The Story of Time By Rolex 1951 Documentary

The Story Of Time
BY
Rolex
1951 Rolex Documentary
Soundtrack Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra
Back in June of 2017 I just discovered the documentary titled, The Story Of Time By Rolex which was a 1952 Academy Award nominated short film documentary that explored the subject of what time meant, and how time measurement evolved throughout the history of mankind. The way I discovered, the movie was a friend of mine who is a fellow Rolex fanatic, referred to it, and I had no idea what he was talking about? He was surprised, and I Googled it, and there it was hiding in plain sight.

This Rolex movie ads additional pieces to the Rolex History puzzle, and it very profound on many levels. The Story Of Time By Rolex documentary can be viewed below. The Rolex documentary was filmed in 1951, and is obviously dated today, but deeply profound in many ways—especially if you watch it over and over again, as I have done.

This Rolex video and its theme, very much remind me of another online horological magazine I publish, named, "Jake's Time Machine: Exploring The History Of Timekeeping." I must admit I am utterly fascinated with Timekeeping and all of its facets. I think the pursuit of timekeeping in many ways correlates with the Spirit Of Inquiry. This brings to mind a few great Albert Einstein quotes; which I believe are perfectly on-point for the Rolex documentary, the first of which is:
"The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books—a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects." —Albert Einstein
The second Einstein quote which I believe is also perfectly on-point says:
"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity!" —Albert Einstein

Back in November of 2022, our Captain Danny published a brilliant story named "When Rolex Took a Left Turn." Nick Gould pointed out that in the 1953 Rolex video above that it features a left handed Rolex which is seen below.

Rolex Macro Shot of the Month: Klaus' German Rolex Day-Date Dial

Rolex Macro Shot of the Month

Klaus' German Rolex Day-Date Dial

Is this a striking macro shot, or is this a striking macro shot!?!?!?! Wow!!! Klaus from Germany took this amazing photo of his Rolex Day-Date close-up. Oh, the high-art of it all!!!!

Rolex Submariner Surfing Safari

 Rolex Submariner

Surfing Safari

What's as cool/rad as a Rolex Submariner in the life aquatic? Is this a trick question, you ask!?!! Nope. The answer is SURFING. As The Beach Boys sang: 

Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how, come on and safari with me...

Rolex's history with surfing is fascinating. In the past they used to give out Rolex watches for participants who won Surfing championships. Nick Gould did some research and discovered they used to give lady surfers Datejust models, and men Submariner models as we see below with World Champion Surfer, Shaun Tomson.

A Rolex Submariner is the ultimate Surfing watch, and even though it was originally intended to be a diving watch, it is the ULTIMATE all-around watch for the life aquatic. Below is a fascinating Rolex Surfing ad from 1972 featuring a single red Submariner, which I recently discovered. Notice it is from Buenos Aires, Argentina...The two Rolex Surfing ads below are the ONLY ones I have ever seen, which leads me to believe that Rolex didn't think it was a lucrative market to advertise to, but damn they are COOL :-) In particular, I LOVE the illustration of the surfer on this first vintage Rolex ad...

A reader on the @Rolex.Magazine Instagram page mentioned the surfer in the add looks like Tom Cruise, with a short neck.

 Single Red Submariner 

[Reference 1680]

Rolex made the Single Red Submariner from 1967 to 1976. The Single Red designation came from the Single Red SEA-DWELLER which was developed to be tested in prototype for early 1967. Below we see another Rolex Submariner ad from the 1970s.

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Yamila Diaz-Rahi Summer Supermodel Submariner

...Rolex Hotness...

Yamila Diaz-Rahi

Summer Supermodel Submariner

We are just a few weeks away from Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which means warmer weather and longer days are on their way, so I thought I would share this image of Yamila Diaz-Rahi sporting her Rolex Submariner, just after snorkeling. Yamila grew up in Argentina, and in the photo below she is wearing a JLO bathing suit, by Jennifer Lopez. 

Celebrating 100 Years of Oyster

Rolex Full Documentary

 Celebrating 

100 Years of Oyster

"The World is Your Oyster" 

Rolex recently introduced it's novelties @ Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Switzerland recently, and to continue the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Rolex Oyster they launched this brilliant new documentary:

Sir David Attenborough: An Amazing Rolex Explorer

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Sir David Attenborough

An Amazing Rolex Explorer

100th Birthday Celebration

Sir David Attenborough is one of the most famous naturalists in history and he just celebrated his 100the anniversary!!! As an amazing explorer, he has always reminded me of Jaques-Yves Cousteau. Sir David Attenborough has been a wildlife filmmaker his entire professional career, which has spanned seven decades. You probably know his famous voice from the recent film series titled "Planet Earth."

"The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may 

never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?"

—David Attenborough

In the photo above, Sir David Attenborough is wearing what appears to be either a Rolex Submariner, GMT-Master, Turn-O-Graph, or possibly his Rolex Explorer seen below in this story. It looks bigger, like a Submariner or GMT, but I can't tell for sure. Of course, he is wearing it on a Rolex Oyster bracelet—that much is clear.

Update #1 (March 6, 2019): After spending a lot of time trying to figure out which model Rolex Sir David Attenborough is wearing in the photo above, my best guess is that he is wearing his Rolex Explorer which, due to the angle the photo was taken at, makes it look larger.

Update #2 (Match 7, 2019): My researcher from Hong Kong named Alan discovered and sent in the images below of David Attenborough from 1972, which offer a clue in the sense they were taken straight-on, so we see the scale of the watch better. Once again, my best guess is Sir David is wearing his Rolex Explorer.

An Amazing Voice

David Attenborough's second to most recent documentary series he narrated is named "Blue Planet II," and it is UNBELIEVABLY GREAT!!!! You can check out the trailer below. In the U.S. you can currently watch it on Netflix. Sir David's narrative style is typically very serious, without ever being pretentious which makes him the ultimate wildlife narrator.

"Continuation of 

Civilization Is in

Your Hands!"

Sir David Attenborough recently delivered his message on climate change at a recent United Nations summit as seen in the video below. I have believed for decades that climate change is real, but even if it is not, the measures we can take toward circumventing it can only be good for Mother Earth and humanity. It really would be a sad shame if all the Rolex Perpetuals stop perpetuating time in the future—all because humanity was too stupid or lazy to take real and meaningful action!!!!

A Real Rolex Explorer

The next three images of Sir David Attenborough were taken from a TV series in 1963, and as we see he is wearing an early Rolex Explorer.

I have not been able to make a positive ID on the exact model Rolex Explorer he is wearing in the pictures above, but I believe it has a gilt dial, and likely would be a model like the one shown below.

The images below are from a BBC Video Adventure below from 1963 that showed Sir David Attenborough driving his Land Rover wearing his Rolex Explorer, as he traveled through the Northern Australia outback!!!

In the next set of photos, taken on March 4, 1965, we see Sir David Attenborough wearing his Rolex Explorer on an unusual bracelet. These photos were taken when he was appointed Controller of BBC2.

Despite having the unusual bracelet, this photo confirms Sir David Attenborough is wearing a Rolex Explorer as it possesses all the tell-tale characteristics including the 3-, 6- and 9-hour markers surrounded by baton markers. You can also see the Mercedes hour hand and Rolex logo...

In the fascinating video below from the BBC Archives we see Sir David Attenborough being interviewed on a BBC show named Late Night Line-Up where he discusses stepping down as Controller for BBC-2 in order to return to making programs, and we see how charismatic, sharp, interesting and articulate he was at the time!!!

#OTD 1972: Late Night Line-Up devoted its final episode to an interview with David Attenborough, who was stepping down as BBC 2 controller to return to programme-making pic.twitter.com/2DaD1ikGBG

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) December 14, 2017

In this video, we see President Obama interviewing Sir David Attenborough when Sir David Attenborough was 90 years young, and he is still going full-speed ahead!!!

In this next photo, we see Prince Charles' son, Prince William with Sir David Attenborough at the World Economic Forum.

Sir David Attenborough has been friends with Queen Elizabeth for many decades and we see them smiling together.

In the United Kingdom, Sir David Attenborough is considered to be a national treasure, and he is pictured below with Queen Elizabeth. 

In the video below we see Sir David Attenborough giving a speech with follow-up with the Queen's husband, The Duke Of Edinburgh.

 


"Blue Planet II," which is Sir David Attenborough's second most recent documentary, is beyond AMAZING, and you can watch it on Netflix today.

Sir David Attenborough's most recent documentary is titled "Dynasties," and you can check out the trailer below:

Our Planet
Netflix Documentary Premier @ London Natural History Museum
Back in 2019 Netflix released a new documentary series narrated by Sir David named "Our Planet", and you can watch the trailer below:
 
The three videos below are from Netflix's 'OUR PLANET' Documentary global premiere which took place at the Natural History Museum in Kensington, London. In this first video from the event we get an incredible introduction from Lisa Nishimura, who is the Vice President of Netflix Indie Films Documentary division!

In the video below we see Sir David Attenborough deliver an amazing speech at the premier of "Our Planet" on April 5, 2019.
 
In this next video we see Prince Charles give a SUPERB speech at the premier of the Netflix Documentary named, Our Planet. Prince Charles speech is deeply profound and timely...

A Royal Explorer
Sir David Attenborough has been a friend of the British Royal Family for many years. In these first two photos we see David Attenborough with young Princess Anne and Prince Charles.

In these two photos, Sir David Attenborough is showing the young prince and princess a cockatoo he captured in New Guinea.

In the photo below, we see Sir David Attenborough with King Charles chatting seven decades after the photo above.

Below are two more detailed video clip previews from Netflix's all-new Our Planet Documentary:

  

Chillin' In The South Of France Yellow Gold Rolex Daytaona & Ray Bans

...Rolex Hotness...

Chillin' In The Sun

Yellow Gold Rolex Daytona & Ray Bans

Rolex Submariner Prototype Sells for More than $600,000

Another White Gold Submariner 

(Rolex PROTOTYPE Discovery)

Coming to Christie's Auction

Another white-gold Rolex Submariner prototype is going to be auctioned soon by Christie's Auction House in Geneva on on May 11 and 12th and this one features a black dial with nipple indices, and what a strange and equally intriguing watch!?!! On the one hand, it totally looks like a Rolex with som much Rolex DNA, but at the same time, it looks like no other Rolex?

The caseback for this prototype white gold Rolex Submariner seen above is pictured below, and it carries a Rolex Reference number of 1680, coupled with the 18K/750 etching designation:

The Lot Essay from Christie's reads as follows:

Consigned by a descendant of the family of the original owner, the present timepiece was worn on a daily basis by the original owner's nephew, both of whom were employed by Rolex, adding a unique dimension to its provenance.

A highly important and exciting discovery, the present prototype, one of only three examples known, is a white gold version of the Submariner reference 1680. Of these extraordinarily rare prototypes, two are fitted with blue dials, while the present timepiece is the only known example with a black dial. One of the blue-dial examples was offered at Christie’s Geneva on 15 May 2017. Together, these timepieces represent the only remaining proof of a white gold Submariner concept from the early 1970s that was never realized, their unusual and eye-catching appearance adding to their historical significance.

The Submariner reference 1680 was the first of its kind to have both a date function and execution in precious metal when it was first introduced in the late 1960s. Apart from these three prototypes, no white gold examples were ever commercialized, with production restricted to stainless steel and yellow gold. In fact, Rolex did not formally introduce a white gold Submariner until the release of reference 116619 in 2014.

As expected of a prototype, the present timepiece bears neither a serial number between the lugs at 6 o’clock nor a reference number at 12 o’clock, making precise dating impossible. Nevertheless, construction and design details strongly suggest a production date circa 1977, notably the presence of particular shock absorbers in the movement and the typography of the inner caseback, both consistent with Rolex manufacturing characteristics of the late 1970s.

The timepiece is fitted with a rich black 'nipple' dial with applied circular indexes and the 'feet first' depth designation, a feature added after about 1971. The white gold Oyster case, consistent with period gold Submariner production, was manufactured by Genex S.A., identified by the master casemaker key number 12 stamped inside the caseback. Particularly noteworthy is the unusual bezel: bidirectional and only partially angled at two opposing sections, with a finely machined insert reminiscent of the 'Thunderbird' bezels of the 1950s.

It is further fitted with a white gold President bracelet featuring bark-finished centre links and end links numbered 54, consistent with a production period around the late 70s. The present timepiece obviously deviates from the standard configuration, even though it is marked as reference 1680, indicating that any potential production model would have had a very different appearance. Though economic uncertainty in the 1970s may have contributed, the reasons why this white gold Submariner never went into production are still unknown.

I originally published the article below on May 15, 2017:

New World Auction Record Set

Rolex Submariner Prototype 

Sells for More than $600,000

The Geneva spring auctions are on fire, as Christie's Auction House just shattered a record by successfully auctioning this Rolex Submariner prototype [Reference 1680] for more than $632,971. The previously highest auction price for a Submariner came recently from Phillips Auction House in Geneva, in November of 2016, when they sold a Rolex Submariner Reference 6538 for around $560,000.

Rolex design history may not repeat itself

—but is sure does rhyme

Before we get into the details on this watch, I feel obligated to mention an extremely credible source, suggested the watch pictured above was NOT a Prototype per se, but a special order Rolex Submariner, for customers who were willing to pay a substantial premium for an unusually rare Rolex back in the early 1970s. I believe Christies chose to classify this model as a prototype since the three known examples of this Rolex model were not serialized, but only posses a model designation engraving of Rolex Reference 1680.

One of the most interesting things about the 1973 Rolex Submariner pictured above is it looks remarkably similar to the current production Rolex Rolesium Yacht-Master pictured below. It was actually Jose from Perezscope.com that noticed the uncanny resemblance between the white gold Rolex Submariner limited edition and the Stainless and Platinum Rolex Yacht-Master—and first brought this brilliant observation to my attention.

Have you ever wondered what the Genesis point was for the engraved bezel on the Rolex Yacht-Master? Where did its design language come from? I believe there is a very high likelihood it came from the white gold Rolex Submariner pictured at the top of this story. This ultra-rare Rolex Submariner model arguably represents the missing-link between the Submariner and the Yacht-Master. In other words, the Yacht-Master began its life as a Submariner variant. The original Yacht-Master is essentially a Submariner model with a different dial and bezel insert, coupled with polished center links on the Oyster Bracelet. As a brilliant friend of mine put it, "The Yacht-Master was the 'lovechild' of the Submariner."

You can learn much more about the Rolex Submariner / Yacht-Master nexus by checking out my story titled, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Yacht-Master."

So let's take a closer look at this extremely rare Rolex Submariner from 1973. This watch is super Funkadelic in an early 1970s kind of way. I can almost hear the Chico and Man theme song playing in the background ;-) This ultra-rare Submariner features a President bracelet with a bark finish on a Submariner body, along wit the High Hat 'jet-plastic' (fancy cool old-school name for plexiglass) crystal, and bizarre two-way spinning bezel which features two sections with knurled out notches.

Christies Lot Essay

A very exciting and important discovery, fresh to the market, this prototype watch, one of only three known examples, is a solid 18K white gold version of the Submariner reference 1680. Furthermore, it has been in the hands of the same private collector for over 30 years.

Including the present watch, only three examples of these extraordinary prototypes are known to exist, one other with blue dial and one with black dial. They represent the only surviving record of a never-realized early 1970s design for a white gold Submariner. The watch’s striking and dramatic good looks further enhance this remarkable piece of Rolex history. 

The Submariner reference 1680 was launched in the late 1960s, it was the first Submariner model to have a version cased in precious metal and the first to have a date function. However, the model was only ever made in either stainless steel or yellow gold, no examples are known in white gold except the three prototype watches. In fact the Submariner was not officially produced in white gold until the launch of the reference 116619 in 2014.

[Note From Jake: I believe there is an typo at the end of the last sentence above. I believe Christie's must have meant '2008', not '2014', as the first white gold Rolex Submariner (Reference 116619) was introduced at BaselWorld in 2008—NOT in 2014.]

As a prototype, the present watch is not engraved with a serial number between the lugs at 6 o’clock, only the reference number between the lugs at 12 o’clock. It is therefore impossible to date precisely, however, several details in the construction and design would point to a date of somewhere around 1973. 

The rich blue Submariner dial is the so-called “nipple” dial due to the shape of the circular luminous indexes. It is a “feet first” designated dial introduced after about 1971, the earlier type was designated “meters first”. 

The case, in common with most gold reference 1680 Submariners of the period was made by Genex S.A., who specialized in making Oyster cases, most famously for the reference 6062, their maker’s mark of a number 12 in a key is engraved on the inside of the caseback. 

Apart from the white gold Oyster case itself, what makes this watch particularly striking is the style of the bezel. Bidirectional rotating, it is milled or serrated only in two areas of the edge, the insert itself, cast and finely machined, is very reminiscent of the “thunderbird” bezels of the 1950s. 

The watch is fitted to a white gold President bracelet with concealed deployant clasp, the endlinks numbered 54, dating from about 1973 it is a classic 1970s bracelet with central bark-effect links.

Although this incredibly eye-catching watch is designated as reference 1680, it is obvious that had a white gold model been developed from the prototype its appearance would have been markedly different to the reference 1680 as we know it.

It can only be speculated as to why the model never went into production, perhaps rising costs and an uncertain market during the economic turbulence and oil crisis of the early 1970s made Rolex exercise caution and as time passed the moment had gone.

The present watch gives collectors the opportunity to obtain a quite extraordinary and important part of the Rolex story.

A Few More Things

It may seem obvious at this point, but Rolex introduced the Submariner Reference 1680 in 1968, and up until that time all Submariner models had been made out of stainless steel. This changed with the introduction of the Rolex Submariner [Reference 1680], which., for the first time was offered in a yellow gold variant. The yellow gold Rolex Submariner [Reference 1680] had another unique feature, as it was the very first Rolex model ever made that featured a Rolex Oyster bracelet with solid end links, which are commonly referred to in their acronym form as SEL. Today, all Rolex Oyster models that have metal bracelets come standard with solid end links, but it was not until last decade this became a standard feature.

The Reference 1680, as just mentioned was offered in both stainless steel and yellow gold, and was the first Submariner model to offer a date complication. Rolex surprised the world when from out of nowhere, in 2008 they introduced first white gold Submariner model [Reference 116619] at BaselWorld in Switzerland. One of the unique features of the White Gold Submariner is that it has a blue dial and matching blue ceramic bezel insert.

I put together the illustration below that shows the 1973 Rolex Submariner white gold prototype, next to the white gold Submariner that was introduced and went into production in 2008. I also included the stainless steel and platinum Yacht-Master with the blue dial. Rolex introduced the Yacht-Master in 1992 with a unique dial made out of platinum, which gave the watch an albino look, I was never really that fond of. The Yacht-Master was the first all-new Rolex model Rolex came out with after the Daytona, and it took them 28 years from the introduction of the Daytona to come out with an all new model!?!! In 2012 Rolex quietly discontinued the platinum dial Yacht-Master, and update the stainless steel and platinum model with a cobalt blue sunburst dial, as seen on the far right in the photo below.

As we see in the photo below, the three watches look very similar, thus, this is definitely a design family affair. One of the details that really stands out on the original 1973 Submariner pictured below on the left, are the 'Nipple Indices'. I really like the way the upside down triangle marker at 12 O'clock looks on the prototype Submariner. This was a standard feature only on the yellow gold Submariner [Reference 1680]. In other words, only the yellow gold version of the Submariner Reference 1680 had the Nipple Indices, as the stainless steel Submariner model maintained the classic printed lume maxi markers. 

The Nipple Indices had lumed markers that were surrounded in matching gold, and they were applied instead, as apposed to having the lume being painted on the dial. The applied markers gave the watch a more precise, elegant look. In later Rolex Professional models, this feature would be incorporated. For instance, the GMT-MASTER and Submariner in stainless steel would later incorporate the applied white gold markers, but they would be very flat, instead of being dimensional like the nipple indices. We see the modern version of the applied white gold lumed markers on the production white gold Submariner as well as on the stainless steel and platinum Yacht-Master pictured above. The main difference being the later design made the markers much flatter, and less dimensional while increasing the overall size of the markers, while significantly increasing the lume plot size, thus significantly decreasing the the white gold surround. 

As a designer, it strikes me that if Rolex were to make a 'Maxi Nipple Marker', it would probably look really good. In other words, if Rolex made Maxi Markers with the added 3-dimensionality of the Nipple Markers, it would probably look really cool. I must also point out that in the early 1980s, Rolex made a Submariner model that had smaller markers and it looked terrible. As a matter of fact, moved away from the Maxi Markers, and made the markers on all the professional models smaller and it looked awful. The 50th Anniversary GMT-Master was the first watch to bring back the Maxi Markers in 2007. The difference was this time, the Maxi Markers had white gold surrounds, which looked great. The photo above of the current white gold Submariner and Yacht-Master also have these larger Maxi Marker, which are much more aquatic and 'Rolexy' looking. Basically, the smaller markers on the Nipple Indices/Markers look feminine and anemic, like Kate Moss in the early 1990s. The Maxi Markers look much more masculine and aquatic. Particularly the round markers, as they look like bubbles.

Just for frame of reference I am including the photo below which shows the first yellow gold Rolex Submariner model, which was introduced in 1968. Notice it has a metallic sunburst cobalt blue dial, with matching aluminum bezel insert anodized with matching blue. The cobalt blue sunburst dial is the same as the one in the white gold Rolex Submariner prototype from 1973, with the exception the writing and minute track are pad printed in a yellow gold color, and the markers feature yellow gold surrounds, as apposed to white gold. I am a HUGE fan of the cobalt blue sunburst dials. They look so rich and colorful, and they remind me of King Tuts Lapis Blue and Gold mask. 

THE DEEP

Speaking of the Rolex Submariner and Nipple indices, it is worth noting one of the greatest aquatic themed movies was the epic 1977 movie, named THE  DEEP, which featured the gorgeous Jacqueline Bissett, who is pictured below while she was filming. The DEEP was written by Peter Benchley, who also wrote Jaws.

Jacqueline Bissett scuba diving braless in a very wet tee-shirt in The DEEP movie caused quite a sensation in 1977, as seen in 'The DEEP' Poster below.

The DEEP is one of my favorite movie that features and actor wearing a Rolex, in this case, Nick Nolte. The DEEP kind of reminds me of the original King Kong movie from 1933, in the sense that when you watch it, you are transported in a time machine to another time and place, in a different world.

In the video below you get a pretty good high-def look at Nick Nolte's Submariner.

Peter Benchley wrote Jaws and The DEEP, and he is featured below in the two Rolex Submariner ads from 1975. Peter Benchley was a good friend of Rolex U.S.A. Executive, T. Walker Lloyd.

Rolex Thunderbird Bezel

I kept looking at the interesting highly engraved bezel on the white gold Submariner, and I kept thinking I had seen it somewhere before?

It turns out (no pun intended) l had seen the bezel before. It was taken from the original Rolex Thunderbird from 1959, which is seen below in yellow gold! The original Thunderbird Rolex has a fascinating history I wrote a story about back in 2008.

O.K. I realize I am seriously daisy-chaining again, but hey—that's what I do on Jake's Rolex World, so here we go...Let's have a little fun!!!

The White Gold Rolex Submariner/Thunderbird with Bark Finished Rolex President bracelet, high-hat crystal and blue sunburst Submariner Nipple indices dial reminds me of the Johnny Cash song, which you can listen to below. Listen carefully to the words, which are fascinatingly interesting. Hey, it was the 1970s!!!

Ironically, Johnny Cash wore a yellow gold Rolex President as seen in the picture below.