The Complete History of The Rolex Prince & Princess

The Complete History of 

Rolex King, Queen, Prince & Princess 

The original Art-Deco Rolex Prince models are always interesting and elegant as we see with this first photo from Julian. Rolex was obviously fascinated with Royalty, by offering Queen, Princess and Prince models, but ironically they never offered a Rolex King per se, although they did make a Speed King, Air King and King Midas Watch. That being said, the Rolex crown logo was a King's Crown.

The Rolex Prince
1930

When people think about iconic Rolex models, they typically think about enduring models like the Rolex Submariner and Rolex Daytona. When they think about vintage models, they think about Rolex Bubbleback and Prince Models. Special thanks to Alan for discovering the vintage Rolex Prince ad seen below. Notice the ad below says "Only wrist watch in the world known to horological science as "Observatory Grade'", as well as 'Manufacture of the "Prince" wrist watch is limited to a comparatively small number'.

The two images below as well as the image at the top of this story show the Rolex Prince "Zebra" which features diagonal stripes. These photos appear courtesy of Bulang & Sons.

The Rolex Prince "Zebra" is the epitome of late 1920s Art-Deco design and the back of the watch is curved to fit the wrist, and as result are typically referred to as "Curvex" watches. One strange detail on the watch below is the winding crown appears to NOT be period correct, as that is a modern Rolex which debuted around 1965.

The Rolex Prince Marconi ad below is from Japan and the top line of characters in the upper left hand corner is Japanese for Rolex. The characters below read "The King of Timepieces."

Many vintage Rolex collectors are familiar with the Rolex Prince, but not that many are familiar with the Rolex Princess models, as seen in the 1930 Rolex add below. In the future, I plan to do a detailed history of the Rolex Prince & Princess models. Exploring the evolution of Rolex watches is fascinating, especially The Evolution Of The Female Rolex Archetype. Studying this history inevitably leads to How Women Began Wearing Men's Rolex Watches.

The Rolex Princess
1930

The Rolex Queen
1932

Rolex also offered Rolex Queen models as seen in the 1932 Rolex magazine advertisement below.

1930 Rolex Prince 'Jump Hour'
The First Digital Watch

The Rolex Prince line of watches was not only very precise but also offered some unusually innovative features. In particular, Rolex offered a 'Jump Hour' Rolex Prince Model as seen below.

The Rolex Prince 'Jump Hour' was the worlds first true 'Digital' watch, in the sense, it featured an aperture window at the top of the dial, that had an hour indicator wheel. In other words, if you look at the Rolex Prince Jump Hour pictured above, you will notice the red "7". So the time on this watch was 7:53 and zero seconds.

It is a fact that in 1945 Rolex introduced the Rolex Datejust, which is pictured below. Just to be crystal-clear, the yellow gold Rolex Datejust pictured below was made in 1945, and I point this out despite the fact it almost looks like it was made recently. The 1945 Rolex Datejust was the very first watch to feature a Digital Date Wheel Complication, which was considered to be revolutionary in 1945. I think it is very likely the Rolex 'Date Window' complication evolved from the Rolex Prince 'Jump Hour', which makes much sense if you think about it. 

It is amazing how timeless the original Rolex Date from 1945 is!!! Notice it lacks the Datejust designation on the dial and has no cyclops-lens on the crystal. This model was an absolute game-changer in every way, and I believe this watch represents the absolute design ethos of every modern Rolex. This includes the modern Datejust, Day-Date, Submariner, GMT-Master, Daytona, Explorer, Air-King–you name it, it all began with this model.

This was the first watch in the world to ad a date-window complication and Rolex introduced the Jubilee Bracelet in 1945 on this model. The reason it is named the Jubilee Bracelet is that the 40th anniversary (in marriage parlance) is typically referred to as The Ruby Jubilee, just as the 25th is referred to as The Silver Anniversary and the 50 Anniversary is referred to as The Golden Anniversary. I also believe it was the first Rolex watch to to have solid end links.

1932 French Rolex Prince Ad

Even though Rolex is best known for their timeless Oyster waterproof cases, and Perpetual automatic movements, the Rolex Prince was the model that really first put Rolex on the map. The original Rolex Prince watches were renowned for their precision timekeeping, and since most of the Prince models featured a rectangular dial with the hours on top and seconds below, they became popular with doctors, who would time pulses with the easy to read seconds hand located on the bottom of the dial.

The Rolex Prince models were the first watches Rolex made in large quantities that were certified with Chronometer Certification. The French Advertisement below is also from 1932 and it says the Rolex Prince possesses the perfect balance of Precision, Elegance, and Utility.

1935 Rolex Jubilee Prince 
The First Limited Edition Rolex

In 1935 Rolex offered a special limited edition Rolex Jubilee Prince model as seen in the Rolex ad below. This British Rolex ad offers an amazing piece of the Rolex history puzzle, as it is the earliest known 'Limited Edition' Rolex model I am aware of. Also, when I think about it, I am not aware of any other watch brand that offered a specially limited edition watch this early in history. This is supremely ironic, in the sense that Rolex had not offered 'Limited Edition" models since the original King Midas Rolex model from the 1960s. 

This ad is also really, really profound in the sense it says: 

"In five hundred fortunate families, and five hundred only, this watch will become an heirloom in years to come—valued ten times beyond the price that will make you its owner today. 

The science of watch-making has reached its utmost height in each of these watches: they are, in simple words, the best watches that have yet been made-at any price—in any country—at any time.

To your great-great-grand-children, one of these watches will be more than a link with history—almost the hero of the family legend, "the famous Jubilee watch" —the watch of perfect precision."

I say this is profound as Rolex is setting an interesting stage when they predict that in the future these special limited edition Rolex Jubilee models will one day be worth ten times their sale price. It is also deeply profound Rolex is presupposing links with history, in an unusually prescient way.

1936 Italian Rolex Prince Ad

1939 Art-Deco Rolex Prince 
French Magazine Ad

Photo Credit: James Dowling

Al Capone Rolex Prince

Even though the Rolex Prince was a very successfully selling model, it is not easy to find photos of famous people wearing these models. One famous man who wore a Rolex Prince is Al Capone who is pictured below.

The photo below is of Al Capone's actual Rolex Prince wristwatch he wore.

The Return of the Rolex Prince

Rolex discontinued the Prince models in the late 1940s, and more than a half-century later brought back them back in 2005. Ironically, Rolex brought back the Prince as part of their Cellini line. Sadly, Rolex recently discontinued the Prince models again, but let's take a look at the return models. The four Rolex Prince models seen below comprised the different models of the Rolex Cellini Prince line. The Rolex Prince was offered in 4 different models, available in white gold, 18ct yellow gold, and Everose Gold. The Rolex Cellini Prince models featured a Rolex caliber 7040 movement, which was COSC Certified. 

Rolex began making the Cellini line in the 1960s, and the Rolex Cellini collection was named after the famous Italian Renaissance artist, Benvenuto Cellini, who was a goldsmith, sculptor, composer and writer. The Rolex Cellini watches, like the originals were modeled in a very stylish, yet timeless Art Deco look. Today these Rolex Cellini Prince models look classic, but when they were introduced in the late 1920s, they were considered to be modern. Today, these models would be considered to be more of a dress watch.

The first Rolex Prince came to market in 1928 and was an instant success, so much so it really established Rolex as a serious force in the watch world. The original Rolex Prince was an extremely elegant, Art-Deco masterpiece and established its unique trademark style with separate hour and minute hands.

Rolex stopped making the Prince in the early 1950s, but collectors have remained very passionate about collecting the Art-Deco Masterpieces. 

In 2006 Rolex surprised the horological world when they brought back the Rolex Prince as part of their Cellini line, as seen above in Pink Gold. 

This model has a stunningly beautiful Sunbeam Rayon Flammé De La Gloire dial with Arabic Numerals on the precisely decorated dial that matches the same design element on the movement.

The new Rolex Prince came standard with the transparent display case-back so you can see its beautiful rectangular movement, which, of course, was a first for Rolex.

The Rolex Prince has a very elegant butterfly invisible folding clasp that is a work of art in and of itself.

The Rolex Prince comes in 4 different models and and is available in 18ct yellow gold, white gold and Everose Gold.

As you can see by looking into the back of the display case back the Rolex Prince is not automatic and requires hand winding. I also think it is not an Oyster and thus it is not water-proof, but I am not certain.

2008 Rolex Prince Ad

Real Life Rolex Princes & Princesses

The term or name "Rolex Prince" is an interesting use of metaphor, and it is also a double entendre if you think about it. Rolex watches are not only the timeless international mark of success but also there is something very regal about Rolex. So let's take a look at some real-life Princes, and Princesses who wear Rolex watches. The vintage Rolex ad below from the 1950s shows how regal Rolex is.

Princess Grace & Princess Caroline

Princess Grace of Monaco is pictured below with her daughter, Princess Caroline in July of 1978.  

In the zoomed-in close-up below, we can barely see Princess Grace's 26MM Yellow Gold Rolex Lady Datejust.

The photo above and below were taken at a swimming competition in Palm Beach, Monte Carlo in 1972. Princess Grace was extremely chic and stylish, as she was wearing a Pucci beach dress. Princess Grace is pictured below while attending a swimming commotion, and she is sitting next to her husband, Prince Rainier, and her their children, Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, and Princess Stéphanie are sitting below them. If you look closely you can see Princess Caroline is also wearing her two-tone Rolex ladies Datejust.

Princess Grace is pictured below with Princess Caroline in 1973, and they are both wearing 26MM Rolex Lady Datejust watches.

Princess Caroline is pictured below on the cover of People Magazine in 1978, and she is wearing her two tone Lady-Date Rolex, and her husband, Philippe Junot is also wearing his two-tone Rolex Datejust.

In the photo below taken in July of 1978 in New Jersey, we see Princess Caroline with her husband, Philippe Junot, and in this photo we get a better shot of his two-tone Rolex Datejust.

In a much more recent photo of Princess Caroline we seen below, we see her earring a 40MM Stainless Steel Rolex.

Prince Bernhard of Netherlands

First, let's start with a real Rolex Prince. Prince Bernhard who was married to Queen Juliana of The Netherlands. Prince Bernhard was a pretty hardcore Rolex fanatic, and in the future, I plan to publish more on his personal Rolex story. In the photo below we see Prince Bernhard wearing a Rolex bracelet, with the Rolex crown logo on the clasp.

Princess Madeline Of Sweden

Princess Madeline of Sweden has also been wearing many different Rolex watches over the years. She is pictured below in a recent photo, wearing a stainless steel Rolex Daytona.

Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew is the Duke Of York, and he has also been a lifetime Rolex wearer. 

When Prince Andrew was younger he wore a Rolex Submariner as seen in the photo below. When he got married, he began wearing a platinum Rolex Day-Date as seen in the photo above.

Prince Harry Of Wales

Prince Harry of Wales is pictured below wearing his stainless steel Rolex Explorer II, with the orange hand.

Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn

Prince Mama was the crown prince of Thailand, up until just recently, when in 2016 he became the King of Thailand.  The photo below showed him wearing a vintage Rolex Daytona when he was still a Prince.

Prince Fredrick of Denmark

Crowned Prince Fredrick of Denmark is pictured below sporting his LV Rolex Submariner.

1968 Rolex GMT-Master Ad, Grenoble, France Olympics

1968 Rolex GMT-Master Ad

Grenoble, France Olympics

B-58 Hustler: Rolex GMT-Master 1675

The Complete History Of The Rolex GMT-Master Series

Rolex X-Files

The Right Stuff

I FEEL THE NEED, THE NEED...

3 Rolex GMT-Masters at Mach 2

on a Nuclear Bomber

Breaking the Sound Barrier

Newly Discovered History 

Rolex and the Right Stuff 

"Peace is our Profession" 

(Motto of the Strategic Air Command)

When the delta-winged supersonic bomber flared over France, it had flown from New York to Paris in just three hours and 19 minutes—setting a remarkable world aviation record!

It was 1961, Kennedy was President, the Beatles were playing in Liverpool, and a wall was being built in Berlin. A month earlier, a human had entered space for the first time. He was Russian. The Cold War was in full swing. 

In the U.S., Rolex GMT-Masters were strapped onto the wrists of jet pilots both in the military and at Pan Am. It took a B-707 airliner almost twice the time to cross the Atlantic than it did this sleek B-58 bomber powered by four jet engines with afterburners. 

The USAF Bomber B-58 "Hustler"

The B-58 flight to Paris not only commemorated the 34th anniversary of Charles A. Lindbergh's Atlantic crossing, which took ten times longer; it also marked the opening of the 24th Paris International Air Show. 

The B-58 crew inspects the Lindbergh plaque at Le Bourget

The trans-Atlantic record breakers, still wearing their flight suits, patched jackets, black boots and Pepsi-bezeled Rolex watches, would kneel next to the Lindbergh plaque at Le Bourget airport in Paris, in a moment of relaxation and recognition of historic flight history nostalgia. 

The press was there, a few pictures were taken; they would make the front page of The New York Times, above the fold. 

Maj. William R. Payne, pilot, with Capt. William L. Polhemus, navigator, and Capt. Raymond R. Wagener, defense systems operator, earned both the Mackay and Harmon Trophies for the first supersonic Atlantic crossing, the time set by the bomber having almost halved the previous record. 

Including refueling periods that day, the B-58, nicknamed "The Hustler," averaged about 1,050 miles an hour inflight. 

This B-58 broke the speed record; seen refueling by a KC-135

Introduced by Convair only 12 years after the sound barrier was first broken, the Hustler became the first large long-range supersonic bomber to take to the skies, capable of Mach 2 at 63,000 feet. 

Faster than its contemporaries and agile enough to escape most interceptors, the B-58 was a remarkable feat of engineering, setting 19 world speed records and epitomizing the Cold War power of USAF Strategic Air Command. 

...Rolex Super Coolness... 

Precision Navigation over the Atlantic

Maj. William Payne, Capt. William Polhemus, Capt. Raymond Wagener flight-planning...

The Rolex 1675 GMT-Master on the pilots' wrists could track two time zones. The watch had exceptional visibility, and its bi-directional blue-and-red bezel made it the ideal watch for criss-crossing the globe. 

...with a Rolex GMT-Master on their wrists

The B-58 crew jumped six time zones in three hours—and they had done it 15 years before the first Concorde entered service. "If you were flying a Concorde tomorrow..." 

Each B-58 crew member had a separate cockpit.

A Crash

The story of the B-58 that set a speed record from New York to Paris ended tragically. On June 3rd, 1961, the Hustler took off from Le Bourget for its return trip to the U.S. The pilot performed a low-altitude roll as the aircraft entered a low cloud base and disappeared from view. The Hustler crashed into a potato field near Louvres and exploded in a huge fireball, killing all three crew members. 

In a bizarre twist of fate, the speed-record breakers were not onboard. Three different Air Force officers had crewed the B-58 for its flight back to the U.S. 

As for the original crew, they continued their careers in the U.S. Air Force, a Rolex on their wrists—keeping the time of their lives. The pilot, William R. Payne, would later be the first to break the 1,000 hours flying a supersonic jet. 

I found the local news reel marking the event, which can be seen below. As far as I know this is the only video available of him. There is no sound, but I've added the transcript in the description. 

This video has no sound. Here's the transcript from the local TV station:

    "The white puff of smoke boiling up from the wheels of this B-58 Hustler signifies the ticking off of 1,000 hours of supersonic jet time for the sleek jet's pilot, Lieutenant Colonel William R. Payne of 41-01 Tara Lane in Fort Worth. He is the first pilot in the United States Air Force to log a thousand hour of supersonic flight. Brigadier General Brick Holstrom, 43rd Bomb wing commander, is on hand as Col. Payne extricate himself from the pilot's seat. A B-58 weapons system operator and navigator are the only officers in the Air Force to have logged 1,000 supersonic hours. Col. 

    Payne's family is on hand as he leaves the plane, named "Wild Child Two," and is greeted by B. G. Reed, vice-president of operations at Fort Worth's General Dynamics plant. Reed presents the 39-year-old jet pilot with a certificate honoring his achievement and a thousand-hour pin. Col. Payne's B-58 career has been a string of firsts ... he is a member of the first crew in the Air Force to become combat ready in the B-58. With Col. Payne at the controls in 1961, a B-58 set two international speed records during a Fort Worth-to-Paris run, winning the coveted Mackay trophy, also for the first time."

Sincere thanks to my friend Phil from Moon Watch Universe for helping me with this story.

Leonardo DiCaprio is The New Face of Rolex

...The New Face of Rolex...

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leo and The Family Rolex

Did you notice the subtle reference I made to “Sly and the Family Stone” in the subtitle of this story, when I used “Leo and the Family Rolex”? The title is a play on the band’s iconic songs, 'Everyday People', 'Family Affair', and 'I Want To Take You Higher', which celebrated the unity and diversity within their group. Despite coming from diverse backgrounds and having varying roles within the band, the members were all included and considered part of the same family! Same with Rolex...

Academy Award Winning Best Actor, Leonardo DiCaprio is now the face of Rolex, or in Rolex parlance, or nomenclature—a Rolex Testimonee. (Maybe Testimonee is French, or something!?!! :-) I'm 99%++ certain "Testimonee" is Rolex's way of saying "Ambassador", in the same way Rolex has long referred (since 1932) to two-tone yellow gold and steel watch models, (including platinum & stainless) models as "Rolesium". Rolex quietly added Leonardo DiCaprio to "The Rolex Family", today—without much fanfare. 

Jake's Take

If you think about it, the metaphor, "The Rolex Family", is a brilliantly powerful metaphor on many levels!?!! The two things that stands out most about "The Rolex Family", are first and foremost, how inclusive it is; and secondly, it almost sounds like an invitation of sorts. You see, we, as human beings are very tribal creatures, that yearn to run with the most successful pack of our fellow humans. The slogan of "The Rolex Family" to my way of thinking reminds me of  Frank Sinatra singing, "Come Fly With Me!"

So "The Rolex Family" is almost a call to action of sorts...In my option it sounds like, if you wear a Rolex, you are part of "The Rolex Family"—by default...

Over the decades, I've seen Rolex come up with some pretty brilliant marketing slogans and campaign, but I think "The Rolex Family" is probably the best one yet! Kudos to Rolex!!!! Speaking of which, this new Rolex "Reach for the Crown" video that just dropped is also totally next-level inspirational...

Of course, Leonardo has been wearing a Rolex Daytona for many years, as I first reported 15 years ago, back in 2010.

ACQUIRED PODCAST on ROLEX

 

ACQUIRED PODCAST

ROLEX

Features Much RolexMagazine.com

 Storytelling Content & Insight

The ACQUIRED Podcast is world-famous, very popular, and has run for 16 seasons, and was started 10 years ago, back on March 17, 2015. If you are not familiar with the ACQUIRED Podcast, they are renowned for doing super-deep-dives into the history of successful companies, and they just published a 5-hour episode on The History of Rolex!

I listened to the entire podcast version of the Acquired Rolex podcast, and noticed that even thought they are passionate and do a great job of offering a comprehensive overview of Rolex's history, they seem to have gotten confused on a number of Rolex history details. Thus, I reached out to them in order to make some clarifications, and share further insight.

Ironically, it was Captain Danny, from Coronet that reached out to share this fascinating news with me, and Captain Danny said, "Five hours of podcast about Rolex from the famous 'Acquired' podcast channel published yesterday. Sources quoted mention RolexMagazine.com a lot in the episode's page." 

I am highly flattered they studied and were inspired by so much of my Rolex history stories I have published over the past 17 years, (They Referenced 9 Articles from RolexMagazine.com in their research notes) and listening to their podcast for me is superb, as it's kind of like they are narrating a great deal of the Rolex history I researched, discovered, and shared. In particular, the ACQUIRED Podcast went into a lot of detail on my story about the Founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf.

I first heard about the ACQUIRED Podcast about a month ago, when I watched an interview with Eric Ku, who is a top vintage Rolex dealer. Eric said the ACQUIRED Podcast is his favorite podcast by far, as they do deep dives into the history of many luxury brands, like Louis Vuitton and Hermès. I was planning to take a listen, but hadn't had a chance to, so I was pleasantly surprised when Captain Danny shared the link with me.

The ACQUIRED Podcast slogan is "Every Company has a story", and they go on to say, "Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies — and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor."

You can listen to and enjoy the ACQUIRED Podcast episode on Rolex by clicking here.

Rolex Bubble-Back Unique Queen Mary Dial

Rolex Bubble-Back

Unique RMS Queen Mary Dial

John "Crash" Moittel is a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World. He is also a Trustee of miottelmuseum.com. John wrote in recently to share some fascinating insight on is RISitus condition. John said:

"Here is a very interesting item that may now be unique—and as such—may be of interest to you. It’s a Rolex “Queen Mary.” I am attaching some photos. The photos didn’t catch it, but in actuality, the name “Queen Mary” is clearly visible on the bow of the ship image."

Seeing this beauty for the first time took my breath away! To the best of my recollection, this is the earliest known "Exotic Dial" Rolex, or, in other words, Rolex dial with graphics on it.

The RMS Queen Mary Ocean Liner is pictured below as she cruises by Manhattan back in the 1930s.

John continued: 

"You seem like the most prolific and eclectic RISitus victim around my newly discovered field of interest so I’d be interested in any medications that you can recommend &/or what you think about my affliction."

RISitus, if you are not familiar with the term, stems from the term WISitus, which is a condition of sorts. "WIS" is the acronym for "Watch Idiot Savant", thus "RIS" is the acronym for "Rolex Idiot Savant". This is a condition I have happily suffered from for four decades now ;-)

John, my best advice is to "Keep Truckin'!!!". WISitus and RISitus, are some of the best conditions one can suffer from, as the cornerstone of them is The Spirit Of Inquiry, or if I am speakin' wif a cockney accent  (fink: Michael Caine), The Spirit Of Enquiry :-)

Wikipedia.com Definition:

RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line (known as Cunard-White Star Line when the vessel entered service). Built by John Brown & Companyin Clydebank, Scotland, Queen Mary along with her running mate, the RMS Queen Elizabeth, were built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York City. The two ships were a British response to the superliners built by German and French companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Queen Mary was the flagship of the Cunard Line from May 1936 until October 1946 when she was replaced in that role by Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and captured the Blue Riband in August of that year; she lost the title to SS Normandie in 1937 and recaptured it in 1938, holding it until 1952 when she was beaten by the new SS United States. With the outbreak of World War II, she was converted into a troopship and ferried Alliedsoldiers for the duration of the war.

Following the war Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service and along with Queen Elizabeth commenced the two-ship transatlantic passenger service for which the two ships were initially built. The two ships dominated the transatlantic passenger transportation market until the dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, Queen Mary was ageing and, though still among the most popular transatlantic liners, was operating at a loss.

After several years of decreased profits for Cunard Line, Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967. She left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California, United States, where she remains permanently moored. Much of the machinery, including one of the two engine rooms, three of the four propellers, and all of the boilers, were removed. The ship serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum, and hotel. The ship is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accepted the Queen Mary as part of the Historic Hotels of America.^[2]

Baguette Diamond Daytona...

...Rolex Time Machine...

Baguette Diamond Daytona

Set 2009 Auction Record of $315,000

The Antiquorum Auction house in Switzerland set an auction record in April of 2009, when the price realized for an 18kt gold Rolex Daytona was auctioned for $315,000.00 (U.S. dollars). Of course, the record has been broken many times since then, but I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at this Rolex auction record from 16 years ago.

This very interesting looking Daytona [Reference 6270/6263] was made in 1985 and has 28 baguettes surrounding the bezel along with 240 diamonds and 9 sapphire indices on the bezel. I believe this one of a kind Rolex watch was custom made for the Sultan Of Oman.