Casey Neistat on How He Broke His Rolex..

Top Influencer

Casey Neistat
How He 'Broke' His Rolex
The world is changing very quickly, and some of the most influential personalities are YouTube vloggers. "vlogger" stands for Video Blogger, and last month Danny Introduced us to Logan Paul who is a 22-year-old vlogger, who recently bought his first Rolex. Today, if you are not already familiar with Casey Neistat, I am happy to introduce you to him. Casey is one of the top vloggers with 8.5 million followers on YouTube. It is pretty difficult to shatter a Rolex synthetic sapphire, and I certainly never have, but in this video, we witness how Casey shattered his. This video is from September 9, 2016 and already has 3.5 million views! Also, in this video, Casey mentions he had just passed 1 Billion video views, and a little more than a year later he has passed 2 Billion View...



Rolex Christmas Gift
"A day without laughter is a wasted day." —Pablo Picasso
Speaking of 3.5 million views and Logan Paul, he published a vlog on YouTube less than 24 hours ago, and it already has had close to 3.5 million views!!! In the video below, Paul and his brother Jake gave their mother $10,000 in cash for Christmas as well as a ladies Rolex Datejust.  Logan Paul's approach to vlogging is really high in energy, quirky, silly, emotional, funny and in many ways, he is like a modern Benny Hill on steroids. This video may not be safe for viewing at work :-0

Since we are on the subject of Logan Paul and Rolex, Logan's brother Jake (not me ;-) is also a top vlogger. Jake has had over 4 billion video views to date, which is also remarkable. Yesterday, Jake gave his mother her first Rolex watch, which you can view in the video below that already has close to 2.5 million views. Jake's vlogging style is very similar to his older brother Logan, and once again, this video may not be safe for viewing at work.

It's interesting, at the end of this video Jake and his mother do the Ayo & Teo "ROLEX" Dance

Two-Tone Rolex Submariner

...Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day...

Two-Tone Rolex Submariner

Hard-to-find: Green Submariner "Hulk"

Hard-to-find Rolex

Looking for a

Green Submariner?

(Try the Police)  

 By DANNY CRIVELLO           

The photo above appears courtesy of Scott Shafer.

There are very few current Rolex models that are selling for more money on the used market than the full retail price. The stainless-steel Daytona, of course, is one of them.

Over the past few months, the Rolex Submariner Date 116610LV, unofficially nicknamed "The Hulk" because of its green dial and bezel, has joined this exclusive group of Rolex watches that are less expensive when bought brand new from an authorized dealer—if you can put your hands on one, that is. 

Good catch: the Rolex 116610LV.

The Submariner Date LV is one of the hottest watches on the market today, with a full retail price currently listed at $9,050. But due to scarcity, they have recently shot up in value on both the grey and used market, from $8,000 just six months ago to well North of $10,000, a few standing at $12,000. 

Dialing up demand for one of the hottest watches on the market today.

Though sales figures in the used market are hard to come by, price listings are a good indication of where the market for Hulks is trending. 

On watchrecon.com, which aggregates for-sale listings from most watch forums, the Submariner Hulk easily reaches five figures. A listing that advertised a Hulk for $10,900 last week, for example, is now closed because the watch has sold. (Though we don't know the final sale price, a deal reached in just six days is a good indication it sold for close to the asking price.) 

I used to own a Rolex Submariner LV, which I had bought brand new at an AD on St Patrick's Day 2017 (my watch, below). I fell in love with the watch—like many—and wanted my name on the warranty card with the date showing 03/17/17. I sold it a few months later, but I enjoyed my time with it and would still recommend the watch.

It's unclear why almost no authorized dealer has the green Submariner in stock today and why very few dealers have any sports stainless-steel Rolex left. One theory is that demand for Rolex watches has surged in the past year, outpacing supply.

Another theory is that Rolex is about to upgrade its line of Submariners with new movements, similar to the new Sea-Dweller's 3235, which has a 70-hour power reserve and is anti-magnetic. But the new Submariners may not hit your local AD until next May.

So, what is a Rolex prospective buyer to do during the holiday season? One option: turn to the police. 

Yesterday, a police department in New Jersey auctioned off a Rolex Submariner Hulk, as well as a new-reference, two-tone Submariner. They were seized during a narcotics operation, according to the police, along with a Rolex Yacht-Master 116822. The watches were part of the contraband. (Every Rolex tells a story!)

While the bids for the two-tone Submariner and the Yacht-Master closed below retail price, at $8,000 and $7,000, respectively, the Submariner Hulk managed to reach $9,500 after no fewer than 27 bids. The terms of the auction require the winner to go to the police station to collect the watch. The actual watch auctioned yesterday is pictured below.

The fact that buyers are now willing to pay above retail price at such auctions—for a watch that comes with no Rolex warranty card—is the latest sign of the Hulk craze. Still, the closing bid is one of the lowest prices on the market. And there are no buyer's fees.

So, is it simply watch lovers fighting over a beautiful Rolex, or pre-Baselworld jitters when speculations are flying high? Maybe both. I was always impressed by Rolex as a watchmaker. But every year, I'm more and more impressed by Rolex's marketing genius.

Adieu Johnny: A French Music Legend Dies

Music Legend Dies

Adieu, Johnny!

'French Elvis' Honored 

 By DANNY CRIVELLO

           

In a career that spanned more than six decades, he recorded more than a thousand songs, sold 100 million records and earned more than 60 gold and platinum records. Jean-Philippe Smet, whose stage name is "Johnny Hallyday," was dubbed the "French Elvis" because he is credited for bringing rock 'n' roll to France. He passed away last week from lung cancer at the age of 74. And France is mourning.

Fats Domino, left, Johnny Hallyday and Sugar Ray Robinson

Johnny was also a lover of watches (top picture, with a Cartier Tank) and a Rolex wearer. He wore a two-tone Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date in the 1980s (next two pictures). Later in life, he owned a Rolex Daytona black dial 116520 (last picture). 

I grew up in France listening to his music. For me, he was more of a French Johnny Cash mixed with Bruce Springsteen — a combination of raw masculinity, rebellion and hard work — and I shed tears when I learned of his passing a week ago. His funeral brought 800,000 French to the Champs Elysées Saturday. This weekend the Eiffel Tower was lit with letters that said, "MERCI, JOHNNY." And French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech.

He was married four times and had a four-year relationship with Nathalie Baye, above, a French actress who played in "Catch Me If You Can." Below, Johnny wearing a Daytona.

Finally, I love this video of him with Sammy Davis Jr. 

Festive Finland 100 Submariner

Festive Finland 100 Submariner

Jouni is a reader of Jake's Rolex World and he recently wrote in from Finland and said:

Hi Jake,

Hope you've had a good year.

Got my five-digit Submariner back from service about four days ago so decided to finally snap some photos of it - because of the time of the year that it is, and it being Rolex's official color I used a green Christmas ornament as the "backdrop" for the watch.

I also thought it was very fitting to have my blue-dial Submariner back right on time for the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence - so this is also a bit of a tribute to my homeland; some Green for the festive season and Rolex, some Blue & White for Finland.

I'm not a professional photographer but you can use the photos on your site if you wish - I noticed there aren't too many shots of the blue-dial 16613 in there so maybe they'd be a nice change for all the shots of the more modern Rolex watches. No need to use all of them but maybe you can sneak in a photo or two to give an "old" 16613 (and Finland) some love.

Also added a couple lume-shots.

Take care,
Jouni

Never Before Seen Photos of Fidel Castro & Che Guevara

...Rolex Revolutionaries...

Never Before Seen Photos of

Fidel Castro &  Che Guevara

One of my favorite things is when a reader sends in cool historical Rolex photos. In this case, Erik sent in the images below with this nice email message: 

Dear Jake

My name is Erik Twiest, and I am a longtime collector of original photos/documents of the Cuban revolution, in particular, Fidel and Che. I' am not a Rolex collector, but your story in the online magazine was very interesting. 

I went through my collection to see if I could find a Rolex in the photos and I found 2 interesting early photos which as far as I know are never published. 

Please see attachments; 

1) Fidel in 1959 with 2 Rolex watches in Cuba, photo was taken by Korda (famous for the Che Guevara portrait). The photo is original and never published, and "forbidden" in Cuba over the years, I didn't see any similar example from Korda in books.

2) Che playing chess, probably at one of the first Capablanca Tournaments in Havana 1961/63, which he organized after the revolution. 

Regards Erik. 

The Return Of Jake's Rolex World Podcast

The Return Of 
Jake's Rolex World Podcast
I am happy to announce that Jake's Rolex World Podcast is back! Ironically, the last time Jake's Rolex World Podcast was published was back in December of 2008, which was 9 years ago! In this podcast, Danny and I talk about several stories, as well as the new Paul Newman Daytona combination I recently discovered. If you are not familiar with the podcasts I did in the past you can check them out on iTunes.

Show Notes
New Daytona Found: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/12/another-paul-newman-daytona.html

The Corporal's Watch: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/12/rolex-history-corporals-watch.html

Hans Wilsdorf Video Interview: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/hans-wilsdorf-founder-of-rolex-only.html

Logan Paul Rolex: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/logan-paul-first-rolex.html

Ayo & Teo Rolex: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/search/label/Ayo%20%26%20Teo

SEAL-Dweller: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/seal-dweller-tyrone-woods-story.html

1966 Playboy Rolex ad: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/1966-playboy-magazine-rolex-ad.html

FBI Director Rolex: http://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/11/christopher-wray-fbi-director.html

Madison Blank GQ Magazine Fashion Assistant

...Rolex Hotness...

Madison Blank 

GQ Magazine Fashion Assistant

Wrist Shot Of The Day

Jay-Z Rolex Life...

Winner of 21 Grammy Awards

...Rolex Coolness... 


Jay-Z

A Brilliant Career Wearing Rolex 

The 60th Grammy Awards list of nominees was released this week, and Jay-Z, an American entrepreneur and hip/hop rapper, is again a top contender. Jay-Z has sold over 50 million albums so far and has already won 21 Grammy Awards. The nomination this week gets him eight nods for the album “4:44,” which mixed dark personal confessions with meditations about race. According to Forbes Magazine, Jay-Z is estimated having a net worth of around $810 million dollars and he is one of the owners of the NBA New Jersey Nets. He recently sat down with Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times, for this interesting interview, and notice he is wearing his platinum Rolex Day-Date.

In the photo below we see Jay-Z wearing his trademark platinum Rolex Day-Date in 1997 on the cover of his album named "In My Lifetime."

Jay-Z is married to the ultra-talented, and ultra-gorgeous Beyonce Knowles and you see them together below, and notice Jay Z is wearing a new stainless steel Rolex Daytona with a ceramic bezel.

Jay-Z is pictured below with his daughter, and notice he is wearing a Rolex Sky-Dweller.

The photo below shows Jay Z holding his son, while he is wearing his stainless steel Rolex Daytona, with a ceramic bezel.

Forever Young 
Beyonce and Jay-Z

Platinum Rolex Day-Date II
In this next video, we see Jay-Z being interviewed on The Daily Show wearing his all-new Platinum Rolex Day-Date II.


In this recent interview (below) we see Jay-Z wearing a different yellow gold Rolex Day-Date II.


The video below is a fascinating CNN interview with Jay Z from 2011.

This next image is very interesting. It shows Jay Z wearing his yellow gold Rolex Sky-Dweller with the biggest gold necklace and bracelet I have ever seen in my life...It's interesting how his watch kinda matches his gold chain and bracelet...

The video below is absolutely fascinating as it features Jay Z and Warren Buffett being interviewed by Stephen Forbes. One interesting thing Warren Buffett and Jay Z have in common is they both wear Rolex Day-Date models.

Watch Spotting at the Davis Cup

Watch Spotting 

at the Davis Cup

 By DANNY CRIVELLO           

France on Sunday won its 10th Davis Cup after a suspenseful 3-to-2 victory over Belgium in the yearly international team tournament in tennis. I was in France during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and could feel the excitement first hand. Bars and bistros, which usually have soccer games on the television, now were tuned to the Davis Cup.

While most were following the small yellow ball, I noticed that French players waiting on the bench were wearing Rolex watches. As a tennis fan who grew up in France when Yannick Noah won Roland Garros, I was happy to see him as the captain of the team... wearing a Daytona!

I still play today, and I love Rolex also because it's a leader in tennis sponsorship, a tie-in that will mark its 40th anniversary next year. 

Not only the Rolex brand graces the tennis courts during Wimbledon, the Australia Open, Shanghai Masters, Monte Carlo Masters, the Laver Cup, the NITTO ATP Finals and Indian Wells. But a Rolex timepiece also graces the wrists of the best tennis athletes like Roger Federer or, below, French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who sports a 41-mm Datejust at the Davis Cup Sunday.

But the real hero is Lucas Pouille who sealed the victory for France in a three-set match against Belgian Steve Darcis. After a 16-year Davis Cup title drought, France is finally bringing the Davis Cup home! Like his team captain, he wears the very cool, very masculine Rolex Daytona.

Lucas Pouille is not a Rolex brand ambassador like Roger Federer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but his white dial, ceramic Daytona never left his wrist during the tournament.