Jack Nicklaus Winning The 1972 U.S. Open Golf Tournament

...Rolex Coolness...

Jack Nicklaus

Winning The 1972 U.S. Open Golf Tournament

Pebble Beach, California

Rolex Day-Date

Phillips Auction Reflections: Marlon Brando & Jack Nicklaus...

Phillips Auction Reflections

Marlon Brando

& 

Jack Nicklaus

I have to say that when the Phillips 'Game Changers' auction was over, I was exhausted from working so hard on my Rolex History background stories on Marlon Brando and Jack Nicklaus. 

Also, I watched the live auction feed here on RolexMagazine.com seen in the previous story. The auction was fascinating, and pretty long. Special thanks to Phillips Auction house for giving my readers live access to the history making auction. If you haven't seen the 'Game Changers' auction you can watch a complete replay of it in my previous story.

Phillips auctioned Marlon Brando's 'Apocalypse Now' GMT-Master for $1,952.000 which is a world auction record for a GMT-Master at auction. 

Marlon Brando GMT-Master Auction photo appears courtesy of Arthur Touchot

Phillips also auction Jack Nicklaus' legendary Day-Date for $1,220.000, which also set a world-record for auction price for the Day-Date. 

Jack Nicklaus Auction photo appears courtesy of Arthur Touchot

These prices included the typical buyers premium auction houses typically charge, but in the case of both these watches, as with the Phillips auction of Paul Newman's iconic Daytona, Phillips donated 100% of their auction proceeds to the charities that the watch proceeds went to.

In the case of Paul Newman's Daytona, the vast majority of the $17.8 Million went to the Nell Newman Foundation, and in the case of Jack Nicklaus auction, 100% of the proceeds went to The Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, and with Marlon Brando's GMT, a significant portion of the proceeds went to the Brando Fischer Foundation, which was set up by Marlon Brando's daughter to continue her father's legacy of helping disadvantaged children.

In my personal opinion, I find it to be heartwarming that all these funds are going to great causes :-) Also, in my usual fashion, I dove unusually deep into exploring the life and times of Marlon Brando. Whenever I complete these super-detailed stories, it feels like I get so close to the history, that I lived through many of the moments and experiences myself. In other words, I have argued for years that when you immerse yourself this deeply in the history, it not only feels like you lived through it, but you became part of it. Marlon Brando's life was full of the highest highs and lowest lows, but after all is said and done, he left behind an incredible legacy!

Edmond from Le Monde Edmond wrote a superb article regarding the results of the article which I highly recommend named Auction Review: How Coolness Beat History. 

Also, Barron's published an excellent article regarding the Phillips Auction. In the Barrons article which I highly recommend reading, Paul Boutros made a fascinating point regarding the relationship between the fame of the Rolex watch wearer and the market value of the actual Rolex model:

While the Brando didn’t reach the eight-figure level of the Paul Newman Rolex, Boutros underscores how outstanding the result is, considering the sales price compared to the market value of a similar model without the celebrity provenance. 

“We like to see multiples in the results when there’s great provenance behind the watches,” Boutros says. “If you look at the multiple achieved compared to the market price for this Ref. 1675 without a bezel or bracelet, the retail price would be about $15,000. With a result of $1,952,000, the multiple is 130 times.”


He adds that the Brando multiple figure is even higher than the Paul Newman Daytona. At the time it sold, the market price for a non-celebrity Paul Newman Daytona was about $150,000. So, when it sold for $17.8 million, the multiple was about 118 times. “That’s how we view success,” he adds. “It shows the power of Marlon Brando and the power of the Rolex brand when tied to a famous celebrity like this.”

Jack Nicklaus 1967 Rolex Day-Date Coming to Phillips Auction

Jack Nicklaus

1967 Rolex Day-Date 

Coming to Phillips Auction

We have been looking quite a bit at Marlon Brando's GMT Master he wore in Apocalypse Now which is coming to auction in several days on December 10, 2019 @ Phillips Auction House in New York. Another amazing historical Rolex will also be up for auction, and that is one that has been worn by Golf Legend, Jack Nicklaus for more than a 50 years! 

100% of the Auction proceeds from Jack's Rolex Day-Date will be donated to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation at The Bear's Club in Florida.

Jack Nicklaus is pictured below a half-century ago in 1970 wearing the very same Rolex Day-Date as he poses with his World Series of Golf Trophy.

47 Years ago, the first time the U.S. Open was played at Pebble Beach, Jack Nicklaus upstaged his rivals, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer to won the 1972 U.S. Open. This years U.S. Open is unusual as Jack Nicklaus' Rolex Day-Date has been making the rounds. The fascinating back story is that Rolex, under the leadership of André Heiniger gave Jack Nicklaus a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date in 1967. The photo below is the oldest photo of Jack wearing his Day-Date I have been able to find and it was taken in 1968.

In the photo below we see Jack Nicklaus on the far right, next to fellow Rolex Ambassador, Gary Player. On the far left are gold legends, Gene Sarazen, and Ben Hogan. These men represent four of the five men who have won the elete career Grand Slams, along with Tiger Woods. 

Jack Nicklaus

Winning The 1972 U.S. Open Golf Tournament

Pebble Beach, California

Rolex Day-Date

Jack Nicklaus is pictured below with Tiger Woods at the 2012 ATT National Tournament where Tiger passed Jack to the 2nd Place on Career List with his 74th victory.


Jack Nicklaus has been wearing his same Day-Date for 52 years straight and he recently decided to put it up for auction with Phillips Auction House, the benefits of which will all go to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation (@anchcf). Jack's watch can be viewed in-person by contacting @pboutros on Instagram.

Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995

Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus

Two Golf Legends

Jack Nicklaus was the second Rolex Golf Ambassador appointed just after fellow legendary golfer Arnold Palmer and along with Gary Player make up Golfs Big 3.

The photo above of Jack Nicklaus was taken in 1972 and the one below was taken recently.

Jack is Back @ The 2019 U.S. Open

Jack is Back

@ The 2019 U.S. Open

Pebble Beach, California

The sun never sets on the World of Rolex, and every week there is a fascinating event occurring somewhere on earth that is sponsored by Rolex and this week we have the Le Mans Formula 1 race in France as well as The U.S. Open taking place at Pebble Beach in California.

47 Years ago, the first time the U.S. Open was played at Pebble Beach, Jack Nicklaus upstaged his rivals, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer to won the 1972 U.S. Open. This years U.S. Open is unusual as Jack Nicklaus' Rolex Day-Date has been making the rounds. The fascinating back story is that Rolex, under the leadership of André Heiniger gave Jack Nicklaus a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date in 1967. The photo below is the oldest photo of Jack wearing his Day-Date I have been able to find and it was taken in 1968.

Jack Nicklaus

Winning The 1972 U.S. Open Golf Tournament

Pebble Beach, California

Rolex Day-Date

Jack Nicklaus is pictured below with Tiger Woods at the 2012 ATT National Tournament where Tiger passed Jack to the 2nd Place on Career List with his 74th victory.


Jack Nicklaus has been wearing his same Day-Date for 52 years straight and he recently decided to put it up for auction with Phillips Auction House, the benefits of which will all go to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation (@anchcf). Jack's watch can be viewed in-person by contacting @pboutros on Instagram.

Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995

Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus

Two Golf Legends

Jack Nicklaus was the second Rolex Golf Ambassador appointed just after fellow legendary golfer Arnold Palmer and along with Gary Player make up Golfs Big 3.

The photo above of Jack Nicklaus was taken in 1972 and the one below was taken recently.

Lee Trevino & Jack Nicklaus

Lee Trevino & Jack Nicklaus

Two Golf Legends Wearing Rolex

Lee Trevino is considered to be one of the great golfers of the fourth quarter of the twentieth century. Lee won the U.S. open in 1968 and 1971, and he won The Open Championship in 1971 and 1972. He is pictured below with fellow golf legend, Jack Nicklaus. Lee Trevino is of Mexican American descent and is considered to be an icon and role model in the Mexican American community.

The photo below shows Lee Travino and Jack Nicklaus together at the 1971 U.S. Open. Lee Travino duked-it-out with Jack Nicklaus in an 18 hole playoff, and prevailed.

It appears Lee Trevino is wearing a stainless steel Datejust in the photo above and a GMT Master or Submariner in the photo below.

Jack Nicklaus 1967 Rolex President Day-Date...

Hodinkee Interview
Jack Nicklaus 1967 Rolex President Day-Date
50 Anniversary of Wearing The Same Rolex
Benjamin Clymer from Hodinkee just published an AMAZING interview with golf legend, Jack Nicklaus, who is the widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time.

Jack Nicklaus in a recent photo sporting his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. Personally, I think yellow gold Rolex watches look really cool on men and women with blond hair, like Jack Nicklaus. Jack Nicklaus won The Open in 1966, 1970 and 1978.

The photo below shows Jack Nicklaus in 1978 after winning The Open, and he is wearing his Rolex Day-Date. 

Jack has been wearing a Rolex Day-Date since 1967, so this year marks the 50th year he has worn Rolex. The photo below of Jack Nicklaus wearing a Rolex Day-Date was taken in 1968, when he was 28 years old. It is the oldest known photo of him wearing a Rolex that I have been able to find. Ironically, prior to wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date for 50 years straight, he never wore a watch.

Arnold Palmer Rolex Day-Date Ad from 1969...

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Arnold Palmer

1929-2016

The KING of Golf Passes Away

6 Decades Wearing Nothing But Rolex

It is alway so sad to write a tribute when somebody so loved passes away. Arnold Palmer died today in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hospital at the age of 87. 

"I would like to be remembered for bringing golf to a worldwide audience." 

—Arnold Palmer 

Arnold Palmer is not only one of the great golfing legends, but also a lifelong Rolex wearer. He has had the nickname of "The King" of golf because he was the first golf superstar in the age of television. He is considered to be a member of "The Big Three" along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Arnold Palmer became the first official Rolex Golf Ambassador in 1967.

Rolex just published a video and photo tribute on their Instagram page that said:

"He turned a game of royalty into the sport for everyone. And turned imperfection into a work of art. It is the swing, the swagger we will always remember; a humble confidence that inspired the imperfection in us all. In the company of presidents, prime ministers or the common man, he is the rarest of individuals, admired by all. There will never be another man like him. 
Thank you Mr Palmer."

Golf and tennis are arguably the greatest physical games in the world, and Rolex both sports are dominated by ultra successful players who wear Rolex. It does not mater wether you are talking about The Open, or Wimbledon, Rolex reigns supreme on the wrists of the best players who have dominated both sports.

"Rolex has shared every second of my time for the last 54 years." –Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer was responsible for making the elite sport of golf popular with the masses. During his amazing career he won 92 overall victories including 4 Masters. He was also elected PGA Player Of The Year in 1960 and 1962. 

An American Rolex President

Many of the U.S. Presidents, beginning with William Howard Taft, were big golf fans and players. U.S. Presidents beginning with Dwight Eisenhower were big fans of Arnold Palmer, as seen below in the photo taken in 1960.

You could almost say that Arnold Palmer was THE Golf Ambassador to the White House.

Arnold Palmer is pictured below in the Oval Office with President Nixon on February 13, 1969, along with fellow athletes, Bart Starr (NFL football player) on far left, and Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers. Notice, that Arnold Palmer is wearing his yellow gold Rolex President Day-Date, which you can see even better, if you click on the photo.

   

Arnold Palmer is pictured below in the Oval Office with President Ford, who was an avid golfer. Once again, you can see Arnold Palmer's Rolex Day-Date on his wrist.

In 1993, Arnold Palmer was awarded the National Sports Award by U.S. President, Bill Clinton, and in 2004, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.

In 2009, Arnold Palmer received the Congressional Gold Medal which is an award that has been around since the American Revolution. The Congressional Gold Medal recognizes distinguished achievements and contributions. In the photo below we see U.S. President Obama signing the "Arnold Palmer Gold Medal Act" in the Oval Office in the White House.

"Arnold Palmer had swagger before we had a name for it." 

—U.S. President Obama

Arnold Palmer is only the second golfer in history to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which has to be approved by two-thirds of the Congress & Senate. The very first Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to George Washington in 1776, and since then, only 141 medals have been awarded. President Obama sent out a tweet as a tribute to Arnold Palmer, which you can see below. 

Here's to The King who was as extraordinary on the links as he was generous to others. Thanks for the memories, Arnold. pic.twitter.com/UlyfpIBOL2

— President Obama (@POTUS) September 26, 2016

Statement by President Obama on the Passing of Arnold Palmer: September 26, 2016

"With his homemade swing and homespun charm, Arnold Palmer had swagger before we had a name for it. From a humble start working at the local club in his beloved Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to superstardom as the face of golf around the globe, Arnold was the American Dream come to life. 

Along the way he racked up win after win – but it wasn’t his success that made him King. Arnold’s freewheeling, fearless approach to the game inspired a generation of golfers and, for the first time on TV, enthralled an audience across the world. Sure, we liked that he won seven majors, but we loved that he went for it when he probably should have laid up. 

That spirit extended beyond the links where he gave freely of himself and poured everything he had into everything he did: from building hospitals to personally responding to countless letters from his fans. And he did it all with a grin that hinted maybe he had one more shot up his sleeve. 

Today, Michelle and I stand with Arnie’s Army in saluting the King."

Groovy Baby Yeah!!!

This advertisement appeared in Sports Illustrated in the November 18, 1968 issue. So what did men do before the Sony Play Station Tiger Woods games existed–back in 1968? Here it is. The reason I am sharing this with you is you see that Arnold Palmer is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 48 years ago, back in 1968. 1968 was–of course–the year of, "The Summer Of Love."

1982 Rolex Day-Date Ad

1980s Sidney Mobell Jewelers in San Francisco Ad

Yellow Gold Day-Date with President Bracelet

1992 Rolex Day-Date Tridor Ad

The photo below shows Arnold Palmer sporting his Rolex Day-Date Tridor, which is featured in the 1992 Rolex Ad above. Rolex called this watch the 'Tridor' as it featured center links that were composed of pink gold, yellow gold and white gold. 

I believe, from a design perspective this was Rolex's attempt to offer a Day-Date model that offered a two-tone Rolex Datejust alternative. In other words, in the eighties, the two-tone yellow gold and stainless steel Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet was all the rage, and I believe Rolex wanted to offer a Day-Date that capitalized upon and achieved a similar look—without looking like a cheap Seiko Clone. Thus, Rolex flexed its design and material muscle and came up with this unique design.

The photo above and below show a Rolex Day-Date Tridor Reference 18239 in detail and they appear courtesy of Bob's Watches. The photo below really shows the intricate precision of how Rolex achieved this amazing technological feat. Rolex discontinued the Tridor model many years ago, but it remains an interesting novelty in the history of Rolex design language.

Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995

Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus

Two Golf Legends

ROLEX and Golf's Big Three

The term, "Golf's Big Three", refers to Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, who are pictured together below in 2007, all sporting their Rolex watches. 

Notice Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus are wearing yellow gold Rolex Day-Date models and Arnold Palmer is wearing one of my favorite Rolex models, which is an original LV Submariner, which has a green bezel with a black dial. 

In the photo below taken in the late 1960s we see the Golfs Big Three in the same order as the photo above.

Pictured below is a screen-grab from Rolex.com's Sports and Culture website from about 6 years ago. I featured golf's Big Three which consist of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Players.

It is amazing that the photo of Golf's Big Three was taken 50 years ago, back in 1962 when J.F.K. was the President Of The United States!!! Speaking of President's, the Rolex President is the primary watch choice of the big three.

Rolex Sports Legends

On July 23, 2007, five of Rolex' greatest sporting legends got together at Rolex headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Pictured above from left to right, 3 time gold medal olympic skier, Jean-Claude Killy; Racing legend, Sir. Jackie Stewart; Golfing legends, Gary Players, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus.

The Big Three (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player) observe the laboratory at Rolex headquarters as new time pieces are created. [Note: In 2014 I had the opportunity to don a Rolex Lab Coat when I was invited by Rolex to take a tour of all four Rolex manufacturing facilities in Switzerland, and see for myself what really makes Rolex tick. Very few people from outside Rolex have ever witnessed this, and I hope in the future Rolex will created a detailed video documentary on this amazing experience. Until then, you can check out my super-detailed article titled "Inside Rolex: Exploring What Makes Rolex Tick."]

Photos & Following Text from Nicklaus.com

Here is the press release that described the event pictured above:

GENEVA - Golf's Big Three - Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus - celebrated perhaps the longest on-going commercial relationship in sports this week with a two-day visit to the home of Rolex watches, where they were honored by the managing director of Rolex SA, Patrick Heiniger, and a select group of about 40 guests including Rolex board members and senior executives.

Palmer and the business manager for all three golfers, the late Mark McCormack, first met the late Andre Heiniger, Patrick's father and then Rolex's managing director, while on a business trip to Japan in 1961, and the relationships grew from there. Nicklaus and Player were presented with Rolex watches to mark their U.S. Open victories in 1962 and 1965, respectively, and Palmer became Rolex's first golf ambassador in 1967.

Joining the Big Three were their wives and two other world-class sportsmen and Rolex ambassadors from the same era, the Grand Prix racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart and the Olympic and World Cup champion skier Jean-Claude Killy. They were all presented gold Rolex GMT Master II watches to mark the occasion.

There was an informal welcoming dinner on the evening of their arrival. The next morning they were given a tour and saw Rolex watches being made.

There was a ceremony in Rolex's Andre Heiniger Auditorium. A video of the Big Three created especially for the occasion was shown before Patrick Heiniger spoke and recognized the Big Three in these words:

"In 1960, Arnold gave new life to the British Open and made it a championship never to be missed by the best players. As a result he created the modern Grand Slam.

"In 1965, Gary overcame all odds to be the third golfer ever, and the first of his generation, to win all four of the major golf championships in his career.

"In 1986, Jack proved that he was indeed the golfer of the century, winning the Masters at 46 years of age, to increase his total to 18 majors, five more than the great Bobby Jones."

Heiniger continued: "Like you, we at Rolex honor excellence and achievement. We equally honor the humor and the humanity that all of you radiate. It is thanks to that magical mix that we are here together so many years down the road.

"What we share transcends our association through sport and is rooted in the timeless values that each one of you celebrates in your daily life, be it through your philanthropic work, your business activities, your passions, your hobbies."

After the ceremony there was luncheon in Rolex's executive dining room for all attending, and that the tour of the Rolex facilities was continued. In the evening, Heiniger entertained the Big Three and their wives with a private dinner to conclude their visit.

Founded in 1905, Rolex has been associated for exactly 80 years with "the pursuit of excellence in sports, the arts and exploration" - to quote from their corporate communications - starting with a young female swimmer from Brighton, England, in 1927, one year after the Rolex patented the first waterproof wristwatch.

The swimmer's name was Mercedes Gleitze, and she was 27 years of age when she attempted crossing the English Channel armed with a Rolex Oyster. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder and managing director of Rolex, saw the promotional value that Gleitze could have, and her feat was duly recognized with a front-page advertisement in the Daily Mail. Rolex was also associated with Sir Edmond Hillary's 1953 conquest of Mount Everest.

While other watch companies are connected with a few golfers, or have their name on a tournament, Rolex dominates the sport like no other sponsor in any product category. Its affiliations extend to all four major championships for men and for ladies, the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Presidents Cup, European Tour, PGA of America, Rolex Rankings for ladies golf, LPGA Rolex Player of the Year and Rolex Rookie of the Year awards, and leading professional players including Phil Mickelson, Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Adam Scott, Retief Goosen and Luke Donald.

Rolex supports top sports and cultural events all over the world. It is present at more than 165 events in the realms of golf, yachting, tennis, equestrian events, motor sports, exploration, culture and the arts, as well as philanthropic awards programs, and Rolex's affiliates also support other local events.

Arnold Palmer with Andre and Patrick Hieniger

As mentioned in the story above, Arnold Palmer became a brand ambassador for Rolex in 1967, and he is pictured below with the second and third CEO's of Rolex, Andre Heiniger (center) and his son Patrick Heiniger (right). Arnold Palmer was the first big sports star that Rolex signed to be a paid brand ambassador, which really set a new precedent for Rolex. Arnold Palmer remained a Rolex brand ambassador until he passed away September 26, 2016.

"My Association with Rolex has been one of the most fulfilling and compatible relationships I have had the privilege of enjoying in my lifetime. To be honest, there is far more to the relationship than I could ever tell you, and you know, my partnership with Rolex goes back for nearly 50 years. I have had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of people at Rolex very well, and to be able to count them among my friends, so I have great feelings for Rolex. Not only have I learned a lot from the company, but Rolex has done so many great things over the years that have been of tangible benefit to golf as a sport." —Arnold Palmer.

Arnold Palmer is pictured above on May 16, 1976 receiving a Rolex GMT-Master from The Managing Director of Rolex France, Francois Emery at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. Arnold Palmer is holding the GMT-Master in his hand, and is wearing a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date on his wrist.

The Rolex story above also mentioned that Andre Heiniger met Arnold Palmer through the famous sports agent Mark McCormack, who is featured in the Rolex add below:

Arnold Palmer is pictured below wearing his Rolex LV Submariner at a press conference in 2008.

The photo below shows Arnold Palmer in 2012 signing an autograph from the seat of a Golf Cart. Arnold Palmer was known for signing every single autograph when people asked him. Many people will miss his presence in the world. He was a great man!!!

The photo below shows Arnold Palmer with Modern Golf Legend, Tiger Woods, who is also a Rolex Gold Brand Ambassador.

No Matter how you dice or slice it (no pun intended ;-), Arnold Palmer lived a beautiful and charmed life. Take for instance the recent photos below, that were taken of Arnold Palmer with Supermodel and Actress, Kate Upton. On thing for sure, is that Arnold Palmer lived the fullest of lives...

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is, at the same time, rewarding and maddening—and it's without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." 

—Arnold Palmer