Nadia Comăneci The First Perfect 10 1976 Montreal Olympics
Stainless Steel Rolex Daytona
Nadia Comaneci is considered to be on of the greatest Olympic athletes in history. At the age of 14, in 1976, she stepped into history as she became the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0. She went on in that Olympics to win seven perfect 10 scores in the 1976 Olympics, thus winning three gold Olympic medals. At the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Nadia wood two gold medals. Nadia is one of the most famous gymnasts in the world, and is widely credited for popularizing gymnastics internationally.
"Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win." —Nadia Comăneci
In the photo above, we see Nadia wearing her stainless steel Rolex Daytona. You have got to watch Nadia's 1976 Olympic performance in the video below. She is absolutely amazing!!!
You can't help but notice that everybody and their mother have been speculating on what Rolex will be introducing at Watches And Wonders later this month in Geneva. Rolex is extremely unpredictable and you never know what they will do!?!! My best guess is Rolex might introduce a special edition 70th Anniversary Rolex Submariner—perhaps in a model made out of Titanium or Platium.
Of course, this is dependent on wether or not Rolex perceives the introduction year of the Submariner as 1953, or 1954, as Rolex tested many prototypes of the Submariner in 1953, but formally debuted it at Basel Fair in 1954. So, maybe Rolex will surprise us with something unusual like a left-handed Submariner.
Our Captain Danny mentioned that he thinks they might come out with a new Rolex Milgauss model as it's the last sports model that doesn't have the 32XX movement. Also, the earliest the Milgauss could have been introduced was 1954, or later.
60TH Anniversary Rolex Daytona?
Many people have been speculating that Rolex might introduce a 60th Anniversary Daytona model. The challenge is that Rolex really didn't formally launch the Daytona name until 1965/1966. Many Rolex models have a confusing genesis date for many different reasons. Rolex claims the "Cosmograph Daytona" was introduced in 1963 as seen below. This would be accurate if you based it upon the actual chronograph watch model they came out with.
As we see below, Rolex filed a trademark with the United States Patent Office (USPTO) in 1961 for use on their watch and chronometer, claiming it was first registered in Switzerland on June 11, 1953.
Below we see a 1964 Rolex 'Le Mans' magazine ad from the Concannon Collection introducing the Rolex Le Mans. In other words, Rolex originally intended to call their chronograph the Le Mans, and NOT Daytona.
In early 1965 Rolex published the following advertisement linking their Chronograph with racing, but did NOT use the name "Daytona".
Later in 1965. Rolex Rolex re-introduced the same Rolex Chronograph as the Rolex Daytona Chronograph as seen in the Rolex Magazine ad below which is also from the Concannon Collection.
To make things even more confusing, there were Rolex chronograph models as seen below [Reference 6263] where one has the 'Cosmograph' designation on the left, but without a 'Daytona' dial designation, whereas the model on the right also features a 'Daytona' dial designation!?!!
Now that I have probably confused you to death with my Daytona history analysis above, keep in mind we will have complete live coverage on March 30th, and I might update this article as news comes in, but stay tuned!!!
"So, how are you doing?" I was on the phone with Gary Powers Jr., the son of the famous U-2 pilot shot down at 70,000 feet over the Soviet Union during the Cold War. We were just a couple of hours before his dad's Rolex was being auctioned in Geneva. "I'm a nervous wreck," he tells me. I laughed, then I told him I'd call back and check on him after the auction.
I have known a few former U-2 pilots. The Dragon Lady, the nickname for the spy plane, is still in service, one of the few military jets that has been in service for more than half a century.
My friends, who now fly for the same major airline as I do, tell me about the long missions in the small cockpit, but especially how hard it is to land the U-2. "You have to stall the wings just a few feet above the runway or you'll overshoot the runway," one told me. "You are literally falling out of the skies every time you come back from a mission."
Above, U-2 designer Kelly Johnson with Gary Powers. The jet was born under secrecy in what would become Area 51, when Eisenhower was growing nervous over Soviet technological advances. For me, Gary Powers is a true hero. He resigned his commission from the U.S. Air Force to join the CIA program and fly deep into the USSR. He was immortalized in the blockbuster Steven Spielberg film, “Bridge of Spies.” He was also portrayed by actor Lee Majors.
Gary Powers was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the National Defense Service Medal, the CIA's coveted Director's Medal for extreme fidelity and extraordinary courage in the line of duty. He was also awarded the Silver Star medal for "demonstrating exceptional loyalty while enduring harsh interrogation in the Lubyanka Prison in Moscow for almost two years."
Most of his medals were awarded posthumously, unfortunately. Few know that he accomplished one last heroic act before he died in a helicopter crash in California in 1977, when he worked for a TV station.
When power is lost to an engine, helicopter pilots are trained to autorotate, meaning to use upward flow of air through the rotor to land without crashing the helo. As Gary Powers used aerodynamic forces to slow the fall, he noticed children playing in the area, and he directed the helo elsewhere to avoid landing on them. Experts believe he might have landed safely if not for the last-second deviation, which compromised his autorotative descent.
The world didn't know about his Rolex, pictured above, until his son decided to put it up for auction, six decades after he was shot down over the Soviet skies.
After two years in prison camp in the Soviet Union, Gary Powers, who had been sentenced for 10 years, is traded on a foggy morning on a bridge in Germany. A few months after he comes back to the U.S., in 1962, he uses the money the CIA paid him and buys himself a Rolex Datejust. Powers had found a new appreciation for life and freedom.
"He owned other watches but the Rolex is the one he preferred and wore as daily use," Gary Powers Jr. tells me.
The Datejust is a reference 1601, 14-kt gold in 36mm, with jubilee bracelet. "My wrist is a little bit bigger than my dad's, so it was too tight," he said. "So for me, it was an easy decision to let it go after all these years." The Rolex comes with original box and papers.
Gary Powers Jr. co-founded in 1996 the Cold War Museum in Warrenton, Virginia, which spans the end of World War II to the disbandment of the Soviet Union, including the time his dad was taking photos of military installations from the sky. The Americans believed that the U-2 was nearly invincible against the Soviets, since it traveled at high altitudes. What they didn’t know is that the USSR had developed a new surface-to-air missile capable of reaching the U-2's heights.
Above, Aurel Bacs of Phillips is about to award Powers' Rolex to a British bidder. When I call Gary back, after the auction, he said he is happy for the person who will own the watch. "It's been sitting in a closet for the last 40 years, gathering dust," he tells me. "I was very comfortable putting it up for auctions and letting the new owner enjoy it."
The auction closed at 38,000 CHF, or $40,000—not bad for a 36-mm Datejust. When I finally asked Gary Powers Jr. if he owned a Rolex, he responded no. He has owned some pilot watches, he said. But only Russian ones. He is pictured as a kid sitting with his dad below.
Rolex recently published this stunningly beautiful & magnificent documentary trilogy which among other things discovers the first arctic marine animal forest. The videos are in French, so if you don't speak French, be sure to turn click on the Subtitles button, which should offer English subtitles. The following text accompanies each Rolex video:
The ecosystems of the Arctic seas remain mysterious even as the sea ice retreats due to climate change. To learn more, Under The Pole’s Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout led an expedition to Svalbard, supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. The explorers dived into the frigid waters in search of marine animal forests. These ecosystems are just as essential to life on Earth as forests on land, yet little is known about them.
When the explorers at Under The Pole dive into the Arctic Ocean, they face formidable challenges. The water is so cold it hurts, and the chill also wears out their equipment. Arctic dives require careful preparation and the right frame of mind but the reward is discovery. The team has found the first-ever marine animal forest in the Arctic off the coast of Svalbard, as part of its ongoing DEEPLIFE programme supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
By exploring the Arctic seas, the team at Under The Pole aims to document the region’s hidden ecosystems and preserve them. Only by understanding the marine animal communities that exist in these icy waters – and how they are changing – is it possible to take action. Divers Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout want to ensure a living world for the next generation. Their science-driven exploration is supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Vu took this stunning macro shot of his stainless and platinum Yachtmaster which is just amazing!!! The bezel and dial on this model are Platinum and the rest of the watch is stainless steel. That platinum dial is really something else when you catch it in the right light.
Raquel Welch is considered to be one of the most beautiful women that ever lived, and she passed away today at age 82. In the photo below we see Raquel wearing her two-tone Rolex Lady Datejust.
Just when I started thinking I might have seen it all in the world of Rolex, Nick Gould shares this over-the-top unique all platinum Rolex Yacht-Master model with me that was made for either former André-Jean Heiniger, or his son, Patrick Heiniger. In case you are not familiar, this model historically only was made out of stainless steel with a Platinum bezel, or in yellow gold, but has NEVER been made in Platinum.
This special model was made to commemorate the the epic milestone as it is the 10 Millionth Rolex ever made with a COSC movement. This watch features a special dial designation that says "DIX MILLIONIEME CHRONOMETRE", which is unusual as Rolex which is very unusual as I don't recall seeing many Rolex watches that did not feature all English characters on the dial. This watch even features a special engraving on the Rotor that has a 10,000,000th Chronometer designation.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is renowned for being one of the toughest tests of sailing ability and an icon of the sport since its inauguration in 1945. The 2022 edition of the so-called Great Race South featured a fleet of 109 yachts, comprising professionals and Corinthians, and some 20 double-handed (two-person) crews that set off under blue skies and bright sunshine from Sydney Harbour on 26 December. Sam Haynes, owner of the 52-foot (15.85 metre) Celestial, received the Tattersall Cup, the most coveted prize awarded for overall victory on corrected time, while John Winning Jr’s Andoo Comanche took line honours, completing the 628-nautical mile course in one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds – two hours outside the race record established in 2017. Rolex has supported this offshore classic, organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) with its partner the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, for 20 years as part of the brand’s wide-ranging support for yachting dating back almost 70 years.
Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand’s enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world’s most famous harbours. Rolex’s partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.
Below is a map that shows the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race route.
I have been meaning to write this Red Adair Rolex story since I originally posted a story back in 2008 on a vintage Rolex ad that featured him. Red Adair is legendary oil well firefighter and he appeared in Rolex ads beginning in the late 1960s that featured Day-Date models. Red Adair also wore other Rolex models during his amazing career.
The image below shows Red Adiar's watch with the special oil well fire graphic.
The Red Adair Rolex Day-Date ad seen below is from 1969.
Red Adair Rolex Day-Date ads ran from the late 1960s through the 1980s, and the one below is similar to the one at the top of this story.
John Wayne played Red Adair in the 1969 movie named "Hellfighters" as we seen from the lobby card below.
Red Adair is pictured below in Kuwait in 1991 during the Gulf War where his company put out all the fires that Saddam Huissen started when they withdrew from Kuwait after their invasion was thwarted by the United States.
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.
