Don Johnson Rolex President from Miami Vice
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Part 7: James Bond Rolex Mystery Solved...
James Bond Rolex Mystery Solved
In parts 1-6 of this series we explored the mystery of Daniel Craig recently wearing 3 different Rolex watches. We know the first is a Rolex Submariner 6538, the second is a two-tone Rolex Datejust, and the one that I did the story on several days ago has been positively ID's as being a Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust as seen in the photos below.
So what does all this mean if Daniel Craig who plays James Bond wears Omega on screen as James Bond, and Rolex off screen in his real life? Reality, it turns out, is stranger than fiction.
What WISdom can be gained from this mystery finally being solved? Hard to say. It seems like every time we get anther piece of the puzzle we realize their is another piece missing. I would say it definitely appears–like all of us–Daniel Craig has got RISitus worse than anybody could have imagined ;-)
Rolex Announces Winners of International Awards For Enterprise...
Rolex Announces Winners of International Awards For Enterprise
Rolex announced the ten winners of the 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise, which for more than 30 years have supported pioneering work in science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural heritage. The award recipients hail from around the globe – from India, Jordan, Mexico, Paraguay, South Africa, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States – and join a global network of 110 visionaries from 38 countries who have received vital project support and recognition from the Swiss watchmaker since the Awards were founded in 1976.
The Rolex Awards fund new and ongoing projects that demonstrate a spirit of enterprise and address pressing needs around the world, from climate change, to wildlife and habitat preservation, to cultural preservation, to providing water, food, medical supplies and education for impoverished communities. Rolex will present US$100,000 each to five Laureates, who will be honored tomorrow evening (18 November) in a ceremony in Dubai – the first ever Rolex Awards ceremony held in the Middle East. Five Associate Laureates will each receive $50,000 at ceremonies in their home countries. All ten winners will also receive a Rolex chronometer.
“The Rolex Awards for Enterprise enable the work of global pioneers who are breaking new ground in their fields, and improving lives worldwide,” said Patrick Heiniger, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex. “We are proud to support these truly original thinkers, and salute them for their ingenuity and commitment of purpose.”
The 2008 Rolex Laureates – chosen from nearly 1,500 applicants in 127 countries by an independent panel of scientists, educators, economists and other experts – are:
Talal Akasheh (Jordan), 61, who, after devoting 26 years to documenting the ancient monuments of Petra, is creating an information system that will inform future conservation efforts at this beloved, yet threatened, historic site.
Tim Bauer (U.S.), 31, who is using breakthrough technology to retrofit polluting two-stroke vehicle engines that are common in the Philippines, helping to alleviate a major environmental and public-health risk in South-East Asia.
Andrew McGonigle (U.K.), 35, a physicist who is developing a new means to safely and reliably predict volcanic eruptions using an unmanned aircraft.
Andrew Muir (South Africa), 43, a conservationist providing Aids orphans with life skills, training, and jobs in South Africa’s burgeoning ecotourism sector.
Elsa Zaldívar (Paraguay), 48, who is bringing an eco-friendly solution to her country’s housing shortage by creating composite building materials made of plant and plastic waste to construct affordable housing.
The 2008 Rolex Associate Laureates are: Alexis Belonio (Philippines), 48, creator of a new technology that transforms the waste from rice production into clean, affordable cooking fuel; Arturo González (Mexico), 44, an explorer and researcher excavating archaeological remains in submerged caves or cenotes on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula; Rodrigo Medellín (Mexico), 50, who is working to save Mexico’s indigenous bats through habitat protection and education; Moji Riba (India), 36, a film-maker helping to preserve and document the rich cultural heritage of India’s Arunachal Pradesh tribes; and Romulus Whitaker (India), 65, a lifelong conservationist who is establishing a network of rainforest research stations to document and protect the biodiversity of southern India.
The 2008 Rolex Award winners were chosen by an independent, voluntary jury of international experts, chaired by Patrick Heiniger. This year’s Selection Committee members are: Dr Vikram Akula, founder and CEO of SKS Microfinance, based in India and the United States; Etienne Bourgois, head of a French clothing company and expedition leader; Professor Denise Bradley, president of the Australian College of Educators; Dr Geh Min, ophthalmologist, environmentalist and president of the Nature Society of Singapore; Professor Farkhonda Hassan, Egyptian geologist and professor at the American University in Cairo; Dr Rodrigo Jordán, educator and explorer from Chile; Yolanda Kakabadse, Ecuadorian environmentalist and champion of sustainable development; Dr Phil Nuytten, Canadian pioneer of the commercial diving industry; Dr Ivo Pitanguy, plastic surgeon and director of the Ivo Pitanguy Clinic and Institute in Brazil; Dr Anatoly M. Sagalevitch, Russian oceanologist and head of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology’s Laboratory of Manned Submersibles; Professor Emil Salim, professor of economics at the University of Indonesia; and Dr Kathryn D. Sullivan, director of the Battelle Center for Math and Science Education Policy at Ohio State University and former NASA astronaut.
Rolex Philanthropy
Since its founding a century ago, Rolex has established a tradition supporting individual excellence and achievement around the globe. Through its two primary philanthropic programmes, the Awards for Enterprise and the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Rolex fosters innovation in science, exploration, conservation, and the arts worldwide.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
All The James Bond Watches...From A–Z...
ALL Watches Worn In ALL James Bond Movies
Please keep in mind that I will continue to add to this story indefinitely until it is complete. I very highly recommend you check it out. It is amazing...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Upcoming Christie's Auction In Geneva, November 17, 2008...
Christie's Important Watches Auction Next Week In Geneva
Christie's Auction house is having an Important Watches Auction next week on Monday, November 17, 2008 in Geneva Switzerland. There are some really nice Rolex Historical pieces on the auction block and I thought I would share a few beauties with you.
This first piece is a Rolex Oyster reference 2081 Cushion-shaped 32mm wristwatch stamped with the Glasgow import letter for 1937. The reason this watch is very interesting to me is because it was made at the same time as the first Rolex made Paneria watches. The design language between the Panerai and Rolex Oyster are uncanny. [Lot 12. Sold for $3161]
Next is this ultra rare stainless steel Rolex reference 6062 automatic triple calender with moonphases and Jubilee bracelet. This watch is ultra-rare because it is stainless steel. Rolex made many more in gold. This stainless steel Rolex has an estimated range between $140k-$220k. [Lot 349]
Next, we have an unusual Rolex Submariner reference 5514 manufactured in 1970 with a helium release valve.
This next stainless steel 36mm Rolex Explorer is most interesting. Its Rolex reference number is 6098 and it was made in 1950. It has a two-tone silvered dial. Christie's points out that at the time the Rolex Explorer was "the largest, hence most practical and readable of all models in production at the time." [Lot 344]
Next is this ultra rare stainless steel Rolex reference 6062 automatic triple calender with moonphases and Jubilee bracelet. This watch is ultra-rare because it is stainless steel. Rolex made many more in gold. This stainless steel Rolex has an estimated range between $140k-$220k. [Lot 349]
Next, we have an unusual Rolex Submariner reference 5514 manufactured in 1970 with a helium release valve.
Chistie's point out "Reference 5514 is an extremely rare variant of the well-known reference 5513, featuring a helium release valve usually reserved for the professional deep sea line, Sea-Dweller. It is understood that only an extremely small number of reference 5514 was ever made and that they were never available to the public. Few professionals and scientific organizations had the privilege of ordering specific and small quantities of the tailor-made versions such as COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise), a professional diving operation for the oil industry. In fact, many examples of reference 4414 feature the COMEX-logo on the dial and a COMEX issue number on the case back." [Lot 164]
This next piece is amazing to me. It is a rare and unusual stainless steel automatic Rolex Turn-O-Graph made in 1953, with a reference number 6202 and a white honeycomb dial.
According to Christie's, "The present watch is a rare example of the celebrated Turn-O-Graph reference 6202 model, fitted with the less common white honeycomb dial. Marketed as a tool watch, the Turn-O-Graph is commonly accepted as one of the godfathers of all Rolex sports watches preceding most notably the Submariner and consequently the Sea Dweller and also the GMT-Master."
"The Turn-O-Graph was presented at the Basel Fair in 1953, the year of production of the present watch. The model was always fitted with a rotating bezel with five minute divisions, referred to as a time-recording-rim by Rolex. Designed to be used as a simplified chronograph version for timing events for up to an hour, it was promoted as being able to calculate the Timing of a transatlantic telephone call, the rate of a machine, a patient's pulse, the speed of a train or the development of a film. The Turn-O-Graph was available with a black dial, the De Luxe Model featured a magnificent white honey-comb dial.
"Despite its brilliant concept, the model was at the time not as successful as excepted by Rolex, mainly due to the simultaneous in-house competition from the Submariner and the GMT-Master." [Lot394]
Note: I refer to this combination of a white Rolex dial with a black bezel as the Oreo Cookie.
Last but not least we see the star of the Rolex Show which is a 35mm reference 3525 stainless steel chronograph with a black dial and pulsometre scale on an early riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet, which was made during the middle of World War II in 1941. This watch is estimated to get between $140k-$220k and its provenance is from the Mondani Collection. [Lot 80]
To learn more about this Christie's Important Watches Auction and see all the watches please visit www.Christies.com
Part 6: Yet Another Different Rolex On Daniel Craig?
Quantum of Rolex
I noticed in this interview for the James Bond Movie, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig wearing what appears to be another vintage Rolex. I can't tell exactly what model it is, but it appears to be on an Oyster bracelet and I am relatively certain it has a cyclops date lens and what appears to be a white dial.
My best guess is that it is a vintage Rolex Datejust. If I am seeing things and the watch does not have a cyclops then it could be an ultra-rare Rolex Explorer I with a white dial.
Just in case you missed it, I completed a five part series on Daniel Craig's Rolex Submariner last week which you can find over on the sidebar under the James Bond Rolex section, or at the bottom of this post, you can find direct links to all 5 parts.
So this would be the third different Rolex we have seen him wearing in the last month and in a recent U.K. article, Daniel Craig mentioned he collects watches. Looks like he might have RISitus pretty bad.;-) Oh, the WISdom of it all!!!!
Rolex Hotness: Floortje Dessing GMT Master II Coke...
Rolex Hotness: Floortje Dessing
Gerard from the Dutch Netherlands sent in this photo of Floortje Dessing who is the host of a TV travel program in the Netherlands that travels to the most beautiful spots on our planet. Floortje is wearing a Rolex GMT Master Coke.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Rolex Stainless & Platinum Rolex Yachtmaster...
Autumn into Winter
The leaves are turning beautiful colors and falling from the trees. Percy from the German Rolex forum located at R-L-X.de took this stunning shot of his Yachtmaster.
Madly In Love with the new White Gold Submariner...
Madly in Love!!!
Eric Ku of 10pastten.com is the top vintage Rolex dealer in the San Francisco, Bay Area–and one really cool guy. At the San Francisco watch GTG Eric showed up with the most mouth dropping collection of vintage Rolex watches.
Imagine how shocked I was to find out that he is madly in love with his new white gold Rolex Submariner. He says he wears it everyday and it is not coming off his wrist!!!
Why is this so shocking!?! Because most vintage Rolex guys are not into the current Rolex watches–just like many people who are into new Rolex watches are not into vintage. Eric said he is amazed with how beautiful in person the new blue ceramic bezel and blue dial are.
Of course the new Supercase, with Maxi markers and fat hands are really cool as is the profoundly well designed and engineered glide-lock clasp. This watch just became available to the public for purchase a month ago.
Monday, November 10, 2008
New Rolex Commercial...
This is the very cool new Rolex Daytona commercial they have been showing before the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace in British theaters:
The stunning Italian Supercar in the Rolex Daytona is an Italian brand named Pagani. The Pagani in the Rolex Daytona video is a convertible, and the ones in these fascinating videos about the Pagani are hardtops:
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