Very Old Rolex Lost On East Coat...It is yours?

Very Old Rolex Lost On East Coat...It is yours?

If you live on the east coast and lost a very old Rolex watch recently, please contact me and I will assist you in getting it back. Assuming it is your watch, you must accurately describe it and I will put you in contact with the police department that has it.

A reader of Jake's Rolex Watch Blog alerted me to this, and I am just trying to help out.

Thanks,

Jake

Young RISdom...

Young Rolex WISdom

Kyle L. Pictured Above

Kyle is the youngest Rolex enthusiast I have ever met. He is 14 today and I met him when he was 13 when he sent in some photos of his Rolex Explorer he bought with his own money, which I put up on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog.

I fell madly-in-love with and purchased (with my own money) my first Rolex (stainless Submariner) more than a quarter-century ago, when I was 16, so Kyle is in many ways ahead of me. Timeless Rolex design definitely had a strong effect on my own sense of design and taste. So much so I ended up writing this crazy blog you are reading ;-)

I started Jake's Rolex Watch Blog a few years ago, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I really wanted to share everything I learned in my life about Rolex with my fellow Rolex fans. As a result, I have become friends with people all over the planet, which just blows my mind!!!! Very cool!!!

I think this wrist shot (below) that Kyle took of his Rolex Explorer is also very cool. I think it has superb composition and I just think Kyle is so cool!!! If exploring the world of Rolex design gives Kyle, in his lifetime, just 10% of the inspiration it has given me, it will be invaluable, but that is not my wish. My wish it that it inspires him 1000%.

Wristshot by Kyle L.

Thanks for sharing this great wrist shot with us Kyle!!! and thanks for being a great contributor to the online Rolex community, which in many ways, feels like a big family to me ;-)

Dave Mathews sings a duet named Iwoya with Angelique Kidjo on her album named Black Ivory Soul and Dave Mathews sings:

"You don't have to be old to be wise. A bird doesn't wait till he dies to fly," which is profound and on-point in my mind.

Kyle reminded me of the words from Iwoya so I thought I would include a link to Iwoya which is an amazingly uplifting song–as is the whole Black Ivory Soul album by Angelique Kidjo.

Below is a MP3 Clip Widget that will allow you to preview Angelique Kidjo's album named Black Ivory Soul which features the song Iwoya, which is the second song on the album. Enjoy!!!

Kyle has his own Rolex Watch Blog named TRF's Collection where he posts images from RolexForums.com members. The following LV Submariner photo and accompanying story from Rambam is awesome, and appears on Kyle's great blog!!!

LV For A Lifetime

"I bought the LV for my 30th Birthday. I wanted a nice watch which I knew would last me a lifetime–and then some. There was never any doubt, it had to be a Rolex and the LV just had me awestruck. Had to special order it and I didn't even get to try one on for size before it arrived. I was so excited when I got the call, it arrived the day before my birthday, excellent timing! Alot of watches have come and gone since, but this one will never leave." –Rambam

Apple's Snow Leopard...

If you are an Apple User and you have not already updated to Apple's Snow Leopard, it is a must, and with this special offer from Amazon it is only $25!!!

The Quest For The Best: Solar Powered Homes...

The Quest For The BestU.S. Department Of EnergySolar Decathlon 2009
Solar energy technology is amazing and it keeps evolving. I don't understand why they don't make it a law in the U.S. (or in all countries for that matter) that all new home construction should be required to be solar powered!?! In this recent Solar Decathlon contest in the U.S. Capital of Washington D.C., Team Germany won with this incredible design.

Speaking of Solar innovation, I don't understand why they don't cover the entire surface area, including the underbelly of cars with solar skins? The car would literally charge while you were driving it, or when it is parked!!!
The Solar Decathlon is a competition between international college teams to design and build the most aesthetically pleasing, energy-efficient, effective solar powered house. You have got to watch these videos!!!


You can learn much more about the U.S. Department Of Energy 2009 Solar competition by clicking here.

Rolex Destinations: Paradise Found: Fourtané Jewelers: Carmel-By-The-Sea

"At Fourtané Estate Jewelers everything with a past has a future." –John Bonifas

Rolex Paradise Found

Fourtané

Carmel-By-The-Sea

Where Rolex History Meets The Present

I have an amazing story to share with you, about an extraordinary and magical destination in the world of Rolex. A place located in Carmel, California, U.S.A., named Fourtané Jewelers.

Carmel, California is like no other city in the world, and the magnificent photo below taken by Hella Rothwell most beautifully captures Carmel's majestic grandeur.

Image Appears Courtesy of Hella Rothwell

If you are not familiar with Carmel-By-The-Sea it is a magnificent coastal town located about 125 miles south of San Francisco, California in Monterey County on the West Coast of the U.S.A. Carmel is renowned for its majestic scenery and rich artistic history.

As you will learn, Fourtané Jewelers is extraordinary in many, many ways. I have never seen ANYTHING in my life like Fourtané Jewelers!!! In my mind Fourtané Jewelers is Rolex paradise found!!! It's a place where intentional Rolex enthusiasts make a pilgrimage to see their favorite Rolex grail watches. In many ways it is the Mecca of Rolex, or maybe the Disneyland for adult Rolex fanatics–like myself.

The first time I saw Fourtané Jewelers and their Rolex collection I was stunned–much in the same way an adult would be the first time they tour Las Vegas. Everything at Fourtané Jewelers seems bigger than life!!!

Fourtané Jewelers is located in the historical downtown of Carmel, California at the north-west corner of Ocean Avenue at Lincoln Street in an extremely cozy building that seems almost like it is located in a European village.

Fourtané Jewelers has been owned and run for a quarter-century by the Bonifas family and they have the largest collection of new and vintage Rolex watches I have ever seen in my life!!! In the photo below we see Kris Bonifas working with two men who came over from Asia just to attend the recent Rolex GTG and Vintage Rolex Concours at Fourtané Jewelers in Carmel.

Kris Bonifas is an extremely nice man with an encyclopedic knowledge of Rolex watches and history. From talking with him at the Councours and GTG I noticed he is extremely passionate about Rolex.

Kris Bonifas' older brother Joshua Bonifas is the General Manager of Fourtané Jewelers and Josh (as his friends call him) is a Vintage Rolex fan of the highest order!!! To be specific, Josh has an amazingly deep respect for and knowledge of Rolex history.

When Josh talks about vintage Rolex watches and Rolex history his face lights up like a Christmas tree!!! Josh speaks very passionately about the technical aspects of vintage Rolex watches and their place in history. He talks about how he loves the classic design and vintage style and the special Rolex aura that no other watches exhibit.

Josh Bonifas is picture below at a recent historical Rolex event held at Fourtané Jewelers, and we see him speaking with Dan Bennette who recently completed his stint as the President of the Explorer's Club.

In the photo below we see Josh's father, John Bonifas (pictured on the right) speaking with Rolex's Committee Member of The Rolex Awards For Enterprise, and world famous DEEP-SEA Diving pioneer, Dr. Phil Nuytten.

Dr. Phil Nuytten has amazing career achievements and most importantly he is an extremely nice and gentle man. (We will be exploring Dr. Phil Nuytten's career achievements on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog in an upcoming part of the series entitled, The Complete History Of The Rolex Submariner and Sea-Dweller).

In the photo below of Josh Bonifas and Dr. Phil Nuytten they are examining one of the extremely-rare DEEP-SEA-SPECIAL Rolex watches that Jacques Piccard attached to the exterior of his Bathyscaphe Trieste when he took it down to the Marianas Trench in 1960 with U.S. Navy's Captain Don Walsh to set the world-depth record.

Also note that Dr. Phil Nuytten is holding the new DEEP-SEA-DWELLER in his hand and he is wearing his original yellow gold Rolex Submariner on his wrist which he bought in 1969. Also notice there are Rolex diving watches located in the glass vase with the flowers between Josh and Dr. Nuytten!!!

This is the kind of fanatical attention to historical detail I mentioned earlier which Josh exhibits. As a matter of fact, in the late 1920s through the 1940s Rolex dealers used to display Rolex watches in fish-bowls to show-off their waterproof Oyster casing. Josh takes a more elegant approach by putting them in the glass vase!!!

I believe this photo best sums up the notion that Fourtané Jewelers has a deep respect and appreciation of Rolex history, and indeed it is Where Rolex History Meets The Present.

This next photo is of the Rolex DEEP-DEA-SPECIAL that was on display at the Vintage Rolex Concours Exhibition at Fourtané Jewelers recently.

Pictured below is a vintage 1961 Rolex Magazine ad from Skin Diver Magazine that features the original Rolex DEEP-SEA-SPECIAL that Jacquess Piccard and Captain Don Walsh attached to the outside of their Bathyscaphe Trieste. This is the same Rolex DEEA-SEA-SPECIAL in the two pictures above.

It Was A Very Good Year

2009 was a seminal year for Fourtané Jewelers in many ways. First of all, Sheldon Smith of Minus4Plus6.com and I decided to add a second San Francisco GTG (Get Together) date to our annual GTG calendar in Carmel. Secondly, Fourtané Jewelers decided to have their first Vintage Rolex Concours (VRC) in which they displayed major historical vintage Rolex watches. This included (as seen in the photo below) the first Rolex ever made–straight from Rolex's vault in Geneva, Switzerland!!!

In the photo below we see many more historically significant Rolex diving watches including the ultra-rare SEA-LAB SINGLE RED SEA-DWELLER, and many Double Red SEA-DWELLERS.

I think you could travel the world and never see such an amazing collection of vintage Rolex watches anywhere!!! Pictured below are two very famous COMEX Rolex SEA-DWELLER watches from the famous JANIS IV.

In this next photo I am trying on an original Milgauss which is an unusually interesting Rolex. I really like the duaphine hands with the lightning bolt second hand and the honeycomb black dial with the red Milgauss designation. I also like the pyramid 3,6,9 indices along with the wide bezel.

The photo below is the side profile of the Rolex Milgauss above. If you click on the profile image below and study the details you really get a sense of what makes vintage Rolex design so great!!! Carefully study the detail in the riveted bracelet and the super-elegant Rolex stamped logo on the back of the clasp. The perfectly domed crystal with the extra-wide bezel. What lines!!!!!!!!!!

Back To The Future

In the next photo I am wearing Rolex #1. Rolex #1 is the first Rolex Hans Wilsdorf ever made in 1908. I put Rolex #1 on my wrist next to my LV Submariner on my trademark JAKEe FATSTRAP for comparison sake.

Several things stand out about Rolex #1 in my mind. First is there is that touch of red with the red 12. Second is how small and dainty the watch is by todays standards. Last but not least is the amazing historical significance behind the Rolex #1. To think I am wearing a Rolex that Hans Wilsdorf (the founder of Rolex wore in 1908) wore on his wrist just blows my mind!!!! What history!!!!!!!!!!

Rolex #1 is from Rolex's collection in Geneva Switzerland and was only for display, but as we see in the photo below I am comparing an early Rolex Moonphase [Reference 8171] to my LV Submariner. Despite being made in the 1940s, the first Rolex Moonphase was a large 38mm and was not an Oyster. It is amazing to see these watches next to each other and to notice how similar the lug shape is.

Another great benefit is to actually see these magnificent vintage Rolex watches in person and try them on. I am used to seeing photos of them in books and on the internet, but actually seeing them in person completely gives you a different perspective.

The Rolex Moonphase watches pictured above and below belong to Fourtané Jewelers and are part of their vintage Rolex collection they sell. The beautiful Rolex Moonphase pictured below comes in a Super-Oyster case and is a Rolex reference 6062 Moonphase, which is one of my favorite vintage Rolex watches.

The Steve McQueen Submariner

Fourtané Jewelers, as part of their Vintage Rolex Concours had on exhibit Steve McQueen's Submariner [Reference 5512]. This watch is owned by a private party and was not for sale. In the photo below, I have Steve McQueen's Submariner on my wrist next to my 50th Anniversary LV Submariner. The thing that really strikes me is how totally timeless and similar the two Rolex Submariner design language is, despite being manufactured 4 decades apart.

Steve McQueen was left-handed and wore his trademark Rolex Submariner on his right wrist, so I took this shot of the watch on my right wrist. Very, very cool!!!!

Steve McQueen is pictured below wearing his trademark Rolex Submariner standing next to his forest-green Porsche 911. The Porsche 911, Rolex Submariner and Steve McQueen are three of the most timeless and iconically cool images in the world.

As a side note, in Fourtané Jewelers you will find watches like the Steve McQueen Submariner. You will not find any falsely dubbed watches like the Steve McQueen Explorer which never existed. Why? because Fourtané Jewelers is the real deal. This is based on integrity and a passion for real Rolex history.

Fourtané Jewelers has the largest selection of vintage Rolex watches for sale I have ever seen or heard of in my life!!! They typically have around 150 vintage Rolex watches for sale, which makes visiting their store like a little kid visiting Disneyland. In many ways Fourtané Jewelers is like a Rolex museum–except, most of the time, most of the watches are available for sale.

In the photo below we see one of many cases filled with beautiful vintage Rolex watches!!!

In this next photo we see a case filled with Rolex Cellini watches including Rolex Prince models.

Since Fourtané Jewelers is an authorized Rolex Dealer, in this next case we see modern Rolex watches of every type. Fourtané Jewelers typically has 300 brand-new modern Rolex watches in-stock.

I have to say, the first time I stepped into Fourtané Jewelers, it completely blew my mind!!! They literally had every modern Rolex model I have ever seen–including all the exotic modern masterpiece Rolex watches.

I tried on a whole bunch of modern Rolex watches I had never seen before in person like the all-new Supercase (pictured below) yellow gold Rolex Submariner with the blue ceramic bezel insert. What a watch!!!

I also tried on the 50th Anniversary yellow gold GMT Ceramic Supercase which is probably my favorite yellow gold Rolex. I love the forest green dial with the contrasting yellow gold writing and Maxi Markers. Very cool!!!

Fourtané Jewelers also offers timeless estate jewelry and other fine modern Jewelry. John Bonifas, the founder of Fourtané Jewelers has always had a deep appreciation for high-quality estate jewelry from the most famous jewelers including Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Boucheron, Faberge, Lalique, Castellani, Giuliano, Van Cleef & Arpels and the list goes on an on.

The inaugural San Francisco/Carmel, California GTG (GTG Dinner pictured below) was a huge hit!!! Rolex fanatics flew in from all over the world to attend and we will be having the next Carmel GTG on Saturday, August 7, 2010. This is the Saturday before the Concours de Elegance car exhibition takes place in Carmel, California.

Fourtané Jewelers will also have its 2nd annual Vintage Rolex Concours that same week and from what Josh tells me, there are going to be some amazing historical pieces which should be really fun and fascinating!!!

If you have never attended the Concours de Elegance car exhibition it will blow your mind!!! I just attended it for the first time this year and it took my breath away!!! You can literally feel the magical energy in the air.

Next time you visit Carmel or California make certain to stop by Fourtané Jewelers and check out their mind-boggling collection of vintage and modern Rolex watches. You will never see or experience anything like Fourtané Jewelers!!! I know I haven't!!! Everything from their cozy store to their knowledgeable staff is incredible. Just incredible!!!!

Contact Information:

Fourtané Jewelers

Ocean Avenue & Lincoln at the Pine Inn

Carmel, California 93921

Phone (831) 624-4694

Toll Free: (800) 864-2468

E-Mail: Info@fourtane.com

Website: http://www.fourtane.com

If you are not familiar with Carmel-By-The-Sea it is a magnificent costal town located about 125 miles south of San Francisco, California in Monterey County on the West Coast of the U.S.A. Carmel is renowned for its majestic scenery and rich artistic history.

The Quest For The Best: The Future Of Phone Screens

The Quest For The BestThe Future Of Phone Screens
Wow. Samsung recently showed off this new OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) cell phone screen that appears to be extremely sturdy and almost indestructible. What's most amazing is that this 2.8 inch OLED screen is only 20 micrometers thick and only weighs .01 ounces!!!!!
Pretty amazing stuff if you ask me!!!! Now if Apple only offered this on their iPhones. I think iPhones and cell phones today are way to fragile. You really should be able to drop it without worrying if it will break. Really Neato!!!!

1985 Rolex Maxi Yachworld Championship Ad ...

1985 Rolex Maxi Yachtworld Championship Ad

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life... A Look At Monty Python Today

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life...A Look At Monty Python Today
This last weekend we took a look at some of the British Princes. I pointed out how influential British culture was in the United States I grew up in. It was everywhere from Monty Python to James Bond.
American George Bernard Shaw once said "England and America are two countries separated by the same language" which is profoundly true if you think about it. I thought I would share this interview with you from Late Night that features Monty Python's Flying Circus members John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones. and Terry Gillam. Pretty funny stuff. Enjoy!!!

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day: A GMT II C from Oslo Norway

A GMT II C from Oslo Norway

Bardm from Oslo Norway took this excellent shot of his Supercase GMT II C.

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day Rolex Submariner: Reference 14060M

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day

Rolex Submariner: Reference 14060M

Jesper in Denmark took this great macro shot of his Rolex Submariner up close.