Rolex Bubble-Back
Unique RMS Queen Mary Dial
John "Crash" Moittel is a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World. He is also a Trustee of miottelmuseum.com. John wrote in recently to share some fascinating insight on is RISitus condition. John said:
"Here is a very interesting item that may now be unique—and as such—may be of interest to you. It’s a Rolex “Queen Mary.” I am attaching some photos. The photos didn’t catch it, but in actuality, the name “Queen Mary” is clearly visible on the bow of the ship image."
Seeing this beauty for the first time took my breath away! To the best of my recollection, this is the earliest known "Exotic Dial" Rolex, or, in other words, Rolex dial with graphics on it.
The RMS Queen Mary Ocean Liner is pictured below as she cruises by Manhattan back in the 1930s.
"You seem like the most prolific and eclectic RISitus victim around my newly discovered field of interest so I’d be interested in any medications that you can recommend &/or what you think about my affliction."
RISitus, if you are not familiar with the term, stems from the term WISitus, which is a condition of sorts. "WIS" is the acronym for "Watch Idiot Savant", thus "RIS" is the acronym for "Rolex Idiot Savant". This is a condition I have happily suffered from for four decades now ;-)
John, my best advice is to "Keep Truckin'!!!". WISitus and RISitus, are some of the best conditions one can suffer from, as the cornerstone of them is The Spirit Of Inquiry, or if I am speakin' wif a cockney accent (fink: Michael Caine), The Spirit Of Enquiry :-)
Wikipedia.com Definition:
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line (known as Cunard-White Star Line when the vessel entered service). Built by John Brown & Companyin Clydebank, Scotland, Queen Mary along with her running mate, the RMS Queen Elizabeth, were built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York City. The two ships were a British response to the superliners built by German and French companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Queen Mary was the flagship of the Cunard Line from May 1936 until October 1946 when she was replaced in that role by Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and captured the Blue Riband in August of that year; she lost the title to SS Normandie in 1937 and recaptured it in 1938, holding it until 1952 when she was beaten by the new SS United States. With the outbreak of World War II, she was converted into a troopship and ferried Alliedsoldiers for the duration of the war.
Following the war Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service and along with Queen Elizabeth commenced the two-ship transatlantic passenger service for which the two ships were initially built. The two ships dominated the transatlantic passenger transportation market until the dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, Queen Mary was ageing and, though still among the most popular transatlantic liners, was operating at a loss.
After several years of decreased profits for Cunard Line, Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967. She left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California, United States, where she remains permanently moored. Much of the machinery, including one of the two engine rooms, three of the four propellers, and all of the boilers, were removed. The ship serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum, and hotel. The ship is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accepted the Queen Mary as part of the Historic Hotels of America.[2]
