 1954

The Birth of Rolex Cosplay

Basel Fair was the biggest watch trade show in Switzerland and was founded in 1917. Rolex first exhibited their watches at Basel Fair in 1939. In 1954, Basel Fair radically expanded and modernized their facilities in Basel, Switzerland when they launched Hall 2, which is pictured below in the Ariel photo on the right. If you look closely at the photo below you will see the original Basel Fair Hall 1 on the left. 

Basel Fair Hall 1 and Hall 2 pictured above in 1954 in Basel, Switzerland

Basel Fair in 1954 represents and demarcates the time when classism gave way to modernism in the world of horology, as the world raced ahead into the space age, and Rolex was there front and center with a cadre of new Rolex Sports Tool Watch models as seen in this page from Europa Star published in 1954. 

Keep in mind that despite the fact the Rolex Submariner today is considered to be an absolute classic design, it was once considered to be extremely bold and modern. At the time many people ridiculed Rolex sport watches saying they were way too big and heavy. 

    "All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed—only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle."

—Nikola Tesla

The Rolex Magazine advertisement seen below for the Rolex Explorer is from 1964 and captures the core essence of Rolex tool watches, as it features the Rolex Explorer, but there is much more to the Explorer than meets the eye.

Where's The Beef?

Where's the Submariner? Show me the Submariner!?!! One of the interesting details I couldn't help but notice in Nicholas Foulkes recently released Rolex History book named Oyster Perpetual Submariner, The Watch That Unlocked The Deep, which I will be reviewing soon here on Jake's Rolex World, is it strangely didn't contain any photos of Dimitri Rebikoff wearing a Rolex Submariner? 

This seems like a supreme irony to me as Rebikoff helped bring the Submariner to life, so I thought I would share some images in this preview, and mention I have many more never before seen exclusive photos coming up in my full article. The photo below shows Rebikoff rocking his prototype Submariner back in 1955 as he is working in his back yard on an underwater lighting "Torpedo".

Talent does what it can... Genius does what it must...

Below we see a Rolex Magazine ad featuring the Submariner from 1957 that was taken during prototype testing.

Speaking of books on Rolex History, I have been working for years now on a series of 15 books, or volumes, that cover the entire historical arc of Rolex, and my chapter on Dimitri Rebikoff is featured in VOLUME 3, which is titled, "The Complete History of Rolex MAD MEN: How They Created The International Mark of Success, by JAKE EHRLICH", and we see the cover art for that volume below.

Speaking of Rolex Mad Men, the reason Volume 3 of my book series is titled "Mad Men" has to do with the role the original Ad Men of Madison Avenue played in making Rolex the most reputable brand on earth today. 

Pictured above we see Jon Hamm rocking a Rolex Explorer as he poses for a photo from the Mad Men series, and I think it is likely derivative of George Lazenby's 1969 photo below rocking a Rolex Submariner while he poses for a publicity shot from the James Bond movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Many people have been asking me when I plan to begin publishing my upcoming series of 15 volumes on the history of Rolex? Essentially, I have been researching and writing the equivalent of an Encyclopedia on Rolex History, which is a massive undertaking. My goal is to leave no stone unturned, and I wan't to make certain I deliver books that are as magnificent as Rolex itself, and as they say, 'good things take time.' As soon as I have a firm ETA I will post a story here on RolexMagazine.com.

In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed this teaser for my upcoming story on Dimitri Rebikoff, and when I publish this full story later this year, I am certain it will shed substantial light and immense insight on the genesis of the Rolex Submariner that has never been previously documented—so stay tuned...Special shout out to the Uber talented horological historian, Nick Gould for his invaluable contributions to this story...

Also, thanks to Dimitri Rebikoff for his invaluable design and utilitarian engineering contributions to the Rolex Submariner which he wore his entire career, and we see it on his wrist in the exclusive photo below that has never been published before from the collection of Captain Litt, who worked with Dimitri Rebikoff many years ago. In my upcoming article on Rebikoff, we will see many more action photos of him rocking Rolex Submariner watch models which he kept the time of this amazing life with.

ROLEX

The Timeless Time Machine

I put together a bunch of cool images that depict what I illustrated in the story above, as they tell a story without me having to write words beyond this:

Sofi Fahrman: Swedish Journalist

...Rolex Hotness...

Sofi Fahrman

Swedish Journalist

Stainless Steel Rolex Daytona

Yellow Gold Rolex GMT-Master

....Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day....

Yellow Gold Rolex GMT-Master

Bakelite Bezel

The photo below of the vintage Rolex GMT-Master appears courtesy of Christie's Auction house, and is a beauty indeed! This is a very early yellow gold GMT, as it has the sword hands, which lack the traditional Mercedes Marker on the hour had, and it also has the tiny arrowhead on the 24-hour hand. The dial on this watch has nipple markers, and more importantly a very rare original brown bakelite bezel insert, with matching yellow gold 24-hour time numerals.

Tom Seaver

...Baseball Legend...

Tom Seaver

1990

I love this vintage Rolex ad from 1990 that features legendary baseball pitcher, Tom Seaver, along with some really cool vintage Rolex watches, including a Rolex Oyster Quartz Datejust...

1926 Octagonal Rolex Oyster...

...Rolex Studio Shot of the Date...

1926 Octagonal Rolex Oyster 

David Doubilet DEEP-SEA Photographer

  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC  

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

David Doubilet

Pioneering DEEP-SEA Photo Journalist 
Keeping The Time Of His Life With Rolex

David Doubilet has been a world-renowned DEEP-SEA, National Geographic photographer since 1971, and is one of the most published photographers in the history of NAT GEO Magazine with over 70 features stories published to date. David has also been a Rolex Testimonee since 1994.

David Doubilet has spent close to 30,000 hours to date in the oceans of the world capturing stunningly insightful aquatic images.

David Doubilet's magnificent pioneering underwater photography is second to none, and he is considered by many to be an international living treasure.

“For the last 30 years, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, from the Southwest Pacific to the waters off Japan, Mr. Doubilet has captured a world of bejeweled ocean creatures playing on sandy stages: an emerald stingray shadowing a ship in the Bahamas; a golden big-bellied sea horse grazing in a Tasmanian sea.” –Margo Nash, New York Times

1996

Let's begin this fascinating journey by exploring David Doubilet's amazing career through Rolex ads. In this first Rolex magazine ad from 1996, we see David Doubilet wearing his Rolex Submariner.

2009

"What I like best about underwater photography is giving a visual voice to the invisible. What I like least is the prospect of drowning." –David Doubilet

2011

This next David Doubilet Rolex Magazine ad is from 2011, at it features him wearing his Rolex DEEP-SEA SEA-DWELLER.

The Amazing Underwater World Of David Doubilet

David Doubilet is one of the top underwater photographers, if not the greatest. David's trademark photo style, is seen in this first photo, where he keeps the top half of the lens above water, and the bottom half below. This results in an absolutely fascinating perspective, which allows you to simaltaneously see two connected worlds–above and below the water.

This amazing photographic style showcases the constant duality of life, which is typically invisible to both worlds. This style is such a perfect metaphor for the typically invisible interconnectivity of life!!!

How amazing is this next under/over water shot? I love the composition that contrasts two seemingly unrelated world, that are really close together, yet so far apart. Just amazing!!!!!! This photo is absolutely crazy!!!!!!!!!!!

David Doubilet was born in New York in 1946 and he started shooting underwater photographs when he was 12 years old in 1958. He began shooting photos for National Geographic in 1971 and since that time he shot photos for more than 60 stories.

It is crystal-clear to me that David Doubilet is certainly one of the greatest photographers that has ever lived, as well as probably being the greatest aquatic photographer that ever lived.

2012

2014

2015

David Doublet is pictured below with his wife Jennifer, who also wears Rolex Watches. In the National Geographic video below this photo, they give and amazing speech about some of their recent amazing work, which I very highly recommend watching: