I found this fascinating image in the NASA Archives a long time ago. The photo was taken August 14, 1967 during Apollo desert survival training. Apollo 13 Astronaut Jack Swigert is pictured on the far right and he is wearing his Rolex GMT that he wore when he flew to the moon.
Pictured from left to right: Charles M Duke Jr., Thomas K Mattingly, Col. Chester Hohart, and John (Jack) L. Swigert.
No. These guys are not wearing Halloween costumes, and yes they are Sheiks of sorts. In the photo above, the three astronauts are in Washington state during desert survival training. During desert training the astronauts have to simulate what would happen if they land by mistake way off-course in the desert and have to do without human help for several weeks.
So how and why does this make them Sheik's? Arab Sheiks wear cotton scarfs to protect their heads, known as Keffiyeh and robes to stay cool in the extreme heat of the desert. Arab Sheiks also always wear sunglasses, often times indoors because the sun is extremely bright in the desert. The difference between the NASA Astronaut's headpiece and robes is that they are had crafted by the Astronauts from parachutes.
The photo below is of a close up of Jack Swigert's trademark Pepsi Rolex GMT Master. If you look closely it appears that Col. Hobart is also wearing a GMT but on a Jubilee bracelet. Also, digg those chic white Jack Taylor Converse Canvass high-tops Swigert is wearing. I had a pair of those when I was little kid.
Jack Swigert is pictured below in his NASA space suit wearing his Rolex GMT Pepsi.
When Jack Swigert returned from the Apollo 13 Moon Mission, Rolex traded-in his Pepsi GMT Master for a yellow gold Mocha GMT on a Jubilee bracelet as seen below. Jack Swigert's Pepsi GMT Master which traveled to the Moon and back is in Rolex's private collection in Geneva, Switzerland. If you want to learn much more about all of the Rolex Moon watches, you should check out my series aptly named "The Rolex Moon Watch Conquest & Beyond"which covers the entire gamut of Rolex in space.
I originally wrote this story back on November 16, 2008. I just stumbled across it in my archives, and thought I would share it: I noticed the Rolex Turn-o-graph for sale in the upcoming Christie's Auction with a the white honeycomb dial and I wanted to learn more about the watch and get a better look at it.
I found this great image on the Antiquorum.com Auction site. This watch was part of Lot 151 which was sold on April 17, 2008 at the Antiquorum auction titled The Evolution of the Rolex Sports Watch. It sold for $44,400 U.S.
The Antiquorum description reads: "The Turn-o-graph Reference 6202 was touted by Rolex as The watch with a thousand and one uses." This watch was manufactured by Rolex in 1953 and its diameter is 35mm and thickness is 13mm.
I refer to this color combination of a Rolex with a white dial and black bezel as the Oreo Cookie. I really like the design of this watch and in particular I really like the Dauphine hands.
I can't believe I am writing this!!?! I am so excited to be able to share this amazing news with you. Another ULTRA-RARE Rolex Triple Date Moonphase was recently discovered and is up for auction in Geneva, Switzerland at the Phillips Auction House on 15 May 2016!!! Phillips has placed an Estimated auction price of between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Swiss Francs on this beauty, which is approximately $525,000 to $1,050,000.
Above photo of Rolex Triple-Date Moonphase Reference 6062 to be auctioned on May 15, 2016 by Phillips Auction House in Geneva, Switzerland
What is so special about this Rolex? People frequently ask me which Rolex I think is the most beautiful of all time? My answer is always, the triple-date Rolex Moonphase, Reference 6062 with the black dial and star indices from the early 1950s.
The photo below is of a very similar model that was made two years later in 1952, and only varies in the sense it has an all yellow gold Day indicator hand, as apposed to the stainless steel hand pictured above with the red pointer on the day indicator hand. Up until today, the model pictured below was one of only several documented versions of this model that had the black dial with star indices that have the small circular lume plots in the center of the stars, along with black ground moon phase disc.
Italian vintage Rolex collectors famously nicknamed this model as "Stellina", which translated from Italian to English means "Little Star" In my opinion this Ultra-Rare Rolex model is the UBER Rolex—the Rolex Grail of Grails. In other words, if I had to get stuck on a desert island for the rest of my life, and I could only have and wear one watch for the rest of my life, this would be it!!! I am not going to speculate on what I think this watch will fetch at auction, but I would not be surprised if this watch sets an all-time new auction record high for any Rolex. As they say, "Time will tell." Another common question people ask me is: "What makes a watch like this worth so much money?" In my opinion, the key in determining the value of a vintage watch, is how well the design has held-up over the years. In other words, there have been many trendy watches that may have looked good to people when they were introduced in the marketplace, but over time the did not stand the test-of-time. Other watches, like these Rolex Reference 6062 models still look great today, and most importantly are very wearable today. Basically the ultimate litmus test for determining value of vintage watches, or anything vintage is based upon how timeless the design is, coupled with the build quality. The sad thing about these beautiful watches is that they will likely never be worn again :-( as most of them are investments, which is a shame, as they are such works of absolute art :-)
In case you were not aware, Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor and martial artist who starred in Rocky IV in 1985, as the imposing Russian Boxer Ivan Drago. In the photo below we see Sylvester Stallone sporting his white gold "Pepsi GMT-Master, which looks so cool...and we see Dolph Lundgren sporing his Bronzo Laminor Panerai. Dolph also starred alongside Stallone in The Expendibles (2010), Expendibles 2 (2013), and Expendibles 3 in 2014.
Pictured below is the same Pepsi Rolex Sylvester Stallone is wearing in the photo above. It is a Rolex 116759SARU.
People ask me what my favorite Rolex of al time is, and my answer is the original LV Submariner. I love the original LV for many different reasons. In particular, I love the Maxi Markers, fat hands and the tri-tone look the green bezel insert offers. The LV is sporty, aquatic, and its design language is pure classic Rolex.
So where did the LV Submariner come from? I will give you a hint. this is the very first photo Rolex ever published of the LV Submariner. It is actually a prototype. How can you tell? Notice the lugs have exposed spring bar holes. Ironically, Rolex NEVER sold this watch with this feature, but it all began with this photo.
I first reported on a member of Duran Duran wearing a Rolex back in 2008, with an early post on Simon Le Bon. This new story goes much more into detail on Simon Le Bon and other members of Duran Duran wearing Rolex.
Duran Duran Rio Album Artwork by ultra-talented 1980s Minamalist Pop Artist & Illustrator Patrick Nagel
Duran Duran
Legendary 1980s Band
Keeping Time With Rolex
In many ways, Duran Duran represents the ultimate 1980s band. The big hair, coupled with amazing songs, and of course they wore Rolex watches. In the photo below we see Duran Duran band members, drummer Roger Taylor, bassist John Taylor, and lead vocals Simon Le Bon. In this photo we see drummer, Roger Taylor and John Taylor both wearing two-tone Rolex Datejust models.
Duran Duran was founded in Birmingham, England in the United Kingdom in 1978, and were a major player in what is known as the Second British Invasion, which took place in the early 1980s, and included bands like, The Police, The Human League, ABC, Adam Ant, Bananarama, Bow Wow Wow, Culture Club, Thomas Dolby, The English Beat, The Fixx, Haircut 100, Heavan 17, Howard Jones, Madness, Modern English, Soft Cell, Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode, The Style Council, Thompson Twins, Wham, The Kinks, Denys Midnight Runners, The Alarm, Flock of Seagulls, Dire Straits, Elvis Costello, Billy Idol, The Pretenders, Gary Numan, The Cure, The Clash, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, Robert Palmer and New Order.
Roger Taylor
Bass Player
In the photo below we see Roger Taylor from Duran Duran wearing his two-tone Rolex Datejust.
John Taylor Bass Player
In the next set of photos below we see John Taylor, the bass player in Duran Duran wearing his Rolex Datjust on a Jubilee bracelet, back in the 1980s.
In this next photo we see Duran Duran's bass player, John Taylor in 2015 sporting a Rolex Milgauss, on an Oyster Bracelet. John Taylor's wife, Gela Nash-Taylor was the cofounder of the famous Juicy Couture women's clothing line that originated in Los Angeles.
Simon Le Bon Lead Vocals
In the photo below we see Duran Duran Lead Singer, Simon Le Bon in 1983 with band keyboardist, Nick Rhodes. Notice Simon Le Bon is wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust with a white dial on a Rolex Jubilee bracelet.
In the photo below we again see Simon Pictured below in 1983 wearing his Rolex Datejust, and notice his friend Claire is wearing a matching Rolex Lady-Date.
The photo below shows Simon Le Bon with his beautiful wife Yasmin Le Bon in 1985 wearing a Rolex Explorer on a Rolex Oyster bracelet. Yasmin Le Bon is a super-model and she has a really cool Yasmin Le Bon Blog she publishes.
Simon Le Bon is pictured below in a recent photo wearing a GV Rolex Milgauss, which has a green crystal...
Duran Duran has stayed together since 1978, and is currently on tour in the United States. The photo below shows Simon Le Bon in 2015 sporting a two-tone Rolex Submariner, with a blue bezel and dial. The photos of Simon Le Bon show him first wearing a Rolex in 1983, and span to today, which means he has been wearing Rolex for four decades!!!
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
_Rolex_Deepsea_Challenge_(2012).jpg)
