In my personal opinion, Jacques-Yves Cousteau is the greatest explorer that ever lived. In my recent Chapter 19 of my story titled, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER: Rolex's Conquest Of The Ocean", I expressed my opinion that Rolex named both the Submariner and SEA-DWELLER after Jacques Cousteau. I have been conducting a great deal of research lately into this subject, and I snapped the photo below of what is probably The Seminal Rolex History issue of National Geographic Magazine.
The July 1954 issue of Nat Geo Magazine features the Rolex advertisement for the Original DEEP-SEA Special on page 7. If you look closely at the cover, you will see this issue covers the "Triumph on Everest", written by Sir John Hunt, and Sire Edmund Hillary." I learned a lot from this story, and plan to cover it in the future on Jake's Rolex World.
The most interesting story in this issue is seen further down the cover, which includes a story written by Captain J. Y. Cousteau himself, named, "To the Depths Of The Sea by Bathyscaphe." In this story Jacques Cousteau tells his Submariner story of taking the F.R.N.S. 3 Submarine down 4000 feet in late 1953.
As a historian, it blows my mind that Jacques Cousteau achieved so many amazing things in his life, yet it seems like the world almost completely forgot about him. In other words, as of today my writing on Cousteau is the single largest repository on his lifetime achievements on the web, which is strange to my way of thinking. There is no real documentary about his career, and no modern book that covers his outstanding achievements. I find this to be really weird, as I grew up as a small child watching his amazing "Underwater World Of Jacques Cousteau." Watching his show awakened the Spirit of Inquiry that let me to start publishing Jake's Rolex World. I know there are so many people around the world, both younger and older than me who grew up watching Jacques Cousteau on TV on Sunday evenings, so he is very much a part of the collective human conscience, yet he seems like a ghost, as he has sadly been forgotten by the modern world.
That being said, I am hellbent on making certain he is not sadly forgotten. I plan to expand my coverage of his lifetime work in the future in the way he deserves. In the photo above, which I recently published, we see Jacques Cousteau wearing and testing a Rolex Submariner prototype. I was digging through my archives and stumbled upon this next photo that shows Jacques Cousteau wearing a white gold or platinum Day-Date on a strap, which is very cool.
Carlo Riva was a legendary high-end board and yacht designer and builder who passed away a few days ago. His Riva boats are considered by many to be the Ferrari of speedboats, despite the fact he made Lamborghini powered Riva speedboats.
Carlo Riva was born in Sarnico, Italy on February 24, 1922 into a famous family that made amazing boats. Riva was founded in 1842 on the shore of Lake Iseo in Italy, by Carlo's great-grandfaterh, Pietro Riva. Carlo is is pictured below in front of a classic Riva boat and he is wearing this trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date. Carlo Riva has worn a Rolex Day-Date for many decades, which is a timeless and iconic symbol of quality and elegance, just like his beloved Riva boats.
During the 1950s, Carlo Riva built a state of the art shipyard in Italy to build his beautiful luxury speedboats, that were made primarily from superbly crafted mahogany. Thus, began the golden era of Riva boats.
Riva Speedboat Factory in the 1950s
Sun, Sea & Joy of Living
Riva boats were also unusually fast as some of them could go faster than 40 nots at full throttle. The super modern streamlined shape of the Riva boats personify the essence of fine Italian design.
Today, Riva still hand builds these amazing boats that are based upon the original 1950s Populux design language. The technology has changed and today the Riva boats hull is made from fiberglass, but they still have the trademark mahogany wood deck that Jeremy Clarkson once referred to as "The mahogany passport to the high life". Riva boats today go for around a million dollars.
The Riva brand was acquired by Italian shipbuilder, Ferretti, which owns 7 other luxury yacht brands. Today Riva's slogan is "As it was yesterday, it will be forever."
Amazing Detail
Let's take a look at the details that make a Riva Yacht so amazing. They say God is in the details, and as I have mentioned so many time before, there is nothing in the world like fine Italian craftsmanship.
Riva Yachts stand testament to timeless design and functionality. The design language of the Riva Yachts is steeped in late art-deco from the 1950s, which is referred to as Populux.
I mentioned the Reva design is steeped in Populux design language, which was a late 1950s movement that represented the zenith of art-deco design. Populux is a conjunction of 'Popular' and 'Luxury', and is characterized by chrome and sharp modern lines as we seen in these pictured of the Riva Yacht.
Populux is also the kind of design language you would find in the tail fin of a 1959 Cadillac. When you look at the Riva boat craftsmanship detail in the highly polished mahogany deck it is exemplary.
Vintage Riva
An Amazing & Iconic Heritage
Let's get in the Rolex Time Machine and go back to in the past to learn about Riva's amazing heritage. Riva speedboats back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were all the rage and then some. Many famous glamorous movie stars, celebrities, Royalty, heads of state, Sheikhs, and Billionaires were photographed in iconic Riva boats. In the photo below we see a vintage Riva magazine ad, which is so cool looking...
Michael Rennie
In the photos below from 1954 we see actor Michael Rennie in his Riva speedboat. Michael Rennie was an English film, television and stage actor, who is likely best known for playing Klaatu in the science fiction movie, The Day The Earth Stood Still, which debuted in 1951.
The image below confused me when I first saw it, as it appears to be a combination of the photo above, as well as the photo below it. In other words, I think somebody did a pre-photoshop comp of it, but it is interesting none-the-less.
La dolce vita
The movie La dolce vita, debuted in 1960 and was a huge hit. It went on to become one of the most iconic films that defined the early 1960s. The stars were Marchello Mastroianni and the stunningly beautiful Swedish model, Anita Eckberg.
Annita Ekberg is pictured below in her Riva Tritone speedboat, which was the first yacht to have two engines, and hers is complete with Zebra pattern seating. Indeed Annita was living The Good Life!!!
The video below was released by Tudor at BaselWorld in 2016, and it takes place in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, which is where La Dolce Vita was shot. In case you are not familiar, Tudor is a watch brand owned by Rolex. The video features Nat King Cole singing "LOVE" in french, which is beyond sublime!
Paul Newman
Paul Newman is pictured below in 1963 as he travels onboard a Riva to the Venice Film Festival. Of course, Paul Newman is considered to be a high priest of vintage Rolex today.
Sophia Loren
The Italian Princess
Next up we see the one of the most beautiful women that has ever lived, The Italian Princess, Sophia Loren hanging out on a Riva Speedboat back in the 1960s.
Peter Sellers
In the photo below we see actors Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland in 1966 in their Riva Speedboat in the port of Monaco.
Jean-Claude Killy
In the photo below we see legendary Olympic Ski Champion Jean-Claude Killy onboard his Riva in 1971.
Brigette Bardot
In the photo below we see Gunter Sachs with his wife, legendary actress, Brigette Bardot in their Riva speedboat.
In the photo below we see another photo of Bridgett Bardot in a Riva boat taken in Saint-Tropez in France.
Sean Connery
In this next photo we see James Bond actor, Sean Connery in 1967 haulin' ass with some friends on his Riva Rudy.
Princess Grace
In this next photo below we see Princess Grace of Monaco with her husband, Prince Rainier II, along with their kids as the navigate around the harbor of Monaco in their Riva. Prince Rainier of Monaco purchased his Riva Triton in 1958, with Hull Number 62.
Aristotle Onassis
In the photo below we see legendary Billionaire Aristotle Onassis's famous Christina O Yacht, with his personal Riva speedboat.
George Clooney
In the photo below we see actor George Clooney on a Riva, and he is wearing a really cool Omega Seamaster Proplof. I believe this photo was taken during the filming of Ocean's Twelve. George Clooney also owns a Riva which he keeps at his home on Lake Como, in Italy.
RIVA
Aquarama Lamborghini
Riva partnered with Lamborghini to make boats from 1962 to 1996. Ferruccio Lamborghini's personal Riva is pictured above and below. I used twin 4.0-liter, 350 horsepower 12 cylinder Lamborghini engines, that were very similar to the engines found in the Lamborghini 350GT sports car. Together Riva and Lamborghini made a total of 769 boats together.
In the photo below from we see Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder of Lamborghini taking delivery of his personal Riva, from Carlo Riva. Lamborghini was a tractor manufacturer, and as legend has it, he complained to Enzo Ferrari about a Ferrari sports car he owned, and Ferrari told him if he thought he could do it better, he should. And that is exactly what he did.
In the vintage photo below we see Ferruccio Lamborghini in his personal Riva Aquarama Speedboat with dual 12 cylinder Lamborghini engines.
Ferruccio Lamborghini in pictured below in his personal Riva Aquarama Speedboat.
In the photo below we see Fabio Lamborghini with Carlo Riva, an notice Lamborghini is wearing a Rolex.
In the past, I wrote a story titled, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Yacht-Master", which offered a unique look into the Genesis of the model. Then I started thinking about how Riva Yachts were at their zenith point around 1967, and this made me think about a 1967 Rolex prototype Yacht-Master Chronograph that Rolex made. This watch was only a prototype and was never offered to the public for sale.
This Rolex Yacht-Master prototype pictured above was 39.5MM in diameter and had a Rolex Reference of 6239/6242. The dial was made in 1967 and the case was made in 1969. I can't help but wonder if Riva Yachts were part of the inspiration for Rolex to create the Yacht-Master?
Dick Bertram
This Rolex ad seen below from 1968 shows Dick Bertram who was a pier of Carlo Riva as well as being a boat making pioneer and legend. Today, his company still makes amazing boats. Among other things, Dick Bertram pioneered inventing the 'Cigarette' speed boats. Basically, his boat were the American version of Carlo Riva's boats.
Orologi & Passioni Limited Edition of 50 Black Bay Watches
The Tudor watch brand is owned by Rolex, and they came out with a very special limited edition watch made just for members of the Italian watch forum named 'Orologi & Passioni'. This special edition is a Tudor Black Bay Limited Edition, which was made available on to forum members, and they are already sold out. You can read all about this watch by checking out the Orologi.Forumfree.it. This interesting design features three lines of red writing, which would make it a triple red, and the tip of the second hand is also covered in red.
So this is a hardcore Deja Vu ad for me. I started reading GQ Magazine back in the early 1980s, around the same time I discovered Rolex. I remember this Clinique Men's Supplies ad was in GQ all the time, and I remember I would always trip on the Rolex Oyster Perpetual. I think this Clinique ad ran for at least a quarter century, without any change. I also used to use Clinique face scrub, so now I have to go buy some, if they still make it, to fulfill my deja vu nostalgic curiosity. Do you remember seeing this add a zillion times, or am I the only one? I am serious. I can hear Duran Duran, Roxie Music, Haricut 100, Madness and the English Beat playing in my head when I look at this ad.
Speaking of the Rolex Submariner, next up we see a yellow gold Submariner from 1971, that has a cobalt blue dial that has developed a gorgeous patina that faded into a purple sunburst, and looks crazy.
I believe this Rolex only auction represents a new turning point for Phillips, as well as creating a new high water mark for watch auctions in the sense the Phillips completely 'gets it'. In other words, their catalog is a work-of-art in-and-of-itself. This is because Phillips turned to Italian watch photography master, Pucci Papaleo to shoot the amazing photographs of their watches. When I say they get it, they realize that vintage Rolex watches are really high-art, and they are treating it that way.
Next we see the Rolex Moonphase Triple-Date Reference 6062 in yellow gold with a Jubilee bracelet.
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.
