1977 Rolex TV Commercials

 ROLEX SMART WATCH

DID ROLEX ENVISION A ROLEX SMART WATCH

 BACK IN 1977, PERHAPS WITHOUT REALIZING IT?

Eagle Eyes, Nick Gould recently discovered these four cool Rolex TV commercials that originally aired in 1977, which are all Fantasy Island' out...

These Rolex ads remind me of the scenes in Peter Seller's 1967 James Bond Spoof, Casino Royale, which feature the hyper gorgeous, Ursula Andress being viewed on a Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master Screen, which ironically makes it look like a modern sports watch made today (obviously NOT by Rolex). 

I recently published a super detailed article named "The Complete History of ROLEX OYSTERQUARTZ", which went into specific detail about how in the early 1970s Rolex responded with making early smartwatch models with digital LED readouts. When I think of Rolex design language, I think of purely analog user interfaces, but it's fascinating to think about what a Rolex smart watch with a super high resolution digital screen might look like? The section below named "JAKE'S TIME-MACHINE" is from the above mentioned article.

JAKE'S TIME-MACHINE

I dream of a future where Rolex embraces truly smart models—watches that match their mechanical siblings in style and durability but add cutting-edge functionality. There’s no reason they couldn’t look the part while packing that tech. 

On April 12, 2025 I wrote an article titled "Jake's Rolex Time-Machine Concept", in which I showcased the following graphic that showed my idea of what a "Smart Rolex" watch would look like. In the center we see the new Land-Dweller model Rolex introduced in 2025, flanked by what might appear to be two different models I conceptualized the design for, yet they are the same watch. 

The watch on the far left which is my concept, has a feature where if you single press on the winding crown, pushing it inward, will flip out of the way the model designation of "TIME-MACHINE" to expose my triple date complication which is pictured on the right.

JAKE'S DIGITAL TIME-MACHINE

I created the image below back in December of 2014, just after Rolex invited me to be part of the first group of journalists to tour all four Rolex facilities in Switzerland. The image depicted at the time what I thought a Smart Rolex might look like.

I realize this subject is considered to be sacrosanct by many, but it is something I have long contemplated. As a matter of fact, not so long after the Apple Watch came out, I created the image below which might show what a smart Rolex would look like if its UI ran on a rectangular screen. If you think these all digital watch designs seem far-fetched, you might want to reconsider the subject. 

Why? Rolex is likely to still be around in 50 years, and will likely still make watches, but do you seriously think they will be purely analog mechanical watches, or do you think they will eventually be forced into the digital domain? I would argue it's inevitable that at some point in the future, Rolex watches will become hybridized, as we live in a world where everything than can be digital will be digital.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

The image above is from the 1967 Casino Royale movie, and the image below is a screenshot from the 1977 Rolex Commercial seen above and shows a Lier Jet flying on the dial as if it's a screen.

The image above morphs into the image below in the 1977 Rolex TV commercial.