Reggie Jackson "Mr. October"

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Reggie Jackson

"Mr. October"

Legendary Baseball Player

Legendary Professional baseball player and civil rights leader, Reggie Jackson has been rocking Rolex for at least 5 decades and in the image above taken back in the later 1980s we see him sporting his yellow gold Daytona (Reference 6263). 

In the recent image we see below, Reggie is still rocking a Daytona. I would go so far as to argue Reggie Jackson is the living personification/manifestation of Rolex, in that he is bold, strong, successful, timeless and highly confident.

Paul Boutros from Phillip's Auction House was at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament back in June of 2019 and he snapped this super cool picture of baseball legend Reggie Jackson (Mr. October) rockin' his vintage Pepsi GMT-Master [Reference 1675].

Seeing Reggie at the U.S. Open reminded me of this vintage Rolex U.S. Open Golf ad from 1969, which should not be confused with the U.S. Tennis Open, which is underway in Flushing Meadows, New York as I write this article.

Below we see Reggie Jackson in 1976 as he puts on his New York Yankees Ballcap when he joined the sports franchise, and notice he is rocking a Rolex Presidential bracelet.

Reggie Jackson is a member of the 50 Years wearing a Rolex Club and has worn Rolex for 5 decades.

As a child, Reggie Jackson was one of my heroes and great role models.

Reggie Jackson is a renowned car collector and obviously a big Rolex collector as we see him sporting many different Rolex watches spanning over 4 decades. In the photos below we see Reggie wearing a white gold Rolex Submariner with a blue dial and bezel.

In the two photos below we see Reggie rockin both a white and yellow gold Rolex Daytona.

There is a great Reggie documentary on Prime and you can see the trailer below

Ted Williams The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived

...Rolex Ultra-Super Coolness...

Ted Williams

The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived

Two-Time Triple Crown Winner

Ted Williams is considered to be one of the greatest baseball legends that ever lived. Ted Williams Major League Baseball career spanned 21 years and the entire time he played left fielder for the Boston Red Sox. He began his major league career in 1939, and in 1942 had to leave to fight in World War II as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter-bomber pilot. He restarted his career in 1946, and continued through 1960. He was an All-Star nineteen times, and enjoyed a career batting average of .344, while hitting 521 home runs. 

Ted Williams was the last Major League Baseball player to bat over .400 in a single season, which occurred in 1941 when he hit .406. To this day, Ted Williams maintains the record for highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. Ted Williams was an avid sport fisherman, as we see in this 1955 Rolex ad which appeared in Sports Illustrated.

1955 Ted Williams Rolex Magazine Ad

Ted Williams is pictured above sporting the a Rolex Oyster model with a white dial in a Rolex Magazine ad that appeared in Sports Illustrated in May 1955, which was 3 months earlier than the Sports Illustrated issue seen below where he was featured on the cover.

When we think of Rolex brand ambassadors, or as Rolex referes to them as "Rolex Testimonee", we think of Roger Federer, Sir Jackie Stewart or Jean-Cluade Killy. We even think about Mercedes Gleitze, Björn Borg, or Sir Malcom Campbell, so it's interesting to also see one of the greatest baseball players to ever live as a vintage Rolex Testimonee.

This next Rolex Explorer also belonged to Ted Williams. It appears to be a 1960 Rolex Explorer model. The watch is unusual in that it has a Rolex Jubilee bracelet, since these models typically came with a Rolex Oyster bracelet.

In the photo below we see Ted Williams Rolex Explorer which is engraved on the outside of the case back with his name.

In the photo below we see Ted Williams rocking a Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet which was discovered by Nick Gould.

Ted Williams was in the absolute prime of his baseball career, when in 1942, in the middle of World War II, he was drafted into the Marine Corps and served as a Naval aviator. As a U.S. Naval aviator, Williams broke records in aerial gunnery and broke the all-time record in reflexes, coordination and visual reaction time.

In 1952, at the age of 33 Ted Williams was recalled from a list of inactive reserves to participate in the Korean War where he flew 39 combat missions.  In a twist of fate, during the Korean War, Ted Williams served in the same Marine Corps unit as John Glenn, and Williams ended up being John Glenn's wingman. Williams returned back to his baseball career in 1953.

Ted Williams and Babe Ruth

I borrowed this image from "Jake's Who Knew They Knew Each Other World?" This superb photos shows Ted Williams shaking hands with fellow Baseball legend, Babe Ruth. As mentioned above, During World War II Ted Williams was drafted into the Marine Corps, but in between military training was sent to Fenway Park to play on an all-star team managed by Babe Ruth. It was reported by newspapers that when the Babe met Williams, he said:

"Hiya, kid. You remind me a lot of myself. I love to hit. You're one of the most natural ballplayers I've ever seen, and if my record is broken, I hope you're the one to do it."

Ted Williams said that in his lifetime he never asked a baseball player for an autograph, with the exception of Babe Ruth.

Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio

Ted Williams is picture below with another one of his role models, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.

President Kennedy grew up in Boston and was not only a big Red Sox fan, but also a great admirer of Ted Williams. In the photo below, taken at Fenway Park, Boston, in April of 1946, we see Ted Williams, Eddie Pellagrini, JFK and Hank Greenburg.

Ty Cobb and Ted Williams

Here is a photo of Ty Cobb with Ted Williams who was one of his idols growing up.

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...

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.

...NBA Champion & Basketball Superstar... Dwayne Wade

...NBA Champion & Basketball Superstar...

Dwayne Wade

[Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date]

New York Yankees 1961 World Championship Presentational Rolex

1961 Bill "Moose" Skowron New York Yankees World Championship Presentational Rolex Watch. Number three on the Yankees' home run chart with twenty-three in 1961, the stocky first baseman certainly played a key role in the Bombers' eventual World Championship this season, a feat for which he was presented this fine Rolex by the Commissioner of Baseball.

The watch is crafted in fourteen karat gold in a "Bombay" style, with hand-engraved "551493" between the case lugs. The face of the watch is emblazoned with the Yankees' bat and hat logo, while the back is engraved, "Presented to William J. Skowron, Jr. by the Baseball Commissioner."

The band is not original to the watch, and is crafted from gold-plated stainless steel. Condition is unimprovable, with not a single defect to be found, and the watch is perfectly operational. The provenance is likewise superb, as the watch is accompanied by a handwritten letter from Skowron attesting to the details of its presentation and sale to a collector.

This watch lot # 19557 sold in 2005 for $7,170 at Heritage Auctions. 

Photo Credit: HeratigeSportsCollectibles.com