The Very First Rolex Day-Date

Rolex Day-Date Genesis Patent Discovered!!!

I have some stunning news to share with you about a discovery I recently made. How stunning is this news you ask? So stunning, I had to borrow Hodinkee's "BREAKING NEWS" Moniker again, as seen above!!

Very little was known about the origins of the Rolex Day-Date until today. Questions like, who designed the movement, and what inspired Rolex to come out with such a watch have never been answered or even addressed? Today, that changes...

Below is one of the most remarkable pieces of Rolex history I have uncovered. You are looking at a patent application which was originally filed in Switzerland in February of 1950 for what would become the Rolex Day-Date. This patent application is significant as it predates the original 1955 Rolex Day-Date patent application by five years!!!!

This patent, which credits Marc Huguenin as being the inventor, shows Rolex's first attempt at creating a watch that displayed both the Day & Date on the watch dial. Rolex never brought this actual watch design to market, but I am certain it was the precursor to the Rolex Day-Date.

I published the story below last week, and am including it with this breaking news as the Patent Application from July 23, 1955, also credits Marc Huguenin as the inventor of the Rolex Day-Date.

1955

The Very First Rolex Day-Date

It never ceases to amaze me how timeless Rolex watches are, and in this photo, we see the very first Rolex Day-Date model which was patented by Rolex in 1955 and introduced at Basel Fair in Switzerland in 1956, which is 62 years ago!!! I love the red date wheel along with the red Day-Date designation on the dial. The Rolex Day-Date is commonly referred to as  The Rolex President, which is a fascinating story in and of itself.

My old friend, John Goldberger wrote in and included the photo below and said:

Dear Jake,

This is the first Day-Date with its original dial! The Day-Date showed today in your blog came from the Rolex collection but its dial is redone like many other dials in the Rolex Geneva collection!

Ciao John

It is worth noting that the Rolex Day-Date pictured above [36MM: Case Number: 134636, Caliber 1055] is the earliest know Day-Date in existence. It was manufactured in 1956 and sold in Italy, and the all details on the watch are original including the dial. The original hands on this watch are dauphine hands and the baton markers are pointed. Rolex later updated the hands and baton marker to make them all rectangular. 

I actually prefer the old-school style dauphine hands and markers which are late art-deco, which was a mid-century design known as Populuxe, which is reminiscent of 1959 Cadillac tailfin. Also, notice the date wheel was red, and in the photo below from Mondani Editore, we see an early Rolex Day-Date point of sale display which is showcasing a Reference 6511.

This is kind of a Rolex Mythbuster of sorts in the sense that the very first Rolex Day-Date models [Reference 6511 and 6510] came ONLY with Jubilee bracelets as seen in the photo above as well as the Rolex magazine ad below. When Rolex introduced the Day-Date at Basel Fair in 1956 it only came in 18Kt pink or yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet. 

1956 Basel Fair Rolex Ad introducing the Rolex Day-Date Model

On July 23, 1955, Marc Huguenin from Rolex in Geneva filed a patent application #323982 (pictured below), which featured a seven toothed star wheel which sat on top of a 31 tooth calendar wheel. Both wheels were ratcheted once ever twenty-four hours at midnight.

The "President" bracelet would be added a year later in 1957 with the introduction of the Rolex Reference 6611, which featured an improved caliber 1055 that had a new free sprung Micro-Stella balance. This new model was also the first to feature the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" designation on the dial. Notice the original Day-Date model pictured above has a dial designation that reads, "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test."

A few years ago I wrote an article for Rolex's paper magazine about the Rolex Day-Date, also known as the Rolex President, and I decided to share it below as part of this amazing Rolex history:

THE ROLEX MAGAZINE

ISSUE NUMBER 4

THE ROLEX PRECEDENT

BY

JAKE EHRLICH

Rolex asked me to write an article about the Rolex Day-Date, A.K.A., The Rolex President for their print Magazine, in Issue Number 4. 

I decided to title the story as "The Rolex Precedent", which is obviously a play on "The Rolex President." I hope you enjoy reading my article as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Tip: The way to read the story is to click on the first magazine page below, which should make it larger in your browser, then you can use the right and left keys on your keyboard to navigate through the pages.

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ROLEX PRESIDENT

Table Of Contents

Part 1: Genesis

Part 2: Reclamation

Part 3: Ike Likes Rolex

Part 4: Mamie, We Are Not In Kansas Any More (Rolex Loves Ike) Ike Likes Rolex

Part 5: President Eisenhower's Rolex

Part 6: The Podcast (With the owner of President Eisenhower's Rolex)

Part 7: Heaven

Part 8: The Eisenhower Legacy

Part 9: They Mystery of the JFK Rolex President 

Part 10: Everybody Wants To Rule The World-LBJ's Rolex President

Part 11: President Gerald Ford Gets His Rolex President

Part 12: President Ronald Reagan and his Rolex Datejust

Part 13: President Bill Clinton and his Rolex Day-Date 

Part 14: Dick Cheney-The Rolex Vice-President

Part 15: President Obama and his Rolex Cellini

Part 16: President Trump - The Newest Rolex

Part 17: Origins Of "The Rolex President" Watch Name

Part 18: The Rolex Precedent by Jake Ehrlich

Rolex Becomes Official Sponsor for The U.S. Open

...The Perfect Fit...


The U.S. Open

Rolex Becomes Official Sponsor

The three greatest games are tennis, golf, and chess, and this is a great story about tennis and golf. Rolex has been a supporter of Tennis for many decades as well as being the Official Timekeeper for Wimbledon. Rolex and the U.S. Open recently announced Rolex has become the tournaments Official Timekeeper and Official Timepiece immediately and will debut with preparations for the upcoming 2018 US Open which will run from August 27, 2018, to September 9, 2018. Citizen was the previous official timekeeper of the U.S. Open for more than a quarter century.

The U.S. Open recently said that at the 2018 US Open, Rolex timepieces and clocks will be visible throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including the signature clock that is affixed to the outer façade of the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

There are famous Rolex Clocks all over the world at places like Pebble Beach, and Wimbledon, so we will probably see something like the one in the photo below.

Speaking of Billy Jean King and Arthur Ashe, one thing they have in common is their love of Rolex. The more I think about Rolex becoming the lead sponsor of The US Open, the more it seems like a perfectly natural fit. 

Arthur Ashe was one of the greatest tennis players in history, and every time I watch the US Open and I see the Arthur Ashe Stadium, I think of the photo below:

"I only wear Rolex." –Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe pictured above in 1970

The US Open recently released the following statement:

Swiss watchmaker Rolex, a longtime supporter of tennis, has become an official sponsor of the US Open and will serve as the tournament’s Official Timekeeper and Official Timepiece starting immediately with preparations for the 2018 US Open.

At this year’s tournament, Rolex timepieces and clocks will be visible throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including the signature clock that is affixed to the outer façade of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

In addition to its new US Open sponsorship, Rolex will sponsor the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, completing its sponsorship of all nine Masters Series events.

The new multi-year partnership between the USTA and Rolex also includes Rolex's support of the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., as well as the programs of the USTA Foundation, the official charitable arm of the USTA, which assists under-resourced youth.

“Rolex is a true champion of tennis that shares the USTA’s passion for the sport,” said Gordon Smith, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, USTA. “As we celebrate 50 years of the US Open, we are delighted to welcome this iconic, luxury brand as a partner, and we are thankful for their support of the USTA’s mission to grow the game.”

Rolex has supported tennis for the last 40 years, beginning with its association with Wimbledon in 1978 and serving as Associate Sponsor and Official Timekeeper of the Australian Open.

“It was only natural that Rolex would seek to build on its Grand Slam heritage, in this case through an association with the USTA and its flagship tournament, the US Open,” said Stewart Wicht, President and CEO of Rolex Watch USA. “The partnership brings together two organizations who share a passion for quality, excellence, precision and performance.”

The US Open, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, will take place from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9 in New York

World class tennis players who wear Rolex are common as we see in the photo below of Björn Borg & John McEnroe both sporting Rolex Datejust models back in the day...It's interesting to notice that one is wearing a Datejust on a Jubilee, and the other on an Oyster bracelet...Comme ci, comme ça...

Speaking of Björn Bjorg and John McEnroe, we see them below with the greatest tennis player of all time, who happens to be a Rolex Ambassador, and that is Roger Feder.

 In the photo below we see Björn Borg chatting with now former Rolex CEO Gian Riccardo Marini, and not only is Björn Borg still wearing Rolex, but he is also a Rolex brand ambassador.

Please Help Kickstart Céline Cousteau's Upcoming Documentary

Please Help Kickstart

Céline Cousteau's

Upcoming Documentary

I recently interviewed Céline Cousteau which resulted in me writing a huge article about her and her amazing family. In that highly comprehensive article, I went into great detail about her legendary grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

 Céline Cousteau Pictured Above

Céline recently launched her Kickstarter campaign to help complete her upcoming documentary named Tribes On The Edge. Céline is close to meeting her goal of raising $40k to complete her documentary. If you haven't made a pledge on Kickstarter please do so, and if you already made a pledge, please consider increasing it to help her meet her funding goal. She is less than $4,000 away from her goal and could use your kind and gracious contribution...

The world needs Jacques Cousteau now more than ever and since he is no longer with us, we should all be thankful that many of his incredible descendants— including Céline—are following in his footsteps...

Tribes On The Edge 

Documentary Launched on Kickstarter

Céline Cousteau recently launched her Kickstarter campaign for her documentary titled Tribes On The Edge. Please click on the play button below to see her exciting project and be sure to support her Kickstarter campaign to help finish her film. 

Ralph Lauren & Rolex...

...Rolex Super-Coolness... 

Ralph Lauren

Pepsi Rolex GMT Master

What does Polo by Ralph Lauren and Rolex have in common? They are both highly iconic brands that hit the apex of their success in the 1980s as the fashion world returned to a clean-cut look. 

Ralph Lauren is one of the top American designers and he has been wearing Rolex watches for 5 decades. The photo of him below was taken at Martha's Vineyard in 1981 by Bruce Weber and shows him wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT Master. Ralph Lauren is a big Rolex collector and has been for many years. 

In many ways, Polo and Rolex are similar in the sense that they are both timeless, sporty and elegant. Also, Polo and Rolex are very similar in many ways, as they are both really the gold-standard for successful branding in each of their fields of endeavor.

This next photo shows Ralph Lauren with his beautiful wife Ricky on the beach in 1986. Notice they are both wearing Rolex Sports watches. It is fascinating when you think about it, that this photo was taken 32 years ago. In other words, today it is extremely common to see a woman wearing a man's Rolex sports watch, however, 32 years ago, you almost never saw it.

This next photo shows Ralph Lauren with his brother, Jerry Lauren, and they are both wearing Rolex sports watches. Jerry Lauren has been the head of the Polo menswear line since its inception.

I recently spoke with a former Polo Ralph Lauren employee who told me:

"Ralph use to hand out Rolex GMT's in the 80's—like candy—to his favorite and deserving employees during the holiday season as gifts. Ralph especially gave GMT's to his Creative Services employees, which were the ones who would do the windows in the Polo Mansion in New York."

Ricky Lauren is pictured below in earlier years wearing a ladies Datejust on an Oyster Bracelet.

Ralph Lauren not only wears Rolex watches but has featured them in many of his ads over the years like the one below from his 1995 Polo collection which features Tyson Beckford wearing his Rolex GMT Master. This photo was also taken by Bruce Weber.

Ralph Lauren was always a big fan of Cary Grant and later in Cary's life, Ralph had the chance to meet him as we see in the photo below.

In the more recent photos below we see Ralph Lauren still wearing a Rolex GMT.

Kate Upton Supermodel & Actress

...Rolex Super Hotness...

Kate Upton

Supermodel & Actress

Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

There are supermodels, and there are Supermodels, or maybe I should say, there are supermodels, and there is Kate Upton. Kate Upton is considered to be one of the most beautiful woman alive today, and as we see in the image below, she appeared on the 100 Year Anniversary of Vanity Fair.

Kate Upton is pictured above wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust on an Oyster Bracelet, an in the photo below she is photographed on a private jet, sporting her yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, which looks fantastic on her!!!

Kate Upton is pictured below with her then-fiancé, Justin Verlander at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. Justin Verlander is a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, and notice they are wearing his and hers, matching yellow gold Rolex Day-Date models. Justin and Kate got married in 2017.

Kate Upton is pictured above and below with Rolex Ambassador and Golf Legend, Arnold Palmer, who passed away the year before last in September. The Summer before last I published a fascinating story about The British Open, that featured Arnold Palmer.

Kate Upton appears in the video below with famous photographer and fellow Rolex wearer, Terry Richardson. Kate Upton was doing a photo shoot in New York with Terry Richardson, and he got her to do this impromptu 'Cat Daddy' dance back in 2012 when Kate was only 19 years old. So far this video has gotten over 27 Million Views.