Arthur Ashe Three Time Grand Slam of Tennis Winner

    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 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 associate the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament with 3 things:

                                -Rolex

                                -Great Tennis

                                -The End of Summer

This years U.S. Open began on August 23rd and will conclude on September 13th, 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.

Pele: The Greatest Soccer Player In History...

...The Greatest Soccer Player In History...

Rolex Super-Coolness

Pelé

The King Of Football

1940-2022

Got A Kick Out Of 5 Decades Of Wearing Rolex

Soccer legend, Pelé passed away on December 29, 2022 at age 81 but left behind an incredible legacy and record of amazing achievement. He remains to date the only soccer player that won the World Cup three times! 

In the world of Sports, there are players who are considered to be the best in history. In basketball we have Michael Jordan, who has also been a lifetime Rolex man; and in the world of soccer, Pelé is considered to be the all-time best. Pele first wore a yellow gold Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet, then went on to were his trademark yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date for decades.

Pelé was born Edison "Edson" Arantes so Nascimento in October of 1940 in Brazil. During his amazing career which ran from 1956 to 1974 he scored 760 official goals, and 541 in league championships, thus, making him the top scorer of all time!!! In his career Pelé scored a total of 1281 goals in 1363 games. Pelé began playing for Santos Futebol Clube in 1956, and stayed with them for almost two decades. In 1958, at 17 years of age, Pelé helped Brazil win its first World Cup. 

Pelé is widely considered to be not only the most famous soccer/football player in history, but also the best. To this day, Pelé is the winningest soccer player in FIFA World Cup history remaining the only player to have won 3 Wold Cup Winners' Medals (1958, 1962 and 1970). Pelé was also received a special recognition award from the FIFA World Cup for the title of "FIFA Player Of The Century."

Pelé is pictured below with David Beckham who is considered to be another one of the great soccer player in history. David Beckham has also been wearing Rolex for a long time and also a Tudor Brand Ambassador.

Pelé's Amazing Career

Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil on October 21, 1940. Pelé's father was a soccer player and named oldest son after Thomas Edison. Edson was nicknamed Pelé when he was a young man, which was based upon his favorite soccer players name, whose nickname was Bilé. Pelé was a young soccer prodigy and went on to become the greatest soccer player of the 20th Century!

Pelé Rolex and Brazil '66

48 years ago in 1966, in the vintage photos below, we see world-wide soccer superstar, Pelé rocking his Rolex Datejust. Pelé is most famous for wearing his trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, but before he wore his Day-Date he wore a Rolex Datejust as seen in the two photos below.

In the photo below of Pelé we see him in the London Airport as he prepares to return home after winning the 1966 World Cup.


For historical reference, it is interesting to note the Rolex watch Pelé is wearing is the same model Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wore in that same time in history. Bill Cosby was also wearing his Pepsi GMT Master, this same year on I Spy.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Senator Edward Kennedy August 8, 1966 (AP Photo)

Pelé's Trademark Bicycle Kick

In the photo below we see Pelé executing his famous trademark "Bicycle-Kick."

In this next photo we see Pele with Muhammad Ali in 1977 in New York. What a photo!!!

In the next two recent photos we see Pele sporting his Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date that he typically wears.

In the next photo below, we see the visible clasp on the back of the Rolex "President" bracelet, which likely means Pelé acquired and has been wearing this Rolex Day-Date since sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s!!!

Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust

In this next photo below, we see Pele wearing a stainless steel Rolex that appears to be a Datejust on an Oyster Bracelet.

Rolex Coolness: Hulk Hogan Yellow Gold Rolex Yachtmaster

Hulk Hogan

Belongs to the Ages

1953-2025

12-Time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion

As the saying goes, 'When it rains, it pours,' and this week has brought a deluge of loss. The world mourns the passing of famous Rolex wearers, Malcolm-Jamal Warner whose heartfelt performances touched generations; Ozzy Osbourne, the indomitable Prince of Darkness who reshaped music; and now Hulk Hogan, the legendary wrestler whose larger-than-life presence defined an era. These icons, each a titan in their craft, now belong to the ages, leaving behind legacies that will echo in eternity...

A Hero Forged in the Ring

Born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Tampa, Florida, Terry Gene Bollea was destined for greatness. The son of a construction foreman and a dance teacher, young Terry was a standout athlete and musician, playing bass guitar in local rock bands like Ruckus before finding his true calling in professional wrestling. Despite early setbacks—including a broken leg on his first day of training—Hogan’s determination and charisma propelled him to stardom.

With a towering physical presence, Hogan stood 6 feet, 7 inches tall (200.66CM, or 2.01 Meters) and burst onto the scene in 1977, eventually signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1983. 

His blond horseshoe mustache, red and yellow bandanas, and self-proclaimed "24-inch pythons" became synonymous with the wrestling boom of the 1980s. As the heroic all-American face of the WWF, Hogan headlined eight of the first nine WrestleMania events, including the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985 alongside Mr. T. His iconic victory over The Iron Sheik in 1984 at Madison Square Garden, where he delivered his signature leg drop to claim the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, sparked "Hulkamania"—a cultural craze that turned wrestling into a global spectacle.

Hogan’s catchphrases, like “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” and his exhortations to “train, say your prayers, and eat your vitamins,” resonated with fans of all ages. His charisma and showmanship transformed wrestling from a niche sport into mainstream entertainment, drawing record-breaking crowds and setting pay-per-view records. At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan’s legendary bodyslam of the 7-foot-4, nearly 700-pound André the Giant—dubbed “the slam heard ’round the world”—cemented his status as a wrestling deity.

Reinventing the Game

Hollywood Hogan and the NWO

Hogan’s influence extended beyond his heroic persona. In 1996, while with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he shocked the world with one of the most memorable heel turns in wrestling history. Transforming into the villainous “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, he led the New World Order (NWO), a rebellious faction that revolutionized wrestling storytelling. The NWO’s dominance helped WCW surpass WWE in television ratings for 83 weeks, a feat unmatched since. Hogan’s ability to reinvent himself as a bad guy showcased his versatility and kept him at the forefront of the industry.

Returning to WWE in 2002, Hogan faced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania X8 in a clash of titans that electrified fans. His 12 world championships—six with WWE and six with WCW—underscore his unparalleled success. Hogan’s contributions earned him two inductions into the WWE Hall of Fame: as an individual in 2005 and as part of the NWO in 2020.

A Cultural Icon Beyond the Ring

Hogan’s charisma extended far beyond wrestling. He became a pop culture juggernaut, appearing in films like Rocky III (1982), where he played the bombastic Thunderlips, and family-friendly movies such as Mr. Nanny and Suburban Commando. His television roles included the action series Thunder in Paradise and reality show Hogan Knows Best, which offered a glimpse into his personal life. Hogan also graced talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live, and even fronted the Wrestling Boot Band, whose album Hulk Rules charted on Billboard’s Top Kid Audio.

Despite his achievements, Hogan’s life was not without controversy. In 2015, a leaked video containing racial slurs tarnished his legacy, leading to a temporary fallout with WWE. Hogan apologized, stating, “It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it.” His 2016 lawsuit against Gawker Media over an unauthorized video, backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, resulted in a $140 million judgment (later settled for $31 million) and contributed to Gawker’s bankruptcy. Hogan’s return to WWE in 2018 and his continued appearances, including at WrestleMania and the Raw debut on Netflix in 2025, showed his enduring appeal, though his final appearance drew mixed reactions from fans.

A Legacy That Endures

Hogan’s impact on wrestling is immeasurable. He was the archetype of a “Superstar,” as WWE’s Triple H noted, inspiring generations of wrestlers and fans. Tributes poured in from peers like Ric Flair, who called Hogan a “close friend” and “incredible athlete,” and Vince McMahon, who hailed him as “the greatest WWE Superstar of ALL TIME.” Even President Donald Trump, whom Hogan supported at the 2024 Republican National Convention, mourned his passing, sharing a playful arm-wrestling photo with the caption, “Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed.”

Hogan’s physical toll was significant, with scores of surgeries from wrestling injuries leaving him, as he once quipped, with “no original body parts left.” Yet his spirit remained unbroken. In April 2025, he co-founded Real American Freestyle, an amateur wrestling league, and served as its commissioner, aiming to inspire the next generation. Following his death, the league vowed to continue, honoring his legacy.

A Titan Belongs to the Ages

Hulk Hogan’s death on July 24, 2025, from cardiac arrest at his Clearwater, Florida home, as confirmed by local authorities and WWE, marks the end of an era. He was a trailblazer who turned wrestling into a billion-dollar industry, a showman who captivated the world, and a flawed yet resilient figure who faced adversity with grit. As we bid farewell to “The Immortal One,” we remember the man who encouraged us to believe in ourselves, to roar with the crowd, and to let Hulkamania run wild forever.

Rolex Magazine honors Hulk Hogan’s timeless legacy, much like the precision and excellence embodied in every Rolex timepiece—a testament to enduring greatness.

When I was a small child, I LOVED watching "Professional" Wrestling, as they called it. In my naiveté, I thought it was all real, until one day, somebody burst my bubble and told me it was all staged. This was the equivalent of telling me that Santa Clause wasn't real. After that point, I lost interest in wrestling, but was aware of Hulk Hogan, ad he was so pervasive, and so full of personality.

If you think about it, Rolex watches are like wrestlers in the sense they are big and bold, and are a serious status symbol. Thus, it's not surprising that many wrestlers have worn and depended on Rolex to keep the time of their lives, like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

This reminds me, I need to put together a story on Ric Flair, who was also a pier of Hulk Hogan's and more than anything was extremely entertaining and spoke frequently about his Rolex President he still wears.

In the video interview below from 1982, I noticed Johnny Carson is rocking his yellow gold Rolex President.

Tommy Lasorda Belongs To The Ages...

Tommy Lasorda

MLB Baseball Legend

1927-2021

Tommy Lasorda was a professional baseball pitcher and manager who famously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 through 1996. Tommy Lasorda wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Day date as seen in the photos below. Lasorda passed away in January 2021 at age 93 and left behind an amazing list of achievements.

The Face & Soul of The Dodgers

"I Bleed Dodger Blue!"

Tommy Lasorda played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1954-1955, and in 1956 move on to play for the Kansas City Athletics. The Dodger's moved from Brooklyn to Los Angles in 1957.

Tommy Lasorda became a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1973 to 1976, and then took over as their manager. Lasorda won two World Series Championships while serving as manager of The Dodgers.

As we can see in the photo above Tommy Lasorda wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date with a blue dial with diamond markers which matched his Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.