Athina Onassis Ladies Datejust...

Alexander Onassis

Rolex GMT-Master

In the photos below we see Alexander Onassis who was Aristotle's son rocking his Rolex GMT-Master, which was discovered by Nick Gould.

In the photo below we see Aristotle Onassis who Alexander's father as well as being an ultra successful Greek Shipping Tycoon.

Alexander Onassis died young at age 24 in a small airplane accident.

...Rolex Hotness...

Athina Onassis

Ladies 34MM Rolex Datejust Special Edition

Since we just looked at Alexander Onassis I thought it would make sense to take a look at Athina Onassis Roussel is the maternal granddaughter and only surviving descendent of legendary Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onasis.  Athina is a competitive show jumper, and as we see in the photos below Athina wears a ladies 34MM Datejust Special Edition. It appears Athina has two different models of the same Rolex watch, one with a dark dial, and one with a light dial.

Aristotle Onassis

Athina's Grandfather

The photo below shows Athina's maternal grandfather, Aristotle Onassis in 1969 watching the World Series, with his wife, Jackie Onassis, along with her children, Caroline and JFK Jr. Ironically Caroline Kennedy wears a Rolex today, and Aristotle Onasis gave JFK Jr., a Paul Newman Exotic Dial Daytona.

SEAL-DWELLER: The Tyrone Woods Story

Veterans Day Special

SEAL-DWELLER

    

       

James Badge Dale, above, who plays retired Navy SEAL Tyrone "Rone" Woods, wears a Rolex Submariner 116610 in Michael Bay's movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" which is streamable now on Netflix. 

When the movie came out — it tells the story of the six American men in Benghazi who fought a terror attack in 2012 — the watch community went abuzz with theories on the exact Rolex worn by Tyrone. The Cyclops in the picture above is clearly visible which makes the Sea-Dweller improbable. The movie was released in 2016, a year before the 43mm Cyclops-equipped Sea-Dweller.

Because of quick action shots and poor lighting, it is hard to tell if the actor is wearing a Submariner with the Lunette Noire or Verte variant. [Warning, spoiler ahead:] No green bezel is clearly seen on Tyrone's wrist in the movie, except at the end, when Tyrone's effects are collected by his SEAL buddy.

Still, the bracelet above is not a Rolex bracelet. And the clasp is definitely different than the clasp of a six-digit-reference Rolex worn in the first picture on top. The clasp of a modern Rolex is more visible in the shot below. This bit of "watch swapping," or artistic license by Michael Bay made me wonder if the real Tyrone actually owned a Rolex.

I decided to read the 350 pages of 13 Hours, the book on which the movie was based, but I found no mention of any watch worn by him. In this testosterone-fueled action movie filled with G-Shock-wearing Special Ops types, why did Michael Bay decide to have one guy wear a Rolex?

After all, G-Shocks, not Rolex, were the current standard-issue watches for Special Ops. Was it to give Tyrone, the leader of the Global Response Staff (GRS) contractors in Benghazi, a more mature, dignified image as a veteran? Or maybe Michael Bay just loved Rolexes.

Michael Bay wears a Rolex, above and below. He sports a white-dial, stainless-steel Daytona reference 116520. 

I've also heard that some actors insist on wearing their personal watches in movies. Maybe James Badge Dale, not Tyrone, owned the Rolex Submariner featured in 13 Hours. I found an interview with the actor playing Tyrone. The interview was made on location, and his personal watch is clearly not a Rolex but an Omega Speedmaster.

As much as I am a Rolex fan, I wanted to learn more about Tyrone as a person. Both my grandfathers served in the military. My dad served in the military, and I served in the military. I write about my grandpa, a submariner, in this post. 

To say Tyrone and other GRS team members came under attack in Benghazi during the night of Sept. 11, 2012, is only half the story. Tyrone and his men left their covert CIA Annex location which was not under attack to rush to the U.S. diplomatic mission that was the target of a violent and coordinated attack by insurgents. The mission had only three on-site security guards and the two that Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens brought with him from Tripoli.

After Tyrone and other team members carried out the rescue of State Department personnel, they would continue to fight from the roof of the CIA Annex. Tyrone lost his life in a sustained mortar attack at dawn that lasted 11 minutes. Still, the 31 lives of the State Department personnel and residents-staff of the Annex were saved thanks to him and his men.

I contacted Cheryl Croft Bennett, Tyrone's mother, who was kind enough to provide me with pictures of her son. I got chills when I saw actual pictures of him wearing his watch — indeed a Rolex — a Sea-Dweller! His mom is president of the Tyrone Snowden Woods Wrestling Foundation organized to honor Tyrone's becoming a state champion while in High School, in 1989. Wrestling was a mean for channeling his grit and competitiveness. At the age of 13, Tyrone had already earned an Oregon Hunter's Safety card and a Professional Association of Diving Instructors certification. Tyrone was a true SEAL in the making.

He earned his trident at the age of 20 and was a Navy SEAL for two decades, serving multiple tours of duty in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Jack Silva, a SEAL teammate, would later describe him as "smart and effective, a natural born leader, and perhaps the most motivated and hardest-working person I'd ever met," which is no small praise among Special Ops veterans.

Tyrone served as the medical corpsman and paramedic on SEAL teams 1, 3 and 5 and became a Bronze Star recipient. He had hands that could heal and the hands of a warrior. 

By the time Tyrone retired at the age of 40, U.S. government agencies relied more on contractors to provide security abroad. They were usually made of former Special Ops guys like Tyrone who were trying to adapt to civilian life. He heard through the SEAL grapevine of openings at Global Response Staff. 

Mystery solved! Above and below, pictures of Tyrone's actual watch, a Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 16660. The pictures were taken by him. Nicknamed the "Triple 6," the reference 16660 was a transitional model which boasted double the depth rating of previous Sea-Dwellers.

Tyrone holding his watch showing the reference 16660 in an undated picture. I call it the "SEAL-Dweller."

The picture below is a picture of a Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 16660 like the one Tyrone owned. The "Triple-6" was the first Sea-Dweller to be equipped with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. It had the Caliber 3035, which replaced the Caliber 1575 of the previous Sea-Dweller ref. 1665.

Tyrone retired from the Navy at the age of 40 with the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer, which means that his pay had topped between $50,000 and $70,000 a year, according to FederalPay.org — too little, I feel, for such an elite warrior.

Shortly after he had retired, he thought about selling his two-watch collection, a Panerai and the Sea-Dweller, two favorites of Navy SEALs, in order to raise money. 

On January 1st, 2010, late on a Friday night, he registered an account with RolexForums.com under the username "sdfrog177." He wrote a post mentioning the sale of his Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm and a Rolex Sea-Dweller "triple 6 model (1983-1984 model)." Tyrone wrote that he was looking for a reputable shop in San Diego that is familiar with the value of these watches, and would anyone have any names available? "Thanks, T.W.," he signed at the bottom. 

Tyrone received no response. That year, he decided to join Global Response Staff. But after several assignments — and eager to spend more time at home with his family and infant son — he decided that Benghazi would be his last trip as an American security force contractor.

I am writing these lines while thinking about the 2017 auction of a rare, discontinued Daytona worn by a good-looking actor with blue eyes which reached the highest price in the history of horology — $15.5 million before buyer's fees and sales taxes. And I can't help but think about Tyrone Woods, an American hero, a decorated elite warrior who fought for his country and saved countless lives during his 20-year service. He too was wearing a discontinued Rolex reference model. 

My hope is that the watch stays in the family —  that it will be maintained, treasured and worn with more pride than a Paul Newman Daytona. But if the SEAL-Dweller ever gets auctioned off, you can count on me to be the first bidder.



Note from Jake: I am in awe of Danny's writing and research skill. He shared such a moving story with us on Veteran's Day. If you want to learn more about the relationship between Navy Seals and Rolex, I recommend checking out Chapter 20 of The Complete History Of The Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER: Rolex's Conquest Of The Ocean, which is titled, U.S. Navy Seals: Rolex Submariner Heritage.

Jorg G. Bucherer Dies at Age 87

 

Jörg G. Bucherer

Dies at Age 87 

Jörg Bucherer died on Monday evening, the Bucherer group confirmed today. The Swiss newspaper “Handelszeitung” was first to report the news. He was 87 years old.

Jörg Bucherer represented the third generation at the helm of the Lucerne family business. He took over his father's business in 1977 and pursued a policy of expansion, first in Austria and Germany. 

He opened the world's largest watch and jewelry store in Paris, made acquisitions in Great Britain and the United States and established himself in New York. 

He also launched into the second-hand luxury watch business. 

Today, the brand has more than a hundred specialized jewelry stores around the world and has 2,400 employees, according to the group. 

The headquarters on Schwanenplatz in Lucerne is also a tourist attraction, benefiting from tourist busses stopping in front of the store. During the global pandemic, Bucherer was hit hard by the tourism crisis and had to cut jobs. 

Very discreet and having no direct descendants, Jörg Bucherer sold the company to Rolex in August 2023. He was the last businessman to personally know Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf, and to work with him. 

Bucherer has been selling its products since 1924 and Rolex, still unknown at the time, became the main partner of the family business.

 

Jörg expanded the business into Austria in the 1980s, and then into Germany in the 1990s. In 2013, Bucherer celebrated its 125th Anniversary by opening the worlds largest jewelry and watch store in Paris, France which is pictured below.

In 2016, Bucherer opened their most northerly store in Copenhagen, Denmark, which is also the largest watch and jewelry store in Scandinavia. Bucherer added four more boutiques in London, England in 2017 with the acquisition of The Watch Gallery. 

In 2018, Bucherer took over the American luxury watch store behemoth, Tourneau, which features 32 stores located access the United States. Tourneau has been a loyal Rolex watch reseller for many, many years. As a matter of fact the Tourneau ad below is from 1945.

1945 Tourneau Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback New York Advertisement pictured above

Bucherer today is the biggest watch and jewelry retailer in Europe. Bucherer's retail presence consists of 35 stores in Europe, with 17 stores in Switzerland, 10 stores in Germany, a flagship boutique in Vienna, as well as a store in Copenhagen and 6 boutiques in London, as well as the Paris store pictured and mentioned above. Below is a list of watch brands Bucherer sells today:

Jörg G. Bucherer agreed to sell Bucherer AG to Rolex which caught the horological world by surprise for an undisclosed amount of money. It is believed Bucherer annual Rolex sales represent around 4-6% of Rolex sales.

Jörg Bucherer pictured above in a recent photo

In a press release in August, Rolex said Bucherer's decision to sell to Rolex was made in the absence of direct dependents. Rolex's secret to success formula has remained the same for many decades, as they slowly and methodically keep consolidating and changing with the times, while remaining timeless with their principles and magnificently over-engineered Rolex watches which are all still made in Switzerland.

Rolex and Partners: Kindred spirits in pioneering endeavors

Rolex and Partners
Kindred spirits in pioneering endeavors

The history of Rolex sponsorship is defined by the pursuit of perpetual excellence, which underpins every aspect of the brand's interests, from its watchmaking to its support for the greatest names in sport, exploration and the arts. The company has always been proud to align with individuals and entities who share the same values. For almost a century, these partnerships have grown to include an extraordinary array of talent from myriad disciplines, as well as the events and organizations with which they are associated. Rolex remains committed to going beyond what is deemed possible, ensuring continuity of expertise and knowledge, and investing in the development of future generations.

Ben Clymer Presents: The Vintage Rolex Episode With Geoff Hess

Ben Clymer Presents

The Vintage Rolex Episode With Geoff Hess

In episode four of Ben Clymer Presents, Ben interviews vintage Rolex collector and expert, Geoff Hess who is the head of watches for Sotheby's auction house as well as the founding host of the RollieFest. Ben and Geoff have a fascinating conversation about the current state of Rolex vintage collecting, and they discuss the amazing value proposition of Rolex scholarship, which is one of my favorite subject topics.

Hodinkee included the superb image below in the video above that shows a number of different vintage Paul Newman Rolex Daytona models.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Rolex Around The World

Halloween has really become an international event as it is celebrated around the world—particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. Morton Olesen from Denmark sent in this great Halloween Lume shot showing his Rolex GMT-Master on a Rolex box, with a pumpkin jack-o-lantern in the background.



John Goldberger from Italy sent in the great Halloween photo seen below to share with you. It features a very rare and unusual one of-a-kind pink gold Rolex Datejust with a beautiful blue lapis dial from 1974 [Reference 1601].

Thanks for sharing John & Morton!!!!! Happy Halloween!!!!

Daytona Paul Newman 6263 Tropical Dial 'Oyster Sotto'

 

'OYSTER SOTTO'

DREAMTIME DAYTONA

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Paul Newman “Oyster Sotto” 6263 is, without a doubt, a dream watch and a legend among the collectors’ community. 

Fewer than 20 examples have appeared at auctions, underscoring how incredibly rare these Paul Newmans are. And look at that tropical dial!

By the way, the names “RCO” and “Oyster Sotto” (meaning “Oyster Underneath” in Italian) were bestowed by collectors due to the fact that rather than the familiar “Rolex”—“Oyster”—“Cosmograph” layout that is seen on the classic variant of these rare exotic black dials, the text is displayed as “Rolex”—“Cosmograph”—“Oyster.”

The reason for the "Oyster Sotto" or "RCO" is that the dials were originally intended for the non-waterproof references such as 6262 and 6264 which are signed “Rolex Cosmograph Daytona” only. 

When the new water-resistant “Oyster” case was introduced for the reference 6263, around 1969, it is believed certain customers must have specifically requested their watch should have an exotic dial of the type now known by collectors as the “Paul Newman.”

Of course, no such dials existed specifically for the water-resistant Oyster model and therefore a small number of the already printed current non-Oyster dials were adapted with the addition of the word “Oyster” in plain font. As the dials were already preprinted, there was no option but to place the word “Oyster” below the words “Rolex Cosmograph”. And thus an anomaly was created that exists in so few examples.

This fresh-to-the-market 6263 with a tropical dial was sold for 1,796,000 euros at Monaco Legends Auction this week, on the higher end of its 1-million to 2-million estimate. It had only been pre-owned twice in its history. 

What a magnificent example of a vintage Rolex Daytona! These vintage Rolexes are just pure art, in my opinion, and really no different than a Monnet or Van Gogh. Please forgive me as I turn the beautiful picture of the "Oyster Sotto" above into Starry Night. Dreamy! 

Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition: Atop the Andes Mountains

Rolex and National Geographic 
Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition
Atop the Andes Mountains

With support from Rolex and the National Geographic Society, climate scientists and Explorers Baker Perry (whom Danny profiled two years ago in these pages) and Tom Matthews endured snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures to install a state-of-the-art weather station on the summit of one of Peru’s highest mountains. As well as providing a source of water for millions of people, the Vilcanota mountain range forms a key part of the complex water cycle of the wider Amazon River basin. 

Today, that system is under threat from a brutal combination of climate change and deforestation, but to accurately predict how it will respond to these challenges in the future, scientists must better understand the current weather in the high mountains. With data now flowing in from the weather station on the summit of Nevado Ausangate, they might just be able to do so.

Rolex Coolness: Dr. George Bass

The Complete History Of

The Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER

Rolex's Conquest Of The Ocean

Part 12: Professor George Bass

The Father of Underwater Archeology

"Each successive discovery is a tiny window to the past. If you have enough of these windows, the picture of antiquity that the ship reveals is extraordinary." –George Bass

2023 represents the 61sh anniversary of Dr. George Bass' historic excavation of a total shipwreck which was the first time in history this was achieved. This brilliant achievement heralded a whole new era of underwater archaeology that significantly changed mankind's understanding of the ocean's and history.

There is nothing more fascinating on Jake's Rolex World than to actually "explore the explorer" by meeting and speaking with famous history-changing Rolex Ambassadors which have appeared in Rolex ads in the past.

It is one thing to see them on a paper ad, and quite another to hear them share their own story, in their own words, in their own voice. On Jake's Rolex World we bring real Rolex history to life and go on a journey of substantial achievement with the actual explorers themselves.

A dozen years ago I had the opportunity to sit down and do a podcast interview with Dr. George Bass who appears in the vintage Rolex ad below.

Professor Bass and I had an amazing conversation and at some time in the future I will likely publish it. In the podcast Dr. Bass takes us from his childhood dream up to present.

Dr. George Bass is considered to be the Father Of Underwater Archeology and in his interview we will learn the story of his fascinating personal oddyssey through his life.

Dr. Bass is a world-class scientist and explorer. He is also a man of amazing achievement and as we see in the photo below taken in 1977 he is wearing his trademark Rolex Submariner.

In the next photo of Professor George Bass, he is examining weights from an 11th Century Byzantine Merchant Shipwreck Excavation. Notice he is wearing his two-tone Rolex Submariner.

Return To The Titanic Dive in 2003

For any DEEP-SEA diver and certainly for The Father Of Underwater Archeology, going down to explore the Titanic in its water-grave has to be a super-career-highlight and that is exactly what Dr. George Bass completed in 2003.

In 2003 Dr. George Bass participated on an expedition to return to explore the RMS Titanic. In photos I have seen of the Titanic expeditions I have seen it is amazing how many of the explorer's are wearing Rolex sport watches–everything from GMT Master, to Daytona to Submariner models.

In the photo below we see Dr. George Bass on the far left with Victor Nischeta from the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology who is the Mir submersible pilot. Of course the Mir submersible is behind them in the photo. On the far right, we see Captain Craig McLean, who was the Director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office Of Ocean Exploration.

In the photo below we see, from left to right, Larry Murphy, U.S. National Park Service, Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, with Captain Craig McLean, who was the Director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office Of Ocean Exploration, and Dr. George Bass on the far right. Notice that Captain Craig McLean is wearing his Rolex Submariner.

In the podcast I completed with Dr. Bass he spoke about his trip down to the Titanic and he mentioned this photo that was taken of him reading Clive Cussler's Raise The Titanic which was taken just feet away from the actual RMS Titanic on the ocean floor.

By saying "just a few feet away" I mean Dr. Bass is in a submersible 12,000 Feet or 2.5 miles (4km) below the ocean surface off the coast of Newfoundland. By the way, you can't see it in this photo but Dr. Bass told me he was wearing his Rolex Submariner when this photo was taken.

The photo below is basically what Dr. George Bass would see if he was looking out the window of the Mir Submersible when this photo was taken. What we see below is a photo of railing on the Titanic.

Dr. Bass is an amazing gentle man with an unbelievable set of career achievements.

Former Rolex executive and oceanographic consultant, T. Walker Lloyd used to dive with George Bass.

Update: National Geographic just published a fascinating retrospective named "Fifty Years of Shipwreck Excavation Opens New Windows On History," which explores Dr. Bass' amazing career achievements.

In the future, as time permits, I will be significantly extending this article with more photos as well as my podcast interview with Dr. Bass.

The Complete History Of

The Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER

Rolex's Conquest Of The Ocean

Table Of Contents

• Chapter 1: Genesis

• Chapter 2: The Perpetual Oyster & The Mermaid

• Chapter 3: Panerai & The Italian Royal Navy (The First Rolex Diving Watch)

• Chapter 4: A Brief History Of Diving

• Chapter 5: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Emile Gagnan & The Aqua Lung

• Chapter 6: The Birth Of The Rolex Submariner: Breaking The Rolex Design Code

• Chapter 7: The Rolex Submariner Through Time: The Evolution Of The Rolex Revolution.

• Chapter 8: The Birth Of The Rolex DEEP-SEA: Jacques Piccard & Captain Don Walsh aboard the U.S. Navy Bathyscaph Trieste Set The All-Time World Depth Record.

• Chapter 9: The First SEA-DWELLER's: Doctor Bond. U.S. Navy Project Genesis and Jacques Cousteau & Project Conshelf.

• Chapter 10: The Birth Of The Rolex SEA-DWELLER: Bob Barth, Scott Carpenter & U.S. Navy SEA-LAB 

• Chapter 11: Henri Delauze & COMEX

• Chapter 12: Dr. George Bass [The Father Of Underwater Archeology]

• NEXT >>> Chapter 13: Dr. Sylvia Earle: The First Female Aquanaut

• Chapter 14: Dr. Phil Nuytten [Pioneering DEEP-SEA Explorer: The Real Aquaman]

• Chapter 15: Dr. Joe MacInnis: From U.S. Navy SEA-LAB to The Titanic Discovery Team

• Chapter 16: Dr. Robert Ballard: The Ultimate U.S. Navy DEEP-SEA Discovery Of The 20th Century–Finding The Titanic 

• Chapter 17: Ralph White [Explorer and National Geographic Cameraman] Discovering and Exploring The Titanic

• Chapter 18: The Return of The Rolex DEEP-SEA

• Chapter 19: The Return of The Rolex Single SEA-DWELLER: 50th Anniversary Jubilee Model