...Rolex Coolness...
Howard Schultz
Howard Shultz rockin' his vintage Single Red Submariner [Reference 1680]
Starbucks
Founder & Chairman
Do you think Starbuck coffee taste great? I am not much of a coffee conisure, but one thing is for certain, and that is Howard Shultz has Amazing taste in Rolex watches. Howard Schultz is no longer involved in Starbucks' operations or leadership. He stepped down from the board in September 2023 and holds the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus, which carries no legal or company authority.
Shultz definitely has a penchant for collecting and wearing magnificent vintage Rolex watch models. Back in 2020 Howard Shultz entered the race for president of the United States and then strangely pulled out citing he thought his campaign would have been divisive which seems ridiculous to me as I think he would have made a good President. There have been many President's that wore Rolex watches throughout history. As a matter of fact the bracelet on the Day-Date is named "The President". If you want to learn more about this subject I recommend reading my story titled "The Complete History Of The Rolex President".
Howard Shultz was interviewed on how he was seriously considering running for President of the United States in the video below:
Vintage Rolex Keeping The Time Of His Life
Howard Shultz is not only the founder and CEO of Starbucks, but a vintage Rolex collector. Howard is pictured below on the cover of the 2016 Forbes Magazine Special Issue named, "Meet The Richest People On The Planet."
2 Different Black Dial
Paul Newman Daytona Models
This is a really profound!!! In the photo above on the cover of Forbes Magazine we see Howard Schultz wearing a Rolex Daytona Reference 6239, and you can tell it's a 6239 as it has pump pushers and two lines of text under the Rolex Crown on the dial just like in the photo below. It also has a silver bezel.
Rolex Daytona Reference 6239 Pictured Above
Daytona Rolex Oyster Sotto
This is where it gets really profound! In the next two photos we see what at first appears to be the same Paul Newman Exotic Dial Daytona as seen on the cover Forbes Magazine covers, but upon closer inspection it is a Daytona Rolex Oyster Sotto [Reference 6236] Notice it has screw down pushers and a third line of text under the Rolex crown on the dial that has says "Rolex Cosmograph Oyster." This watch is commonly known as the "RCO". If you look closely you will also notice it has a black bezel insert.
For frame of reference I am including the photo below of a very rare Rolex Daytona Oyster Sotto Reference 6236. Notice it has three lines of text under the crown as apposed to just 2, and also features screw down pushers. The 6263 is MUCH rarer than the Reference 6239 and is currently worth around $1.5 Million, as apposed to the Oyster Sotto Reference 6236 which is worth between $150k-$250k—largely depending on condition.
Rolex Daytona Oyster 'Sotto' Reference 6236 Pictured Above
When you are a multi-billionaire and one of the wealthiest men on earth it makes sense you could own, and most importantly wear two different Rolex Daytona models that look almost identical, but have such a huge market value delta. "Sotto" is Italian and translated into English it means 'under'. Basically a Sotto is a 6262/64 with a Paul Newman dial, where Rolex later added the World "Oyster" under "Rolex" and "Cosmograph".
Big Red Rolex Daytona
In this next image we see Howard Schultz wearing his "Big Red" Daytona [Reference 6263].
Pre-Daytona Chronograph
In the next two images we see Howard Schultz sporting a pre-Daytona Rolex Chronograph on a Oyster bracelet.
Triple Date Chronograph
In these next images below we see Howard Shultz sportin' a very rare complicated Rolex Triple-Date Chronograph [Reference 6236].
In this next photo we see Howard Schultz wearing his triple date Rolex Chronogaph on a leather strap. It is interesting to not the Rolex 6236 Chronograph is the most complicated Rolex watch ever made in the history of the company.
This Rolex Triple Date Chronograph was made in 1958 and is a magnificent watch but commonly falsely attributed to Rolex brand Ambassador, Jean-Claude Killy, just like the false association between known as the Steve McQueen Explorer which NEVER existed.
Explorer II "Orange Hand"
Espresso GMT-Master
In this next photo we CEO Howard Shultz sporting a vintage Rolex Espresso GMT Master.
In these next photos we see Howard Shultz wearing a vintage Rolex Explorer.
The Starbucks Submariner
With all due respect, I think Howard Schultz would be better-off wearing a Starbucks Submariner or 50th Anniversary Submariner. I created this graphic illustration seen below years ago to illustrate how the LV Submariner reminded me of the Starbucks logo.
In all seriousness, Howard Schultz wrote one of the absolute best and most inspirational business autobiographies I have ever read, which I very highly recommend!!!
The book titled Pour Your Heart Into It tells the story not only of how Howard Schultz built the Starbucks empire, but goes into great detail on his business ethics philosophy. I remember he talked about how he insisted that all Starbucks employees be given health care and I also remember him talking about "the power of Under-promising and Over-delivering."
