Rolex is synonymous in many ways with motorsports, as is the Rolex Daytona. It's been a busy weekend in the world or Rolex sports. This years Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona which is the 56th year, broke an all-time attendance record. Filipe Albuquerque won the Prototype class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona today, as seen below.
Filipe Albuquerque, who is from Portugal is pictured above and below after winning the IMSA 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race.
Chip Ganassi Racing won its 200th victory with the GT Le Mans [GTLM] class with their Number 67 Ford GT. In the GT Dayonta class [GTD], the Number 11 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 won with Mirko Bortolotti's team.
Enzo Ferrari 1898-1988 With Rolex Keeping The Time Of His Life
Rolex Chronograph Reference 3055
Enzo Ferrari is a racing car legend and in many ways, he created a company that is very similar to Rolex. Enzo wore and depended on a Rolex to keep the time of his life for at least 4 decades of his life. Enzo Ferrari is pictured below in 1920 racing and A.L.F.A. 40/60HP.
Enzo Ferrari had a nickname of 'Il Commendatore', which means 'Commander'. This nickname came directly from the King of Italy, Vittorio Emmanuel III.
1952 Indianapolis 500
[Ferrari's First U.S.A. Race]
The photo below was taken of Enzo Ferrari and his top driver Alberto Ascari in Maranello, Italy as they prepare for the Indianapolis 500 car race that would soon take place in the United States. Enzo Ferrari is pictured on the far right side, sporting his trademark Rolex Chronograph Reference 3055. Enzo is standing next to world champion, Alberto Ascari (center) and the man on the far left is Ing Daccò (tallest).
It is fascinating to take into consideration the in-depth contextual meaning behind these photos, in the sense, that when they were taken, Enzo Ferrari, with his number 1 driver, Alberto Ascari, were making Formula 1 history, and putting Ferrari on the map for the first time.
In the photo above and in the photo below, we see Alberto Ascari and the Ferrari N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) at the 1952 Indianapolis 500 race. The 1952 N.A.R.T. team was owned by Luigi Chinetti, who was the official distributor of Ferrari U.S.A.
It is interesting to note the Ferrari badge appears in both photos, but without the prancing "Ferrari" Horse. This is due to the fact Enzo Ferrari his first participation in the Indianapolis to be unofficial. After Enzo got underway, he changed his mind and decided to add the prancing horse.
Alberto Ascari experienced mechanical challenges during the 1952 Indianapolis 500 and was not able to continue past his 13th lap. The 1952 Indianapolis 500 represented the first time Ferrari raced in the U.S.A, and even though they did not complete the race, it marked a significant milestone in Ferrari history.
In the photo below we see Alberto Ascari racing in a Ferrari F2 in the Belgian Grand Prix
In the photo below we see Alberto Ascari racing in a Ferrari F2 in the British Grand Prix
Enzo Ferrari's Rolex Chronograph (Reference 3055) was the smallest chronograph ever made, at an astounding 30mm diameter.
I would like to thank my pal, John Goldberger for sending in these amazing photos.John Goldberger is the author of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches and he also publishes a Vintage Rolex Application for the iPad which showcases high-definition photos of beautiful Rolex watches.
1940 Italian Rolex Chronograph Catalog Page
[Reference 3055]
John Goldberger also sent in this vintage Rolex catalog page for the Rolex 3055 Chronograph which appeared in an Italian magazine in 1940. Pretty cool!!! One of the interesting take-away points is that in 1940, during World War II, Rolex pocket watches were still very popular, as we see in the Rolex catalog below. Rolex began selling the Reference 3055 Chronograph in 1940 and offered the model for sale until 1960.
Enzo Ferrari is pictured below wearing his Rolex Chronograph Reference 3055. He is pictured with American driver, Phil Hill who is the only American born Formula One driver to ever win the World's Drivers' Championship. (Mario Andretti was born in Italy). Enzo Ferrari is pictured below in 1966 at Monza.
Enzo Ferrari is pictured below on the left with Ferrari Racing Legend, Niki Lauda, between him and the current Chairman of Ferrari, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. Niki Lauda is also a big Rolex fan.
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is pictured below in the early 1970s sporting his trademark Rolex GMT Master.
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo went on to become the Chairman of Ferrari, as well as FIAT S.p.A. He is pictured below in a recent photo, wearing his trademark Rolex GMT Pepsi, as he poses in front of a model of a Ferrari. It is fascinating to note that the men who have guided Ferrari for its entire history are Rolex men!!!
Earlier in his career, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was the director of racing for Ferrari, and you see him in the photo (three photos up the page) with Enzo Ferrari and Niki Lauda. Nicki Lauda was Ferrari's lead driver, and we see him in the photo below as he practices at the Nurburgring race track during the 1976 Grand Prix.
We see Niki Lauda in a more recent photo below, sporting his trademark vintage Rolex Daytona.
Below is a video documentary on Enzo Ferrari which I highly recommend watching...
Enzo Ferrari had two sons, Dino and Piero. Dino passed away when he was 24 years old, and Piero who is pictured below owns 10% of Ferrari today. Notice Piero Ferrari is wearing a Rolex, like his father.
Below is another fascinating documentary on the life and times of Enzo Ferrari.
Today Ferarri continues its proud legacy of making radical looking and performing sports cars as seen below. It will be interesting to see how Ferarri responds to the upcoming all-electric Tesla Roadster which can do 0-60 in 1.9 seconds while offering a range of over 600 miles, as Ferrari recently announced they were going to be creating the ultimate Electric Supercar. It will be weird to see a Ferrari without the throaty gargling, screaming engine of a Ferrari.
Doesn't the black with red trim La Ferrari pictured below above look like Adam West's Batmobile?
It's a trip to watch Air Force One touching down in Switzerland at the Zurich Airport (@4:50). What's most interesting is to see the fleet of U.S. Military helicopters in the air, escorting Marine One, which looks like a scene out ofApocolypse Now (@1:40). Later in the video, we see the fleet of helicopters taking-off to escort the Marine One to Davos.
If you are a regular reader of Jake's Rolex World, you might also be aware that I publish another online magazine named, "Jake's Presidential World", since I have always been fascinated with the trappings of the U.S. Presidency. Below is a video of President Trump Meeting with some of the most successful business leaders in the world.
The video below is of President Trump's speech that addressed the World Economic Forum.
If You Were Negotiating Here Tomorrow
You'd Wear A Rolex
Geneva's Palais des Nations
This vintage Rolex ad showcases what is now referred to as UNOG, which stands for The United Nations Office At Geneva. The "Palace Of Nations" was built in Geneva between 1929 and 1936 as the headquarters for the League of Nations, which later evolved into the Geneva headquarters for the United Nations in 1946. Today, The United Nations In Geneva is busier than ever with international diplomats, and it primarily deals with social issues around the world.
Vintage Rolex Ad Appears Courtesy of The Concannon Collection
Australian Tennis Legend Yellow Gold Datejust Special Burled Madrone Wood Dial 36MM Reference 16018
Rolex recently published a Rod Laver profile on the "Every Rolex Tells A Story" gallery on Rolex.com. Being a tennis player and huge professional tennis fan, over the past decade I have written many stories about Rolex and Tennis, and I have been meaning to write a piece about Rod Laver, so here it is: Rod Laver is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players in history with an unmatched record he holds to date of having won 200 singles titles. Laver was a dynamic player that excelled on all court surfaces including hard, grass, clay, carpet and wood/parquet.
He began his amateur tennis career being ranked at Number 1 from 1961 to 1962. From 1964 to 1970, he was ranked as the number one tennis player in the world, which spanned four years prior and three years after the beginning of the Open Era in 1968.
I have to admit, I am totally fascinated with Rod Laver's yellow gold Rolex Datejust he is wearing in these official Rolex photos. As far as I know, Rolex no longer makes burled wood dials, which is a big mistake in my opinion. In the 1970s through the 1990s Rolex made these wood-based dials with applied yellow gold indexes, that were magnificent. Each wood dial is unique and has a very warm vintage look.
37 years ago, in 1981, Rod Laver purchased his yellow gold Datejust which was the same year he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. What a cool guy, and what a cool Rolex!!!!
The 1979 Rolex ad seen below is from my Vintage Rolex Christmas Story and shows a yellow gold Day-Date with a similar dial. Rolex refers to this wood as being from a Madrone tree which is an evergreen tree belonging to the genus Arbutus, which grows in North America and Canada, as well as in Europe, and are known for their pale reddish-brown wood.
Rolex is a sponsor of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament which is headed to the finals as I write this. Rolex is also the Official Timekeeper of The Australian Open, and recently put together this video.
It's that time of the year again. The Australian Open is underway, and I plan some coverage later this week as we head into the finals. In the meantime, I thought I would share some interesting Tennis video with you. This first video show highlights of Roger Federer and Bill Gates playing and winning as a team in doubles in the "Match for Africa 4"
If watching Bill Gates and Roger Federer isn't bizarre enough for you, the next video features Rober Federer teamed up with Pete Sampras, to play Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal. It's pretty funny watching these guys play doubles...It's funny to note Roger Federer is wearing his Rolex in both videos...
1926-2018 World's Top French Chef Belongs To The Ages
Writing an obituary is never easy for me. Perhaps because it reminds me of the inevitability of my own demise. That being said, I recently watched a fascinating interview with Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung that where he said that death should be a goal for everybody. I never thought about death that way, but Jung definitely made me think about it. Legendary Top French chef, Paul Bocuse passed away today at the age of 91. Paul Bocuse was France's most famous and celebrated chef that defined French cuisine for close to a half-century. The President of France, Emmanuel Macro bid Bocuse adieu by saying "Bocuse was the incarnation of French cuisine...French gastronomy lost a mythical figure..." People commonly referred to "Monsieur Paul" as the Pope of French Cuisine. He had a larger than life personality and was know for his savoir-faire.
Paul Bocuse was born in 1926 and he is considered to be one of the top chef's in history. He pioneered "Nouvelle Cuisine" which is lower in calories and less opulent that traditional "Cuisine Classique." Nouvelle Cuisine emphasizes the highest quality fresh ingredients. Paul Bocuse was also famous as a Rolex Ambassador as witnessed in the 1976 Rolex magazine ad below that shows him wearing his Rolex Day-Date.
Paul Bucouse is pictured below 34 years later after he appeared in the Rolex Magazine ad above, and he still looks almost exactly the same, as does his Rolex in the following photos. It is true that everything considered classic was once considered modern ;-D
Paul Bocuse's restaurant located outside of the French city of Lyon in southeastern France is named "L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges" was its first coveted Michelin star in 1958 and its second in 1960. In 1965 it was, awarded and has maintained three Michelin stars ever since. In 1989 Gault-Millau, which is a rival guide to Michelin named Boucuse "Chef of the Century." In 2011, the Culinary Institute of America also named Bocuse Chef of the Century. Paul Bucose is pictured below in 2014, at age 87 wearing his Rolex Day-Date.
Photo above of Paul Bocuse appears courtesy of Eric Soudan
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.
