Einstein's Longines Watch Sells at New York Antiquorum Auction for $596,000.

"Time is an illusion."–Albert Einstein

On October 16, 2008, the New York Antiqourom Auction house sold Albert Einstein's Longines watch for $596,000. in U.S. Dollars. This is close to 20 times the initial estimated value of between $25,000 to $35,000 and it sets a world record for the price paid for a time only watch. [time only meaning no complications.]

Einstein's watch was manufactured in 1930 and presented to Einstein in 1931. It is made out of 14 Kt gold and has an art deco design. Albert Einstein was a Nobel prize winning physicist and is best known for his theory of relativity from which the speed of light formula was derived.

Albert Einstein was also voted the Time Magazine Man of the Century.

Also of significant note from the Antiquorom New York auction of October 16, 2009 is this 18K Yellow Gold first series Patek Philippe square button chronograph [Reference 2499, manufactured 1956] which sold for a record breaking $1,514,400.

People Are Talking Rolex...

Talking Rolex

I have been following a fascinating thread at WatchTalkForums.com where the original poster asked a question that has brought out many very interesting answers. 

Mephist from Norway posed the simple question "Why Rolex? What is your personal reason for why you own and like Rolex?"

Asser1 from Springfield, Missouri shared a fascinating answer:

"I got bit by the bug with my dad owning a Sub (no date). By about 13, I wanted one and I finally got a Sub (no date) at 18–the only kid and probably teacher at my high school who had one. Fast forward less than a year just back from basic training and traded the Sub for a GMT II, wish I could have kept the sub."

"Fifteen years later I was over Rolex (or so I thought). I flirted with several other luxury makes including Tag (Carrera, Monaco) Omega (Speedmaster) Longines (Hour Angle) and Cartier (tank). Finally, sold my GMT II to dad and was Rolexless for 2 days. The other great watches left couldn't fill the void, something inside me said you are not finished with Rolex. I stewed for a month about which one to drop the dough on and ended up with a S/P Yachtmaster and then a month later another Sub no date for $1300 more than I paid for my first one (hence why I wished I could have kept the Sub)."

"There is something unexplainable about a Rolex, that I feel no other watch possesses. I know for a fact that lesser luxury makes do not instill the pride in ownership my Rolexes do. My Speedmaster probabaly comes closest. I doubt very seriously that a more prestigious make I admire would fascinate me more than a Rolex either (Vacheron, Breguet, A. Lange or Patek)."

"The spell a Rolex holds over me is nothing more than an unsolved mystery. I look at other watches with admiration but I haven't got that "I must have this now" that I get when I go to the Rolex shop."

You can view the thread on WatchTalkForum.com by clicking here.

Lance Armstrong sporting his Trademark Coke Rolex GMT Master...

Rolex Hotness: More is More...

James took this photo of his wife wearing his Rolex Yachtmaster and Daytona.

Photo Credit: James

Vintage Rolex Explorer Mark II Advertisement...

When Haroun Tazieff wears a fireproof suit he wears his Rolex on the outside.

The tiny figure on the right of the photograph is Haroun Tazieff. The picture was taken last year when Tazieff and a scientific team were observing the eruption of Niragongo.

Haroun Tazieff always wears a Rolex, though unfortunately the camera could not get close enough to show it.

The scientists involved in observing volcanoes need completely reliable watches to record the changing temperature of gases and the magma flung up by volcanic action.

The figures they collect help them to understand the whys and hows of this basic phenomenon: the Earth's volcanism.

A Rolex can be trusted to keep cool and unperturbed on either side of the earth's crust.

The seamless Oyster case is carved from a solid block of 18ct. gold, platinum or stainless surgical steel, by a series of 162 separate operations. Inside this virtually indestructible case our craftsmen fit one of our patented inventions, the Rolex winding crown, which screws down onto the case, acting rather like a submarine hatch.

The rotor self-winding Perpetual movement is so accurate that it is certified as a Chronometer by one of the Swiss Institutes for Official Chronometer Tests.

A Rolex takes just over a year to make, and the time and care our craftsmen take ensures that each Oyster is perfectly reliable, wherever it is worn. Rolex Oysters have been taken up Mt. Everest and down to the deepest part of the ocean bed, but certainly Haroun Tazieff has taken his Rolex to the hottest place of all.

For years Niragongo had lain comparatively quiet, in fact in 1959 Tazieff had actually climbed right down into the crater. He described the experience:

"Around us there was nothing but this sealed-off world, enclosed by immense cliffs, and fumes ceaselessly rising from the centre. But it was the sight of the bottom, about five or six hundred feet down, that was amazing: in its north-western quarter there was a lake of live lava, boiling away ceaselessly from the action of forces deep below; every now and then the elastic black skin covering it burst and threw up fountains of cherry-red lava, while at the southern end a tremendous froth of liquid fire lashed the banks with heavy scarlet waves. The lava suddenly overflowed, and in a few moments had covered a surface of more than an acre."

So wherever you may travel, even in the warmest regions, you can be sure your Rolex, or at least a Rolex like it, will have been there before.

ROLEX

of Geneva

You can tell by the men who wear them.

Custom NASA Astronaut Specification Nylon Strap for Stainless Steetl Rolex GMT Master II Ceramic...

Rolex on a NASA Astronaut Strap

Klod from Poland decided to customize his new Rolex GMT Master II Ceramic by putting it on this really cool custom-made NASA Astronaut Specification strap. I can't believe how cool this watch looks with this black nylon strap. My hat is off to you Klod!!!

There is something really cool about the stainless steel with all the black and just a hint of green that looks really, really cool. Not to mention that all the NASA astronauts who wore a Rolex watch to the moon and back only wore Rolex GMT Master models.

Please understand this is NOT a NATO strap. It is a NASA Strap which means it uses velcro. Velcro was invented by NASA for the space program.

By the way, I could not help but notice that Klod's GMT Master II on the NASA strap perfectly matches the stunningly cool all-new Apple Macbook Pro laptop that goes on sale today.

Kelly M. pointed out that if you want to roll your own here are the official NASA specs:

Kelly sourced these official specs from Chuck Maddox's ChronoMaddox.com which you can visit by clicking here.

I originally found this super cool looking strap and the following thread that ensues on Timezone.com which you can view directly by clicking here. Charles Newgas, KhalilSheikh, and BSOD Mike also chime in on the fascinating Timezone thread...You gotta love this stuff!!!

Through The Looking Glass...The Magic of John Holbrook Photography...

Magnificent Mechanical Masterpiece

John Holbrook is an extremely talented professional watch photographer and writer that has been published in nearly every major U.S. watch magazine including, International Watch (IW), Chronos, InSync, as well as Watch and Jewelry Review. 

John's love for beautiful mechanical watches has driven him to create his own RolexReferencePage.com as well as his own watch forum named WatchTalkForums.com.

This story is about John Holbrook's desire to go beyond enjoying the beauty of his Stainless Steel Rolex Daytona by showcasing the inner-beauty of his Daytona.

John cracked open his Rolex Daytona and could not believe how beautiful the in-house Rolex movement was and he took the two following photos of his mechanical masterpiece.

Tip: You must click on all of John's stunning images to really enjoy the beauty he captured with the Rolex Daytona movement.

John said, "Not only was I amazed at how stunning the in-house Rolex Daytona movement was, I was blown away with how beautiful the Blue Parachrom Hairspring was!!! I could not stop looking at the movement and I thought the inside was as beautiful as the outside. I had to find a way to easily be able to enjoy looking at the Blue Parachrom Hairspring as well as the rest of the beautiful Rolex movement inside without having to open up the Oyster."

Through The Looking Glass

John figured out how to permanently enjoy viewing the inside of his Stainless Daytona. He found a German manufacture that specializes in making synthetic sapphire casebacks which you can visit by clicking here.

There are two schools of thought in the Rolex world about customizing or enhancing Rolex watches. The first school which I will refer to as "purists" believe it is sacrosanct to modify a Rolex in any way. The other school of thought is that if you can find a way to make your Rolex better, you should do it.

I happen to belong to the latter group with my pals John Holbrook, Hannes of the R-L-X.de German Rolex forum and Oysterworld.de as well as Sheldon Smith.

I think John Holbrook so significantly enhanced the beauty of his Rolex Daytona, and I urge the designers at Rolex to make these showcase backs standard issue on all Rolex watches. I say, let the inner beauty of Rolex shine through!!!

I would like to thank John Holbrook for sharing all the stunning photos of his Daytona movement and showcase back.

LV Submariner on a Jubilee Bracelet

Javileon customized his LV Rolex Submariner by adding a Jubilee bracelet. Looks pretty cool!!!

Photo Credit: Javileon 08

San Francisco Watch GTG (Get Together) Sunday, October 5, 2008

San Francisco Watch GTG!!!

We had the first San Francisco Watch GTG last night at Perry's on Union Street and it was superb. 

Maurice Chevalier, the French entertainer put it best in 1964 when he said "Like a genial hotelier, Rolex has introduced me to some of the nicest people. I ask about their Rolex and they ask about mine. It's as marvelous a conversation piece as it is a timepiece."

I agree with Maurice and I was blown away with how nice everybody was!!! I had a great time and it was definitely a heartwarming experience. 

Dinner is served above!!! Just kidding!!! I brought along James Dowling and Jeff Hess book, named "The Best of Time, Rolex Wristwatches" so everybody could see it.

If Rolex was a restaurant it would be Perry's. Seriously!!! Even our bartender was wearing his Rolex SEA-DWELLER as seen above.

Sheldon took the photo above of the whole gang having fun.

Sheldon Smith of Minus4Plus6.com is pictured above sporting a MilSub that Eric Ku broght. Larry (Sharkman is pictured in the middle between Eric and Sheldon. Sheldon and I recorded our first podcast earlier this week and I met him in person last night for the first time. What a nice, nice man!!!

I just thought the photo of Sheldon above was funny because he is photographing Rolex watches that Eric Ku brought to share with us and the sign above Sheldon says Moisture and Dust Proof Package, and Sheldon is taking photos of Moisture and Dust Proof Watches.

Eric Ku is the biggest vintage dealer in the San Francisco bay area and he brought a stunning collection of vintage Rolex watches to share with everybody. Sheldon can be seen in the photo above the one above taking this photo.

A quarter of a million dollars on two wrists!!!

In the photo above I was wearing Hannes GMT Master. Hannes is pictured in the center with his girlfriend Mindy and Hannes is the co-owner of the German R-L-X.de, Rolex Forum.

In the photo above I am wearing an original Submariner from 1955 on an olive NATO strap. Eric Ku is pictured on the far left and Hannes girlfriend Mindy is sitting next to Hannes.

I brought John Goldberger's new Rolex book named 100 Superlative Rolex Watches with me and it was a huge hit. Everybody loved it and thought is was a masterpiece. Check out that crazy starburst yellow gold Rolex Submariner on top of John's book. Rolex did not make that watch with the starburst dial, it just oxidized that way over the years.

What would a Rolex GTG be without Rolex Hotness!?!?!

Joe and Hannes are talking above.

Joe is pictured above with his lovely wife. I tried on Joe's magnificent original Submariner as you can see in the wrist shot below. Joe's Submariner had the craziest cool patina I have ever seen on a Rolex. You can't really tell from the photo but all the indices had a copper patina that perfectly matched the hands.

Eric Ku brought what was probably my favorite Rolex at the GTG which is pictured below. It is a Milsub 5517. Really, really cool and worth $150,000.

Sheldon took the photo below of me (Jake) enjoying a breadstick.

Last but not least is the Tiffany and Company Yellow Gold Rolex Submariner pictured below with nipple indices.

Hannes took photos and once he gets back to Germany and emails me some of them, I will add them to this article.

We plan to have a GTG every 6 months so the next one will be on April 5, 2009.

The White Gold Rolex Submariner Is Now Available...

The all new Rolex Submariner has come to market and here are photos of it:

This all new sub has a Supercase, maxi markers with fat hands and a ceramic blue dial.

It appears as if the crystal is flush with the bezel and no longer sits up proudly above the bezel. This translates into a more finished, streamlined look.

The all new Submariner in white gold as pictured, has a blue dial and blue bezel that is made from ceramic material. The ceramic material makes it extremely sturdy and scratch proof like the synthetic sapphire crystal.

This is the first time in history that Rolex has ever made a white gold Rolex Submariner.

The new Submariner has the glidelock clasp just like the DEEP-SEA SEA DWELLER. This is great news because it appears as if this will be the new standard on all Sport Rolex watches as they are introduced in the future.

The highly innovative new glidelock clasp allows the wearer to adjust the size of the clasp, while the watch is on the wrist and requires no tools. This is also great for authorized dealers because typically when you go to a dealer they keep all their Rolex watches with all the links in them, which means if you try it on you don't really get to see how it will look on your wrist because the bracelet is way too big.

The glidelock allows you to adjust the watch up to 1.5 links in length.

It seems logical that next year or the year after at Basel, Rolex will introduce the all new stainless steel Submariner, and assuming it follows the design language of the white gold Submariner pictured above, it should be an absolute winner!!!