Daytona 500 & NASCAR Legend Richard Petty Rolex Daytona...

The King

Richard Petty

NASCAR RACING LEGEND

Richard Petty is nicknamed "The King" of Racing. He won the Daytona 500 a record 7 times as well as Nascar 7 times along with 200 unfathomable other NASCAR races during his career! I recently discovered the 1973 Rolex ad Richard Petty appeared in which tells the story about how he began wearing Rolex watches in 1964, which means he has now been wearing Rolex watches for 56 years!!!

Petty is considered by many to be the the greatest NASCAR driver in history and today he is 80 years young. Richard Petty represents a key part of NASCAR history, and you can learn much more about this rich history by reading my story titled, "The Complete History Of The ROLEX DAYTONA."

Richard Petty's father was also a racer named Lee Petty who won the Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a 3 time NASCAR winner. Richard Petty is pictured above and below wearing his trademark stainless Rolex Daytona with the black dial. It is hard to find photos of Richard's Daytona, because, like Astronaut John Glenn, he wears his Rolex flipped around his wrist.

William France

Founder of NASCAR

William France Sr., is a key character in the history of the Rolex Daytona and he is pictured below in the Rolex NASCAR ad from 1960. William France grew up in Maryland and when he was a kid, he did not attend school, instead he raced laps in his family Model T Ford.

William France Rolex Zephyr Ad from 1960 pictured above 

In 1965, Rolex formally introduced the Rolex Chronograph as seen in the ad below.

1970 Rolex Daytona Cosmograph Brochure

Richard Petty is pictured below with A. J. Foyt on the 4th of July in 1975.

You are in for a real treat if you watch the Richard Petty Documentary below, which is narrated by Kevin Costner.

Fastnet RADical Rolex Race Preview 2021

Rolex Fastnet Race 2021

The world of Rolex sailboat racing is not only international, but always an amazing spectacle to behold! The videos below showcase some of the exiting action at the 2021 Fastnet race as it nears completion—which is AMAZING!!! Watching these world-class racers compete is not only mind-boggling but majestic...

Rolex Fastnet Race 2021

 

Rolex Fastnet Race 2021

The world of Rolex sailboat racing is not only international, but always an amazing spectacle to behold! This August 8, 2022 video update showcases just some of the exiting action as the 2021 Fastnet race gets underway which is AMAZING!!! Watching these world-class racers compete is not only mind-boggling but majestic...

Thoughts on the All-New 2021 Tesla Model S PLAID & LONG RANGE: The Evolution of The Revolution...

 

If you are a reader of Jake's Rolex World you may be aware I also publish Jake's Tesla World on TeslaMagazine.org, and I recently completed a super-detailed review of the all-new refreshed Tesla Model S that goes into great detail on the PLAID Model S, which I highly recommend checking out if you are into excellent timeless design.

The image below shows the radically simplified minimalist-masterpiece interior of the new 2021 Model S, which is some kind of wonderful!!!

The photo below was taken by my pal Paul and shows his new model PLAID rocking through the ZEN wilderness...

Head over to JAKE'S TESLA WORLD and learn all about what in my opinion is the best car ever made in history...

Hodinkee Talking Watches Curtis McDowald

 

Hodinkee Talking Watches 

Curtis McDowald

2021 Olympic Competitor

U.S. Fencing Team 

Jack Forster from Hodinkee recently sat down with Curtis McDowald on Talking Watches and had an AMAZING conversation about Curtis's love of watches.

During the interview Curtis told an incredible story about how he inherited his grandfather's Pepsi GMT-Master which is so cool. Be sure to watch the fascinating interview below which Jack Forester who is ALWAYS superb!!!

Can you imagine how stoked Curtis must have been when he first saw his Grandfather's Pepsi GMT-Master!?!! He could not have inherited a better watch...

Rolex Awards for Enterprise

Rolex Awards for Enterprise

Rolex.org has an AMAZING story on their Rolex Awards for Enterpise site named Eye Test Brings Equality which is the story of Andrew Bastawrous.

Rolex says: 

"Ophthalmologist Andrew Bastawrous is pursuing a vision to bring clear eyesight to millions of people around the world. With the help of his 2016 Rolex Award for Enterprise, he developed the Peek Acuity app, an easy-to-use mobile phone-based technology to test the eyesight of those experiencing readily treatable optical problems. Initially trialled in Kenya, the project has expanded to multiple locations across Africa and Asia, including remote parts of Pakistan where more than 20,000 people a month are being screened. A part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet initiative, the project shares practical science and technology universally for the betterment of humanity."

"Why are Rolex Bracelets so special?"

Spanish Magazine Article Interview

"Why are Rolex Bracelets so special?"

I was recently interviewed by a magazine published in Spain named Fueradeserie.com about Rolex Bracelets, and the article was just published as seen below.

Adrés Moreno asked me the question:

"Why are Rolex Bracelets so special?"

I could have written a book just to answer this question, but due to time constraints I had to be terse and here is my answer to Andrés question:

"Rolex metal bracelets are a universe in and of themselves. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex originally developed solid metal Rolex bracelets as a much better alternative to leather buckle straps which would wear out much more quickly. In other words, Rolex bracelets offered a perfectly balanced Yin to the Oyster Case Yang. 

Today, Rolex’s three most iconic bracelets are the Jubilee, Oyster and President—the first of which was developed and launched three quarters of a century ago in 1945 to celebrate Rolex’s Ruby Jubilee in the form of the Jubilee Bracelet on the revolutionary Rolex Datejust model.

If you study the evolution of Rolex bracelets you find they closely parallel the timeless design language of the watches themselves. Rolex’s super-iconic trademark bracelets are the result of purpose driven design coupled with perpetual refinement and innovation that have resulted in maximum comfort, elegance and utility on the wrist."

Rolex Coolness: Maurice Chevalier...

Maurice Chevalier sporting his Trademark Boater Straw Hat

...Rolex Coolness...

Maurice Chevalier

France's Eternal Boulevardier 

If you are a regular reader of Jake's Rolex World you know one of my favorite things to do is update older stories with new photos and information and today I am excited to update a story I originally published 10 years ago on September 21, 2011 on Maurice Chevalier.

Maurice Chevalier in 1931 with Claudette Colbert in The Smiling Lieutenant

Nick Gould recently discovered this photo of Maurice from 1953 wearing a Rolex Datejust, and if you look closely you can see the cyclops magnifier lens on his crystal.

1964 Yellow Gold Rolex DAY-DATE 

on a Jubilee Bracelet

This 1964 Rolex ad that features Maurice Chevalier (seen below) is one of my absolute favorite vintage Rolex ads. In particular, I LOVE Rolex's timeless marketing message, which I believe captures the essence of Rolex, and it is true today!!! In other words, Maurice Chevalier's timeless message from 1964, is as true today as it was 47 years ago:

"Like a genial hotelier, Rolex has introduced me to some of the nicest people. I ask about their Rolex and they ask about mine. It's as marvelous a conversation piece as it is a timepiece." 

–Maurice Chevalier (1964)

If you look closely at the watch on Maurice's wrist seen below in higher-resolution in the 1964 Rolex Magazine advertisement above you will notice he is actually wearing a ROLEX DAY-DATE model on a Jubilee bracelet, despite the fact the ad features a Rolex Datejust.

It was fairly common with earlier Rolex Day-Date models to be offered with a Jubilee bracelet and even Oyster bracelets, whereas today Rolex ONLY offer the Day-Date on a President Bracelet.

Gigi (1958)

Below is a video excerpt from the 1958 film, GiGi and features Maurice Chevalier singing Thank Heaven Girls, which is one of the absolute mode classic songs of all time.

Maurice appears on the Ed Sullivan show with Sophie Tucker and as we see the man definitely had some serious French swagger.

Maurice Chevalier is pictured below with Jazz legends, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.

Desi Arnaz is pictured above on the left with Richard Keith and Maurice Chevalier in 1958 in "Lucy Goes to Mexico" on an episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.

Maurice Chevalier was a close friend of my family. Maurice Chevalier, for those of you who are too young to know, was a very famous French actor, singer and popular entertainer. One of his most famous songs was, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls."

Maurice Chevalier with Louis Lurie

Maurice Chavalier shared his birthday with my uncle Louis Lurie so they used to celebrate it together. Louis Lurie was an ultra-successful industrialist and owned half of downtown San Francisco. Louis Lurie was also a big Hollywood and Broadway producer. Louis Lurie was also my Grandfather Jake Ehrlich Sr's best friend for four decades.

San Francisco Mayor, George Christopher, Maurice Chevalier, Jake Ehrlich Sr.

In this photo my grandfather, Jake Ehrlich Sr., pictured front right is singing "Thank Heaven For Little Girls, with Maurice Chevalier (Front Center) and the tall gentleman to left was the then Mayor of San Francisco, George Christopher.

I have many other blogs, and one of them explores the life and times of my Grandfather Jake Ehrlich Sr., who was a very famous American Trial Attorney and businessman.

You can check out his blog at http://www.neverpleadguilty.blogspot.com

Rolex Coolness: Roger Waters...

...Rolex Coolness...

Roger Waters

Legendary Founder of Pink Floyd

Rolex Submariner on Conan O' Brien Show

It's hard to believe that I originally published this story 11 years ago on December 23, 2010, but I just significantly updated it with new content. 

Roger Waters is a living musical legend, and founding member of the legendary 1970s and 1980s British rock band, Pink Floyd which was founded in 1965, and broke up twenty years later in 1985. During their time together they made music that has remained an anthem for a generation of people who grew up on it.

I recently discovered this video interview of Roger Waters from 2017 which shows him wearing a Rolex Datejust.

When Roger Waters was on the all-new Conan O'Brien show on the TBS network back in 2010 I captured the photo of him wearing sporting a stainless Rolex Submariner. It's fascinating to consider that Conan O'Brien just recently retired from his show which is sad as he is so funny and entertaining.

Roger Waters sporting a Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner was of particular interest since he historically wore a stainless steel Rolex Datejust, as seen in the images later in this story.

Roger Waters wears his Rolex watches very loose, almost like they are bracelets. I am pretty certain, Conan O'Brien's sidekick, Andy Richter also wears a stainless Rolex Submariner.

Pink Floyd Rolex

British Supergroup Pink Floyd reunited in 2005 to perform at Live8 as seen in these photos and some of the videos below. David Gilmour is pictured on the left playing his guitar. Roger Waters is pictured on the right.

Roger Waters is pictured above on the right and below sporting his trademark two-tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

It is amazing how iconic and timeless Pink Floyd's music is. In many ways Pink Floyd's music defined a generation. Enjoy, and if you are part of the generation that grew up with Pink Floyd, be prepared for a serious and magical Deja vu experience.

---

Separated At Birth?

American Gigolo v. Pink Floyd

1980 was a most fascinating year. Ronald Reagan was recently elected president of the United States, and the world was just really beginning to change. If you were alive in 1980, and of the age to listen to music on the radio, there were two songs that really kind of symbolize the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties. They were "Call Me" by Blondie, from American Gigolo, which starred Richard Gere, and "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, which featured Roger Waters.

In the first photo we see actor Richard Gere sporting his Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet and in the image below we see musician and founder of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters sporting his Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

Richard Gere v. Roger Waters

For some reason, these two men seem to have the same vibe, especially their hairstyle and choice of Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet. As Spock would say on Star Trek, "Interesting Captain."

Sir Jackie Stewart

Sir Jackie Stewart