Could this be a photo of Jacques Cousteau wearing a Rolex Submariner?

Jacques Cousteau Submariner

Gerard who goes by GJ in some of the forums sent me an email to say how much he is enjoying Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. He also reminded me of an excellent French site named Military Watch that has a page dedicated to examining the watches of Cousteau–which you can visit by clicking here.

On the "Cousteau and Watches" page of the French Military Watch site the writer (whose name I can't find) suggests Jacques Cousteau is wearing a Rolex Submariner in this 1955 photo/screen capture from Jacques Cousteau's movie named "Silent World." Silent World was the first of 3 oceanographic Jacques Cousteau movies to win an Oscar.

It is difficult to tell from the photo with 100% certainty, but to my eyes I would say it really looks like a Submariner.

People protect what they love. –Jacques Cousteau

I have been doing quite a bit of research lately on Jacques Cousteau and I learned Jacques was very close friends with Rene-Paul Jeanneret who was the director of Rolex and is credited for being the driving force behind the development of the Submariner and GMT.

In Gerard's email on the subject of Jacques Cousteau to me he goes on to say:

"Could it be that Rolex sponsored Cousteau's travels?

That idea crossed my mind many, many times...

I think we will never find out as Rolex as a company is one big mystery."

I have wondered the same thing and I believe I am going to answer that question sooner than later. I can't guarantee that I will be able to answer it, but intend to give it my best shot.

Update: Jake's Rolex Watch Blog discovered Jacques Cousteau's Rolex Submariner in March of 2009 and you can check out the article by clicking here.

Phillipe Cousteau Rolex Submariner...

I have been diving deep (pun not intended) into the Jacques Cousteau connection with Rolex and the development of the Submariner. I have many leads I am following up on but I have not yet found a photo of Jacques wearing a Submariner, but here is another photo of his son Philippe Cousteau wearing his Rolex Submariner.

Tip: To see all the photos of Jacques Cousteua and his sons wearing Rolex watches click on the label below that says "Cousteau Family."

Rolex Red Submariner [Reference 1680] by Jocke...

These two stunningly cool images from Jocke:

Red Submariner's [Reference 1680] are very rare and were only made from 1969 to 1974. Of course, Jocke took off the standard stainless steel Oyster bracelet and replaced it with this really cool black strap with red contrast stitching.

Lume Shot of the Week...

Hannes of R-L-X.de took this amazing lume shot of his DEEP SEA [Reference 116660] next to his GMT Master II-Ceramic [Reference 116710]. You can tell the watch on the right is a GMT because there is no glowing pearl located on the bezel.

Photo Credit: Hannes

Einstein's Longines Watch Sells at New York Antiquorum Auction for $596,000.

"Time is an illusion."–Albert Einstein

On October 16, 2008, the New York Antiqourom Auction house sold Albert Einstein's Longines watch for $596,000. in U.S. Dollars. This is close to 20 times the initial estimated value of between $25,000 to $35,000 and it sets a world record for the price paid for a time only watch. [time only meaning no complications.]

Einstein's watch was manufactured in 1930 and presented to Einstein in 1931. It is made out of 14 Kt gold and has an art deco design. Albert Einstein was a Nobel prize winning physicist and is best known for his theory of relativity from which the speed of light formula was derived.

Albert Einstein was also voted the Time Magazine Man of the Century.

Also of significant note from the Antiquorom New York auction of October 16, 2009 is this 18K Yellow Gold first series Patek Philippe square button chronograph [Reference 2499, manufactured 1956] which sold for a record breaking $1,514,400.

People Are Talking Rolex...

Talking Rolex

I have been following a fascinating thread at WatchTalkForums.com where the original poster asked a question that has brought out many very interesting answers. 

Mephist from Norway posed the simple question "Why Rolex? What is your personal reason for why you own and like Rolex?"

Asser1 from Springfield, Missouri shared a fascinating answer:

"I got bit by the bug with my dad owning a Sub (no date). By about 13, I wanted one and I finally got a Sub (no date) at 18–the only kid and probably teacher at my high school who had one. Fast forward less than a year just back from basic training and traded the Sub for a GMT II, wish I could have kept the sub."

"Fifteen years later I was over Rolex (or so I thought). I flirted with several other luxury makes including Tag (Carrera, Monaco) Omega (Speedmaster) Longines (Hour Angle) and Cartier (tank). Finally, sold my GMT II to dad and was Rolexless for 2 days. The other great watches left couldn't fill the void, something inside me said you are not finished with Rolex. I stewed for a month about which one to drop the dough on and ended up with a S/P Yachtmaster and then a month later another Sub no date for $1300 more than I paid for my first one (hence why I wished I could have kept the Sub)."

"There is something unexplainable about a Rolex, that I feel no other watch possesses. I know for a fact that lesser luxury makes do not instill the pride in ownership my Rolexes do. My Speedmaster probabaly comes closest. I doubt very seriously that a more prestigious make I admire would fascinate me more than a Rolex either (Vacheron, Breguet, A. Lange or Patek)."

"The spell a Rolex holds over me is nothing more than an unsolved mystery. I look at other watches with admiration but I haven't got that "I must have this now" that I get when I go to the Rolex shop."

You can view the thread on WatchTalkForum.com by clicking here.

Lance Armstrong sporting his Trademark Coke Rolex GMT Master...

Rolex Hotness: More is More...

James took this photo of his wife wearing his Rolex Yachtmaster and Daytona.

Photo Credit: James

Vintage Rolex Explorer Mark II Advertisement...

When Haroun Tazieff wears a fireproof suit he wears his Rolex on the outside.

The tiny figure on the right of the photograph is Haroun Tazieff. The picture was taken last year when Tazieff and a scientific team were observing the eruption of Niragongo.

Haroun Tazieff always wears a Rolex, though unfortunately the camera could not get close enough to show it.

The scientists involved in observing volcanoes need completely reliable watches to record the changing temperature of gases and the magma flung up by volcanic action.

The figures they collect help them to understand the whys and hows of this basic phenomenon: the Earth's volcanism.

A Rolex can be trusted to keep cool and unperturbed on either side of the earth's crust.

The seamless Oyster case is carved from a solid block of 18ct. gold, platinum or stainless surgical steel, by a series of 162 separate operations. Inside this virtually indestructible case our craftsmen fit one of our patented inventions, the Rolex winding crown, which screws down onto the case, acting rather like a submarine hatch.

The rotor self-winding Perpetual movement is so accurate that it is certified as a Chronometer by one of the Swiss Institutes for Official Chronometer Tests.

A Rolex takes just over a year to make, and the time and care our craftsmen take ensures that each Oyster is perfectly reliable, wherever it is worn. Rolex Oysters have been taken up Mt. Everest and down to the deepest part of the ocean bed, but certainly Haroun Tazieff has taken his Rolex to the hottest place of all.

For years Niragongo had lain comparatively quiet, in fact in 1959 Tazieff had actually climbed right down into the crater. He described the experience:

"Around us there was nothing but this sealed-off world, enclosed by immense cliffs, and fumes ceaselessly rising from the centre. But it was the sight of the bottom, about five or six hundred feet down, that was amazing: in its north-western quarter there was a lake of live lava, boiling away ceaselessly from the action of forces deep below; every now and then the elastic black skin covering it burst and threw up fountains of cherry-red lava, while at the southern end a tremendous froth of liquid fire lashed the banks with heavy scarlet waves. The lava suddenly overflowed, and in a few moments had covered a surface of more than an acre."

So wherever you may travel, even in the warmest regions, you can be sure your Rolex, or at least a Rolex like it, will have been there before.

ROLEX

of Geneva

You can tell by the men who wear them.

Custom NASA Astronaut Specification Nylon Strap for Stainless Steetl Rolex GMT Master II Ceramic...

Rolex on a NASA Astronaut Strap

Klod from Poland decided to customize his new Rolex GMT Master II Ceramic by putting it on this really cool custom-made NASA Astronaut Specification strap. I can't believe how cool this watch looks with this black nylon strap. My hat is off to you Klod!!!

There is something really cool about the stainless steel with all the black and just a hint of green that looks really, really cool. Not to mention that all the NASA astronauts who wore a Rolex watch to the moon and back only wore Rolex GMT Master models.

Please understand this is NOT a NATO strap. It is a NASA Strap which means it uses velcro. Velcro was invented by NASA for the space program.

By the way, I could not help but notice that Klod's GMT Master II on the NASA strap perfectly matches the stunningly cool all-new Apple Macbook Pro laptop that goes on sale today.

Kelly M. pointed out that if you want to roll your own here are the official NASA specs:

Kelly sourced these official specs from Chuck Maddox's ChronoMaddox.com which you can visit by clicking here.

I originally found this super cool looking strap and the following thread that ensues on Timezone.com which you can view directly by clicking here. Charles Newgas, KhalilSheikh, and BSOD Mike also chime in on the fascinating Timezone thread...You gotta love this stuff!!!