15th Anniversary Announcement: All-New 5 Volume Rolex History Book Series Coming!!!!

15th Anniversary 

Announcement

Hi Everybody!

It's hard to believe I've entered my 15th straight year of publishing Jake's Rolex World @ RolexMagazine.com, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, I have some superb news to share with you! 

I am finally coming out with a series of Books on Rolex History!!! As we see in the graphic above there will be 5 different books and there is a description at the bottom of this story on each book. If you want to learn everything about the REAL history of Rolex, this series of books will completely blow your mind!!!

I was originally planning to write just one book, but once I hit the 1000 page threshold I realized I would need to break up my book into multiple volumes. The book artwork above and below are the original book artwork that show the front, rear and spine of the book.

Essentially, the original book idea was about the Founding Fathers of Rolex and how they built one of the most timeless, successful and prestigious brands in history. 

As mentioned, I was originally going to write just one book, but once I began putting the book together I soon realized one book could not hold all the information, so after a great deal of analysis and contemplation I decided to break it up into 5 separate volumes that cover the entire Rolex History Arc from the beginning of timekeeping up to today. 

I have probably read every book ever written on Rolex, and I can promise you this 5 volume series will radically surpass them!!!

To date, nobody has come even close to capturing Rolex's true history, which is my solemn commitment with this series...

Volume 1: The introductory volume for this upcoming series begins with a brief overview of the history of horology and timekeeping. It then goes into great detail on the life and times of Rolex Founder, Hans Wilsdorf. It offers all kinds of fascinating new insight on Rolex's development of the Rolex Oyster and Rolex Perpetual, and offers tremendous understanding into what made one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history (Hans Wilsdorf) tick. Hans Wilsdorf, if you really think about it, was the archetype for the original Mad Man, in the sense he really understood the power of bold and memorable branding coupled with superb eye-catching advertising that included testimonies.

Below we see an original 1930s art-deco cosmopolitan Rolex Oyster Perpetual poster that features a distinguished regal man with a walking cane strutting through an urban metropolis. This was a new modern world in which anything was possible, and just like today, it was a story about man and his machines.

PRELUDE 

The 1942 Rolex Error-Proof Oyster Perpetual poster below introduced a new Rolex bubble back model with the now classic "Mercedes" hour hand, as well as the timeless art-deco design language which includes the upside-down luminescent triangle marker at 12, as well as the rectangular makers at 3, 6 & 9, which would later become standard on the Rolex Submariner, GMT-Master, Explorer II and SEA-DWELLER. A bizarre irony of this poster is that ERROR-PROOF RADUIM DIAL is misspelled :-0

The photo below shows a Rolex watchmaker in Geneva, Switzerland in the 1940s working on a Rolex watch under a microscope.

Volume 2: Which is pictured below, focuses on a Rolex executive who up until now people previously new very little about. This volume goes into detail on his background and how he began his career working for Rolex. The following is a short excerpt on our mystery man. 

 The Mysterious

Wizard of ROLEX

                                                   

Switzerland has long been know for its mysterious neutrality, discretion and secrecy. This would include the Gnomes of Switzerland, which include Swiss bankers. But what about Rolex?

Imagine I told you there was a highly enigmatic, mysterious Swiss Marketing Wizard, responsible for the majority of Rolex’s success, including the development of the Rolex Submariner, SEA-DWELLER, Turn-O-Graph, Daytona, GMT-Master, Day-Date, Datejust, King Midas, & Tudor Monte Carlo, but nobody knows he ever existed—not even the people who run Rolex today even know much about him or would recognize a photo of him (like the one below)? 

That's right!?!! I believe out of all the people who view the photo below of the very cool mystery man, and unsung Rolex hero and marketing pioneer, with the cool aviator sunglasses nobody will recognize him!?!! If you recognize him, please prove me wrong, but I would be willing to bet not a single person who initially reads this story will recognize the man pictured below.

Mysterious Pioneering Rolex Marketing Director

What if I told you this Rolex marketing connoisseur (pictured above) was so discreet he evaded history, yet left an indelible imprint on Rolex's ethos & DNA, including the fact he was responsible for developing and bringing the following ultra-iconic Rolex watch models to market?:

• 1945: Rolex Datejust
• 1954: Rolex Explorer
• 1954: Rolex Turn-O-Graph
• 1954: Rolex Submariner
• 1954: Rolex Millgauss
• 1956: Rolex Day-Date
• 1956: Rolex GMT-Master
• 1957: Rolex President Bracelet
• 1962: Rolex King Midas
• 1963: Rolex Daytona
• 1967: Rolex SEA-DWELLER
• 1970: Tudor Monte Carlo
• 1971: Rolex Explorer II

Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it? It turns out reality IS stranger than fiction, as such a man existed, and his historical significance represents the holy grail missing Rolex nexus puzzle piece, which for the first time will be revealed and documented in great detail in this set of 5 Rolex History books...

Rolex Revelation

I must begin by thanking Dominique Jeanneret (pictured below) for sharing all of her kind assistance, gracious insight, photos and most importantly, making an indispensable contribution to this exceedingly timely and momentous Book. Dominique Jeanneret is the daughter of our previously mentioned mystery man, former Rolex Director and maverick marketing MAD MAN (literally), René-Paul Jeanneret, and she is also the goddaughter of Rolex Founder, Hans Wilsdorf. 

René-Paul Jeanneret's daughter, Dominique Jeanneret 

(Rolex Founder, Hans Wilsdorf's goddaughter) pictured above 

Dominique Jeanneret's first person accounting as a primary source with her highly insightful recollections and anecdotes regarding her father, René-Paul Jeanneret are invaluable as she witnessed many significant Rolex history events first-hand, which vividly come to life in this spectacular story...Dominique worked for Rolex U.S.A., back in the 1960s which I also cover...

Former Rolex Director, René-Paul Jeanneret's Rolex Crown Money Clip

 appears courtesy of Dominique Jeanneret & Piguet Auction House

The Rolex Executive Who 

Developed The Submariner

René-Paul Jeanneret was not only the Marketing Director for Rolex in Geneva, Switzerland, but was also an avid SCUBA diver who developed the Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER for Rolex. Anonymous photos of René-Paul Jeanneret SCUBA Diving were featured in many vintage Rolex Submariner magazine advertisements including the French one below...(Just to be clear, that is a photo of René-Paul Jeanneret testing an early Rolex Submariner prototype as he SCUBA dives in the early 1950s in Cannes on the French Riviera featured in the Rolex Ad below)! This scholarship level series of books goes into great detail on the previously undocumented development of the Rolex Submariner...

Volume 3: Is ultra-fascinating, with a great deal of previously undocumented history on the development of the Rolex Professional Tool watches as well as many specialty models like the star dialed Rolex Galaxy pictured below from 1953.

All of these volumes have been deeply researched and offer a completely new perspective on a great deal of Rolex history, as well as adding a new level of precision to the Rolex historical timeline.

If you are wondering why I originally planned to name my book ROLEX MAD MEN: How they Created The International Mark of Success, and why I ended up giving that name to Volume 3, it has to do with the fact that there are 2 men in history that were literal MAD MEN, that ended up working for Rolex in Geneva. The parallels between these men and the TV show are uncanny as I go into much more detail in my books. Below is an excerpt from my books which contextualizes the meaning:

MAD MEN

Since the roaring 1920s, Madison Avenue (named after the fourth President of the United States—James Madison) has been highly metonymous with the American Advertising establishment. 

Madison Avenue is a North-South borough of Manhattan in New York City and is considered by many to be the advertising mecca of the world. As we will learn later in this story several of the maverick pioneers of Madison Avenue Marketing in the 1920s ended up having a tremendous impact and influence on Rolex's future success and longevity. Thus, this is the story of ROLEX MAD MEN.

Rolex U.S.A. Headquarters are located one street over from Madison Avenue on 5th Avenue in New York City as we see in the aerial map above. Our Captain Danny posited this was likely not a coincidence as Rolex built their U.S.A. Headquarters so close to Madison Avenue in the 1970s.

Reality IS stranger than fiction and when I think of Madison Avenue, of course I think of Mad Men, which starred Jon Hamm who is pictured below rocking an iconic Rolex Explorer. Hamm's role as Don Draper was in many ways similar to the role some of Rolex's top visionary marketing men who once worked for J. Walter Thompson (JWT) in New York played in reality in developing and marketing Rolex. 

It is interesting to note Mad Men star Jon Hamm famously played my Grandfather, JAKE Ehrlich Sr., in the Movie "Howl". It turns out, it is a small world after all...

Rolex went crazy with experimenting with R&D in the early 1950s, and created many experimental prototypes like the Rolex Turn-O-Graph pictured below with a white honeycomb dial and magnificent dauphin hands.

Volume 4: Covers the André-Jean Heiniger reign and goes into great detail on how this maverick leader reinvented the Rolex brand and turned it into one of the most prestigious brands on earth today. So far, this is the largest book in the series as it covers 3 decades of Rolex's amazing history...

André-Jean Heiniger was an absolutely amazing leader and is largely responsible for the modernization of Rolex. In the photo below from the S3C private collection we see André-Jean Heiniger, who was the second Director General of Rolex awarding Björn Borg with a Rolex Datejust for having won the Wimbledon Men's finals in 1980.

Volume 5: The last volume covers the reign of Patrick Heiniger and goes into detail on how he radically consolidated the brand, and rebuilt Rolex for the 21st Century. In this volume I also cover the history of Jake's Rolex World, and share a great deal of fascinating insight on what makes Rolex tick today.

Why I wrote this series of 5 Rolex History books?

Around the time I was born, Rolex had a slogan that said “When a man has a world in his hands you expect to find a Rolex on his wrist.” 

If You Have a Rolex on Your Wrist You Will Soon Have

The Whole World of Rolex in Your Hand! 

For the first time in history, this series of books puts the entire history of Rolex in your hands. Every seminal moment; every key character; every epic and essential historic moment. This is Rolex history as it’s never been seen or known before... 

The Apple Book books version look amazing and is optimized for viewing on an iPhone, so if you ever get stuck in line somewhere, time will fly by as you learn a great deal about Rolex's amazing history...

This book series will be the ultimate Rolex companion. It's hyper-engaging and will keep you enthralled for countless hours on end! If you think you’ve see it all in the world of Rolex history you’ll be pleasantly surprised with these books!!! 

This is Rolex’s story about what make them tick as well as my own Rolex journey that made me not only the metaphorical Rolex President of their fan club, but also my story of how I unearthed and shared their forgotten history in many ways...

Just to be clear, these books go far beyond everything I have published to date, and offer a much wider scope and breadth.

Print Book Size: 11 x 14 (will initially be exclusively available for purchase on RolexMagazine.com).

Apple Digital Book Size: 11 x 14 (will be available exclusively on the Apple Books Store, which will be viewable on any Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Digital Apple Books version will continue to be updated as new information and photos are discovered, and will feature exclusive video and audio content not possible in printed version. Apple Books version will make content accessible from everywhere whether on an iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Even though I plan to publish paper versions of my series of books, I really like the digital version as it is so portable. So for instance if you go on vacation, it would be much easier to read all 5 books on the airplane on an iPad, than having to carry physical books with you...Not to mention, the Apple Books version has a great deal of bonus video and audio material, not to mention links to stories on Jake's Rolex World, as well as other web sources...

Book Style: Coffee Table Book with easy to read larger text and a zillion high quality photos. 

Chapters: 50+

Page Number: So far I am up beyond 1400 pages, and expect there to be at least 1500 pages when complete. This will break down to around 300 pages per volume.

Pricing: Yet to be determined.

Publication Date Roadmap: I plan to publish both a printed paper version of my books as well as a digital version on the Apple Books platform. I think it is likely I will first publish a digital version. I also think with the digital version I will roll it out one volume per month until they are all available.

Current development status: The books are primarily complete. I am now working on fine-tuning all the amazing details.

As soon as I get closer to a first publication date, I will update this article and bring it back up to the top of RolexMagazine.com. 

1962 Stein Eriksen Rolex Explorer Skiing Ad

Stein Eriksen

1927-2015

Rolex Explorer Skiing Ad

Winter Olympics Skiing Gold Medal Winner

Jean-Claude Killy's is the man people think of when they think of Rolex and Skiing, but the best Olympic Skier prior to Killy, was is Stein Eriksen. It is fascinating to realize that J.F.K., was the President Of The United States when this 1962 Rolex Explorer ad was published in magazines!!!

In the two photo below, we see Stein Eriken with his grandson, and we see him wearing his Rolex Explorer II.

"Be tough, be confident, but you will never be a whole person if you aren't humble."

–Stein Eriksen

Stein Eriksen was born in Norway and lived an amazing life!!! In the 1952 Winter Olympics, held in Oslo, Norway, he won the gold medal for Giant Slalom and Silver for Slalom. Stein Eriksen was born in 1927 and passed away in December 2015. The photo of him below taken at age 83!!! 

Stein Eriksen was also the first man to win three gold medals at the world championship which was held 61 years ago in Are in Sweden. He was the first skier to win Gold, in Slalom, Giant Slalom and Downhill at a single World Championship held in 1954.

Growing up Stein Eriksen was a gymnast which he incorporated into his skiing skills and he was the first skiing superstar. He is pictured below in the early 1950s. Stein Eriksen was a pioneer in modern skiing and his elegant skiing technique where he kept his legs, skis and boots together is considered to have have revolutionized freestyle skiing. 


With his gymnastics background, Stein Eriksen is renowned for inventing the freestyle skiing areal, which went on to become a freestyle skiing event.

Since Stein Eriksen was the pioneer of ariels, he must have seriously freaked-out spectators!!!

After Stein Eriken retired from professional skiing, he moved to the United States and served as the Director Of Skiing at Deer Valley Resort located in Park City, Utah.

DRAKE A Rolex Wrist Bling Fanatic...

...Rolex Rapper...

DRAKE

A Rolex Wrist-Bling Fanatic

Drake is and Grammy Award winning musician, and he is considered to be one of the top recording artists today. Drake was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and was influenced by Kanye West, Jay Z, and Little Wayne.

One thing for sure, is that Drake is a Rolex fanatic of the highest order. He owns and wears many, many different Rolex watches.

Drake is pictured below wearing a vintage Rolex OysterQuartz, which is from the 1970s.

Drake is pictured below wearing a yellow gold Rolex Yacht-Master II at the NBA Finals in 2012.

The screenshot below is from Drake's music video for "The Motto", and as we see he is driving his car wearing two Rolex Watches...

The video above features Drake and Rihanna, which is one of my favorite Drake songs. Rihanna also wears many different Rolex models, and in the photo below we see her wearing a Rolex Day-Date on an Oyster Bracelet. 

Rolex Batman

Rolex Batman

With a long-standing love of bats, 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Rodrigo Medellín has spent the past 40 years protecting these universally feared mammals that he recognizes for their crucial role in pest control, seed dispersal and plant pollination. 

Through a mix of research, education and conservation activities, the man known as “the Bat Man of Mexico” and his Programme for the Conservation of Bats of Mexico have focused on the benefits derived from bats and expanded their activities to 28 of 32 Mexican states, 22 countries from continental Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as joining forces with people in Africa and Asia. 

Medellín claims that being recognized by the Rolex Awards, a pillar of the brand’s Perpetual Planet initiative, has been a life-changer.

Lex Barker Rolex Collection: From Tarzan to La Dolce Vita...

Lex Barker

Kept Time With Rolex

Lex Barker was an international movie star. He played Tarzan in 5 movies, was very popular in Europe and was in the famous Fedrico Fellini movie, "La Doce Vita." Lex was married to Lana Turner.

Lex Barker wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date as we seen in the picture above and below.

Lex Barker also wore a stainless steel Rolex Submariner as we see in the next two photos.

Nick Gould discovered the photo below of Lex Barker wearing his stainless steel Rolex Submariner.

Lex Barker joined the U.S. Army in February 1941, nearly a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor and rose to the rank of major during the war. He was 6'3 and 208 lbs. He was injured in action while fighting in Sicily and after he recuperated in 1945 he left the army to return back to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. We see Lex in the photo below wearing what is clearly a U.S. Naval uniform, which was a publicity photo for a movie in which he played the role of an officer named Away All Boats. 

Lex Barker was in many movies in the United States, but is most famous for playing Tarzan. 

I never realized that Tarzana, California is named so after the Tarzan movies, but I discovered this fact while doing research for this story. I am learning all kinds of interesting things by writing about the history of Rolex!!!

In Tarzan's Magic Fountain, Lex Barker became the tenth official Tarzan in the movies.

Lex also starred in many Westerns. In 1957 he moved to Europe (he spoke French, Italian, Spanish and German) where he became a huge star. He starred in over forty European movies. 

He is pictured above wearing a Stainless Rolex Submariner.

Lex is pictured above with Sidney Poitier in Hollywood.

Lex Barker is pictured below in Fedrico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" which is Italian for "The Good Life." He is pictured below with Anita Ekberg where he plays her fiancé.

Lex Barker is pictured below wearing his Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date.

Steve McQueen & Paul Newman The Towering Inferno Movie [1974]

...The Kings Of Rolex Coolness...

Steve McQueen & Paul Newman

The Towering Inferno Movie [1974]

What could be cooler than a movie starring Steve McQueen wearing his trademark Rolex Submariner? A movie with Paul Newman co-staring with him!!!

The two most famous actors who wore Rolex starred together in this movie named The Towering Inferno, which set a high-water mark for early 1970s action adventure movies. In 1974, nothing was cooler than Steve McQueen and Paul Newman!!!!!

I just completed a HUGE update to the Steve McQueen Rolex Story and I added all these new screenshots from Towering Inferno and many more!!!

Steve McQueen is pictured below sporting his trademark Rolex Submariner.

Of course, The Towering Inferno was an action adventure movie, and in these next shots we see Paul Newman and Steve McQueen James Bonding it up!!!

When I say "James Bonding it up" if you have ever worn a Rolex Submariner and you know what I mean, you will recognize this next pose in this image that shows Steve McQueen sporting his trademark Rolex Submariner ;-)

To learn much more about the Towering Inferno, check out the update Part 3 of the Steve McQueen Rolex Story.

The Texas Timex

The Texas Timex

Texas Monthly, February 1984

Let's hop in the Rolex time machine and go back to 1984 to learn about how and why Texan's nicknamed the Rolex Day-Date: THE TEXAS TIMEX.

Below we see a photo of the often crass President Lyndon Johnson showing his gallbladder surgery incision after his operation in October of 1965. This famous photo is mentioned in the Texas Timex article seen above.

Back on Top: Rolex Ranks #1 in 2022

THE MOST REPUTABLE

COMPANY

IN THE WORLD. AGAIN.

 By DANNY CRIVELLO    

       

Rolex has earned the top spot as the most reputable company in the world. The data was compiled by the Boston-based Reputation Institute as part of its yearly Top 100 ranking of 7,000 brands across the globe. The institute surveyed more than 230,000 individuals in 40 countries. LEGO took the first spot in 2020 and 2021.

"No other company has enjoyed the title of the world’s most reputable company as often as Rolex," the Reputation Institute wrote in its report. "Rolex was ranked the #1 most reputable company globally for four years (2016-2019), and now again in 2022. The strength of Rolex’s reputation lies in the quality of its products and since 2020, people’s perception on this front has improved significantly."

Rolex's statement about the news:

"Rolex is proud to have been elected as the World’s Most Reputable Company in 2022. This recognition reflects our perpetual quest for excellence.

"Thanks to our values of perfection and to our culture of continuous improvement, we strive to always go further. Our aim is to constantly improve not only our products but also our environmental and social performance, as well as our impact on society. This leadership position encourages us to pursue our efforts for the good of all."

SailGP: Yachting's global racing championship continues to thrill

SailGP
Yachting's global racing championship continues to thrill

SailGP continues to redefine the sport of yachting. It blends cutting-edge technology with athletic sailing talent as national teams of men and women race identical F50 catamarans at speeds exceeding 50 knots in some of the world’s most famous waters. Season 2 of this global championship culminated in San Francisco Bay in March when, after 47 races spread over eight events, Team Australia triumphed in the Grand Final against the United States and Japan, securing the title for a second time. 

Rolex has been a partner of SailGP from the outset as part of its close association with yachting dating back more than 60 years. The synergy between the two organizations is based on a commitment to perform at the highest level in all their respective activities. The partnership encompasses the most prestigious yacht clubs, races and regattas, along with remarkable individuals.