HODINKEE 10TH Anniversary Celebration

HODINKEE
10TH Anniversary Celebration
Conversation with Aurel Bacs
—Embracing Controversy—
Hodinkee is celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend in New York, and Benjamin Clymer, interviewed Aurel Bacs from Phillips Auction House about the current state of the vintage watch market which you can watch below! 

I love listening to Aurel Bacs speak as he is so knowledgable and is always sharing profound insight into the collectable watch game. Benjamin Clymer also does a superb job of asking great questions. I highly recommend watching this great video. And congratulations to Benjamin and the excellent Hodinkee team on 10 great years of publishing!!! 
I just noticed there are way more videos including this fascinating on where how vintage watches are really bought:

Update: I just watched this interview with the always fascinating Jean-Claude Biver, which is amazing! Jean-Claude is probably the most interesting man in the watch industry and his insight is always profound!!! 

There are a whole bunch of great live videos from Hodinkee 10th Anniversary (H10) Event which you can find on the Hodinkee YouTube channel. 

...Rolex Hotness...Designer Jen Insardi...Tribeca Getaway

...Rolex Hotness...
Designer Jen Insardi
Tribeca Getaway
Designer Jen Insardi takes us on a tour of her beautiful home in Tribeca. 

Notice Jen is wearing her gorgeous everose gold Daytona, which is similar to the model pictured below:

Steger International Polar Expedition: 1986 Rolex GMT Master II Ad

Steger International Polar Expedition

1986 Rolex GMT Master II Ad

Bernardo Bertolucci Belongs To The Ages

...Academy Award Winning Best Director...

Bernardo Bertolucci

Belongs To The Ages

1941-2018

Legendary Italian director and screenwriter, Bernardo Bertolucci passed away today at the age of 77. Bernardo was famous for movies like The Conformist; Last Tango In Paris, and The Last Emperor. Horological blogger and expert Nick Gould was the first person to discover Bernardo Bertolucci's GMT was indeed a Pepsi as we see in the image above.

"I left the ending ambiguous, because that is the way life is." —Bernardo Bertolucci

Bernardo Bertolucci pictured above recently wearing a bezeless Rolex GMT-Master 

This is a very strange Rolex story. When I first observed the photo above of director, Bernardo Bertolucci, it was clear he was wearing a Rolex professional model and I assumed it was an Explorer II. 

I kept staring at it—as something looked off to me. It kind of looked like a GMT-Master with its bezel missing, which reminded me instantly of how Marlon Brando wore a Rolex GMT-Master in Apocalypse Now sans a bezel. 

Upon Close Inspection, Nick Gould poined out the dial has the GMT-Master designation just above the COSC Designation. Explorer II models have the model designation on the top of the dial, under the Oyster Perpetual Date Designation.

I thought I must be hallucinating, but then Nick Gould mentioned to me he was thinking the same thing, and upon close inspection I believe that is likely the case (pun intended ;-) So the perhaps not-so-obvious-question, is if Bernardo Bertolucci is wearing the Marlon Brando's bezeless GMT-Master?

Marlon Brando pictured above wearing a bezeless Rolex GMT-Master in Apocalypse Now in 1979

In the picture below which was taken on the set of Last Tango In Paris in 1971, we see Bernardo Bertolucci wearing a Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet, with Marlon Brando standing in the background on the set in the restaurant. 

Ironically, Marlon Brando also wore a Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet in the movie Last Tango In Paris as seen below:

Today, Martin Scorsese, who is a Rolex brand ambassador made the following statement about his friend and inspiration, Bernardo Bertolucci: 

“In 1964, I went up to Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center for the 2nd New York Film Festival to see a new film from Italy. It was called ‘Before the Revolution’ and it was by a young director named Bernardo Bertolucci. I came out of the theater in a daze, speechless. I was truly stunned and moved by the level of sheer artistry and talent up there on the screen, I was shocked by the freedom of the picture, I was somewhat mystified by so many of the cultural references and cross-references, and, as someone who wanted to make films, I was inspired. ‘Before the Revolution’ opened many doors for me, and for many other young filmmakers as well. And Bertolucci kept on opening doors–with ‘The Conformist,’ which had a profound influence on Hollywood moviemaking; with ‘Last Tango in Paris,’ an explosive cultural event; with ‘The Last Emperor’ and ‘The Sheltering Sky,’ which reinvented the historical epic."

Bernardo Bertolucci is pictured above with fellow legendary movie director, Martin Scorsese. 

"When I think of Bertolucci–the man, the artist–the word that comes to mind is refinement. Yes, he was flamboyant and provocative, but it was the mellifluousness and the grace with which he expressed himself, and his deep understanding of his own history and culture, that made his filmmaking and his presence so special, so magical."

"Bernardo was in a wheelchair for the last years of his life, and it was extremely difficult for him to get around. It saddened all of us who knew him, because he had so much more that he wanted to do, and probably so many more films to make. When I think of him, I will always see an eternally young man.”

In this next photo we see Bernardo Bertolucci wearing his Rolex GMT-Master, while chatting with his Academy Award winning cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro during a Retrospective Opening Reception.

"This is something that I dream about: to live films, to arrive at the point at which one can live for films, can think cinematographically, eat cinematographically, sleep cinematographically, as a poet, a painter, lives, eats, sleeps painting." —Bernardo Bertolucci

The Last Emperor

"I accept all interpretations of my films. The only reality is before the camera. Each film I make is kind of a return to poetry for me, or at least an attempt to create a poem." —Bernardo Bertolucci

In my opinion, The Last Emperor was Bertolucci's best movie, and one of the greatest movies ever made!!! The Academy Awards saw it the same way as it won 9 Academy Awards in 1987, including Best Picture and Best Director. Not only was The Last Emperor an absolute masterpiece, but so was the soundtrack. I recall President Ronald Reagan, back in the late 1980s saying The Last Emperor was the best movie he had ever seen.

"Film students should stay as far away from film schools and film teachers as possible. The only school for the cinema is the cinema." —Bernardo Bertolucci

Rolex v. Rolex: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson Square Off For $9 Million Purse...

Rolex v. Rolex

Phil Mickelson
Wins $9 Million Challenge
Update: Phil Mickelson won "The Match" when he knocked in a $9 Million, 5-foot birdie on the 22nd hole at the Shadow Creek Tournament in Las Vegas!!!

Phil Mickelson wins #CapitalOnesTheMatch four playoff holes later 🙌 pic.twitter.com/pMilz3iUOR

— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) November 24, 2018

Along with the bragging rights and a cool 9 Mill, Phil got the champion’s belt.

Unfortunately, looks like it was ‘Made in Tiger size’ 🤣 pic.twitter.com/2VMMnfKjd5

— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) November 24, 2018

Phil goes home with the 9 Million, but he still says Tiger's, 'the best of all time.' 🙌#CapitalOnesTheMatch was unforgettable. pic.twitter.com/YiyKqQuHJK

— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) November 24, 2018

Ali v. Frazier; Tyson v. Holyfield; Palmer v. Nicklaus; Evert v. Navratilova, Borg v. McEnroe—all great rivalries that have been going on since the beginning of televised sports: Fellow Rolex ambassadors, or should I say Rolex "Testimonees" Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are in the process of making golf history as they are going head-to-head in the first pay-per-view Golf event which features a $9 Million purse for the winner, and the loser gets nothing. BTW, What is a 'Testimonee'!?!! I think it might be a word Rolex created, like 'Cerachrom'.

Tiger Woods is famous for wearing his Rolex DEEP-SEA as seen below.

Phil Mickelson is probably most famous for wearing Rolex Cellini models.

Although Phil Mickelson wears a lot of Cellini Rolex models, he still wears many Rolex dress watches and sports models.

All New Rolex.com

All New

Rolex.com

I have a special Thanksgiving surprise to share with you! Rolex just overhauled their Rolex.com website and it looks great! This is the first major overhaul since 2015. The new Rolex.com has many very thoughtful updates. Head over to Rolex.com at check it out for yourself.

White Gold Pepsi GMT-Master

 White Gold Pepsi GMT-Master

I was just checking out Rolex's Instagram account an noticed this post on the new white gold Pepsi GMT-Master, which features a blue dial. For some reason, I am still getting used to the blue dial and I think it is growing on me...

View this post on Instagram

The GMT-Master II in 18ct white gold with the legendary red and blue bezel. #Rolex #GMTMasterII #101031 For more details about this watch see the link in the profile.

A post shared by ROLEX (@rolex) on Nov 13, 2018 at 8:00am PST

Just for frame of reference I am including a side by side comparision image that shows the stainless steel Pepsi GMT-Master next to the white gold Pepsi GMT-Master:

Newly Discovered Video Confirms Pepsi GMT-Master Being worn by Stuart Roosa...

Newly Discovered Video
Confirms Pepsi GMT-Master
Being worn by
Commander Stuart Roosa
Aboard Apollo 14 CSM

Let's begin at the end. The screen grab below which we will see again later in the story was taken on board Apollo 14 on its way back to earth from its highly successful moon mission. You are looking at the first conclusive photographic evidence that NASA Apollo 14 Astronaut Stuart Roosa (pictured above) wore his Pepsi GMT-Master (pictured below) to the moon and back!!!

In the photo below we see the prime crew of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission. From left to right we see Commander Stuart Roosa, Alan Shepard Jr., and lunar module pilot Dr. Edgar Mitchell.

In the past, I wrote a comprehensive story about the crewmembers of Apollo 14 wearing Rolex GMT-Master models.
 

In the photo above we see Dr. Edgar Mitchell putting two Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master models on his wrists as he prepared to go to the moon.

In the photo below taken by Dr. Edgar Mitchell, we see Alan Shepard just after he stepped foot on the moon for the first time. 

Years ago I published the three images below onboard the Command Service Model (CSM) Kitty Hawk.

In the photo above we see NASA Apollo 14 Astronaut Alan Shepard on the right. Alan Shepard in pictured below in between his fellow Apollo 14 crewmates, Dr. Edgar Mitchell (left) and Stuart Roosa (right) in front of the Apollo 14 at Cape Canaveral.

In the photo above and below we see Alan Shepard wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master.

In the photo below we see Dr. Edgar Mitchell on the left in the Apollo 14 command module on February 6, 1971, at 18:48:42 UT, and notice he is wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master on his right wrist.

In the next image, we see Dr. Edgar Mitchell reaching out to Alan Shepard to shake his hand.

The newly discovered screenshot below was originally filmed on February 7, 1971, as the CSM Kitty Hawk made its way back to earth. This photo shows Stuart Roosa wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master. It is a fact that all three Apollo 14 crew members wore Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master models, but this appears to be the first evidence that shows and confirms Roosa doing so!!!

In the video below titled "Apollo-14: heat flow and convection experiment." if you watch carefully at 0:29 seconds, you will see Stuart Roosa's GMT-Master. This video footage was shot in the Apollo 14 Command and Service module named "Kitty Hawk." We also know it is Stuart Roosa's wrist as he had much lighter skin that Mitchell or Shepard.

NASA Apollo 14 Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa is pictured below wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master on his right wrist. Despite the fact I had seen this footage before I was never able to make an up-close positive ID on his Pepsi, but now we have uneqivocal evidence that support this fact.

The video below that shows both Dr. Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa wearing their Pepsi GMT-Master models on board Kitty Hawk on their right wrists. So basically, they are wearing Omega Speedmasters on their left wrists and Pepsi GMT-Master models on their right wrists.

So there you have it! All three NASA Apollo 14 Astronauts wearing Pepsi GMT-Master models!!!

If you want to learn much more on the about the lineage of the GMT-Master, including its role in outer-space, be sure to check out my story titled, "The Complete History of The Rolex GMT-Master."

In Search Of Robert-Palmer Bradley

...In Search Of...

Robert-Palmer Bradley

Rolex Mystery Puzzle Piece Revealed

Single Red SEA-DWELLER

Sells for over $700,000

Nine days ago, I published a story named "In Search Of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Rolex Mystery Puzzle Piece, with Rolex Mystery Man." In that article, I shared the previously unpublished image below of Jacques-Yves Cousteau talking to a man who I said looks like Jacques Piccard but is not. The mystery man is Deep-Sea pioneer Robert Palmer Bradley.

Two days ago, in Geneva, Switzerland, Philipps Auction House successfully auctioned Robert Palmer Bradley's for 708,500 Swiss Francs which is just over $705,000. I wrote a story about this watch coming to market last month, in which I showcased Bob Bradley's ultra-rare Single Red SEA-DWELLER which is pictured below:

I first saw the image at the top of this story when Jose from Perescope.com shared it with me. Jose received the photo from Robert-Palmer Bradley's son, who he recently interviewed. Jose wrote an AMAZING story about Robert-Palmer Bradley which I highly recommend reading. 

The history of the Single Red SEA-DWELLER models has always been a bit enigmatic. Original Single Red SEA-DWELLER models are extremely rare and some of them were made with helium release valves, and some were not. Bob Bradley's Single Red is pictured below and we see it lacks a helium release valve.

In the photo below we see Robert-Palmer Bradley standing next to the DEEPSTAR 4000 Submersible which was designed by the famous Rolex Submariner Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Notice the "NEL" logo on the Submersible which stood for the U.S. Navy Electronics Laboratory. Today NEL has been renamed to "NUC" which stands for Naval Undersea Center.

In the photo below, taken in 1966, we see the complete crew of the Westinghouse DEEPSTAR 4000, posing with Walter Cronkite.

In the next photo, we see Bob Bradley wearing his Rolex Submariner while tracking DEEPSTAR 4000 form the ocean surface.

Jose and I have been working on the History Of The Rolex SEA-DWELLER timeline poster pictured below on the all-new 12.9 inch iPad. Jose recently updated the poster to add in the DEEPSTAR 4000 information.

To see all the amazing detail in the SEA-DWELLER Timeline poster below right-mouse-click on it to open it in a different browser window. You can also purchase an amazing high res version of the poster in the Timelines section of Perezcope.com.

This is where this story gets really profound. Jose, while doing research on the history of the Rolex Sea-Dweller discovered a Rolex brochure from 1975 that documented the fact that Rolex formally introduced the Sea-Dweller in 1971. This was four years after Robert-Palmer Bradley began testing the Single Red Sea-Dweller prototype.

Rolex introduced the Single Red SEA-DWELLER at BaselWorld in 2017 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Single Red SEA-DWELLER prototype. The Single Red SEA-DWELLER is one of my absolute favorite Rolex watches today, so much so I kept a super-detailed diary on wearing it.
Robert Palmer Bradley is pictured below earlier in his career when he was a U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot. He was staitioned on U.S. Navy Aircraft carriers and traveled all over the world.

Robert "Bob" Palmer Bradley developed a love of the sea and scuba diving while in the Navy, which led to his involvment with Jacques-Yves Cousteau and DEEPSTAR 4000. In the future I hope to share more insight into his career achiements.