Apollo 14 Astronauts Prefer Pepsi GMT-Master

Note: I originally published this story on February 14, 2020, and since today marks the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 14 landing on the moon, I thought I would publish it again now. You can also check out my story from 2018 where I published my discovery that Apollo 14 Commander, Stuart Roosa wore a Pepsi GMT-Master.

50th Anniversary

Apollo 14 Astronauts

Prefer Pepsi GMT-Master

What's more fascinating than Apollo Astronauts? Apollo Astronauts wearing Rolex—of course! More than a decade ago I discovered a really crazy Rolex historical fact, and that is the fact that all three prime crew NASA Astronauts from Apollo 14 wore Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master watches not only as their personal watches, but also Stuart Roosa and Dr. Edgar Mitchell wore their Rolex watches to the moon. 

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.

Philip Corneille is the publisher of Moon Watch Universe and he recently published some amazing photos that show Apollo 14 crew-members rocking their personal Rolex watches as seen below. Hodinkee recently published a fascinating story that featured Philip's response to 10 Questions.

NASA Apollo 14 Commander Alan Shepard pictured above on October 27, 1971 at the United Nations (Photo: AP/UN)

Below we see Dr. Edgar Mitchell who wore two different Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master models to the moon and wore them during his time walking on the moon.

NASA Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot Dr. Edgar Mitchell pictured in 1971 wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master he wore to the moon. (Photo: USN)

Back in November of 2018 I documented the fact that Apollo 14 Commander Stuart Roosa wore his Pepsi GMT during his mission.

NASA Apollo 14 Command Module Pilot pictured wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master (Photo: AP/UN)

So what is the significance of the fact that all three Apollo 14 Astronauts wore Rolex during their time at NASA as well as in their personal life? We will learn more in the future in an upcoming video documentary I am working on that is titled, Rolex's Conquest of Space.

Antiques Roadshow: Royal Navy Diver's Rolex Submariner 5513

 

SEARCH AND RESCUE DIVER

ROLEX SUBMARINER 5513

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

In a recent episode of "Antiques Roadshow," which aired on BBC two weeks ago, I found the story of this Rolex heirloom just amazing.

 

It was a year ago that I wrote about an unworn Rolex Daytona 6263 featured on the same TV show. But the following story is not about a Paul Newman Daytona "safe-queened" by an Air Force veteran who was afraid to damage it. Far from it. This Rolex was used.

This story has all the ingredients of a great watch story: The Rolex was worn daily—and as a tool. It was used in dangerous missions by a military diver. And finally, the watch was passed on to the diver's son who is about to learn its value has quite appreciated.

The son said: "He died recently; I’ve always known the watch. As a child, I remembered him wearing it. But it’s only since he died I found out so much about him. He was a search and rescue diver in the Royal Navy and for all the incidents he was involved with, he always wore that watch.”

The Rolex Submariner 5513 is from 1964, according to the host of the segment, watch expert Richard Price. "I would have no hesitation at putting it around £50-60,000," Price said. Then he added: "Wasn’t your father a very, very lucky man to have used that all his life and you’re so lucky to have that yourself."

An emotional son replied: "No, really? He didn’t know the value of it at all." The son said he himself wasn't concerned about the value of the watch; he wanted to come on the show "to tell the story of that watch and my father if I possibly could." 

Above, the owner of the Rolex being fished out of the sea. "His own air supply was exhausted," explained his son. "He was forced to swim to the surface during which he swallowed a large amount of aircraft fuel." His dad had been attempting to rescue the pilots of a double-crash: a Sea Vixen fighter jet and also the pilot of the helicopter that attempted to rescue the fighter pilot. But to no avail. And both pilots died. 

Watch the "Antiques Roadshow" segment below:

Rolex New Releases Scheduled for April 7

ROLEX TO RELEASE NEW MODELS

ON APRIL 7 

PHYSICAL EVENT IN SHANGHAI WILL

FOLLOW DIGITAL EVENT

 By DANNY CRIVELLO

This is such big news I had to borrow Jake's BREAKING NEWS header! (Or is it Hodinkee's?)

In a press release this morning Watches and Wonders, formerly known as SIHH, said they are changing from their digital-only format first announced in November. 

The trade show, which includes Rolex, Patek Philippe and dozens of other brands, will hold both a digital and physical format in April. I first reported about the date yesterday on Twitter

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The digital show will take place from April 7 to 13. Rolex and 37 other brands will be releasing their 2021 collection that week. Tune in to watchesandwonders.com or rolex.com

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Here's the twist: A few days after the digital event there will be a Watches and Wonders physical salon held in Shanghai. Fifteen brands will present their latest timepieces, including Rolex! 

This is a big bet for Watches and Wonders. As an airline pilot I have flown to Shanghai, and currently China has some of the strictest quarantine rules in the world. COVID tests must be taken before and after the flight. And even if you test negative you have to quarantine for 14 days before you are allowed to leave the hotel. Hopefully, the rules will relax by April.

The event in Shanghai will only be open to the media, retailers and watch enthusiasts by invitation. If the COVID situation improves, Watches and Wonders said it might add more physical events. Let's hope so!! It would be nice to see Rolex's new pieces in the metal!

Meanwhile, the trade show formerly known as Baselworld, now called HourUniverse, said it may move its current dates from April 8-12 to June.

Exploring submarine forests in Patagonia’s fjords with Vreni Häussermann

Exploring submarine forests in Patagonia’s fjords
with Vreni Häussermann 

Tom Brady Goes to the Super Bowl... Again

Tom Brady

Super Bowl Bound...

Again

The G.O.A.T. Goes to LV

Widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, 43-year-old Tom Brady will attend his 10th Super Bowl, Super Bowl LV, on Feb 7. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen is married to Tom Brady. Last August, she posted this Happy Birthday Instagram post, and we see he is wearing his Rolex Sea-Dweller.

View this post on Instagram

Happy birthday love of my life! You are the best dad , the best partner and the best friend. We are so lucky to have you in our lives and we are looking forward to all the adventures ahead. We love you so much! ♥️♥️♥️ Feliz aniversário amor da minha vida! Você é o melhor pai, o melhor parceiro e o melhor amigo. Temos muita sorte de tê-lo em nossas vidas e estamos animados por todas as aventuras que estão por vir. Nós te amamos muito! Photos: John Russo

A post shared by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele) on Aug 3, 2020 at 6:03am PDT

Six-Time Super Bowl Winner!!!!!!

In 2019 Tom Brady stepped into history to become the first quarterback in history to shatter the record to win 6 Super Bowls. Keep in mind this was after he set the all time record to become the first quarterback to win 5 Super Bowls. This is likely a record that will NEVER be broken again by anybody, expect perhaps Tom Brady himself.

Image appears courtesy of Getty Images Ronald Martinez 

Pictured above we see Tom Brady in Super-bowl 50. It was the first Super Bowl in 50 years of history that went into overtime, and in the most dramatic fashion, the New England Patriots pulled off what could easily be called a miracle. 

Rolex Day-Date

Tom Brady is pictured below wearing his Rolex Day-Date on a President Bracelet.

Rolex Milgauss

Tom Brady is pictured below wearing his 50th Anniversary GV Rolex Milgauss, which has the classic green sapphire crystal and orange lighting-bolt hand.

In the photos above Tom Brady is wearing his 50th Anniversary GV Rolex Milgauss on a Rolex Oyster Bracelet, and in the photo below from a GQ photo shoot, he is wearing his Milgauss on a black alligator strap.

The photo below is of a 50th Anniversary Rolex Milgauss which is the same model Tom Brady is wearing in the photos above. It is an unusual looking watch in the sense it has a bright Kelly green sapphire crystal coupled with an orange lightning bolt second hand.

Tom Brady is married to Brazilian super-leggy-model Gisele Bündchen, and the are pictured below together.

Jenni Elle: "Here's Why Women Don't Like Watches"

 

Jenni Elle
"Here's Why Women Don't Like Watches"

Jenni Elle offers a brilliantly superb overview of the history of women wearing wristwatches...I wrote a story in the past named "The Rolex Woman: The Evolution Of The Female Rolex Archetype" which includes a fascinating 1970 Stephanie Powers Rolex that Jenni Elle mentions...

The only thing I would add to Jenni's story is the significant Rolex Rolex played in popularizing women wearing watches and men's watches in particular begging in the early 1960s with Honor Blackman (pictured below) who costarred with Sean Connery in the 1964 James Bond movie, Goldfinger.

A New Rolex President: President Joe Biden wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust

Image above of Joe Biden's first day in Oval Office. Photo: Jim Watson/Getty Images. 

A New Rolex President


President Elect

 Joe Biden

Stainless Rolex Datejust

Joseph Biden was sworn in today as the 46th President of the United States and as we see in the photo below Biden was wearing his stainless steel Rolex Datejust which First Lady, Jill Biden gave him as a Christmas gift.

 

Image above of Joe Biden's inaugural address. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images. 

In the photo below we see a close-up of President Joseph Biden's stainless steel Rolex Datejust on his wrist.

Joseph Biden is pictured below with his wife as he takes the oath of office of the President of The United States and notice he is wearing his stainless steel Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

Nick Gould discovered this next photo which shows former President Barack Obama hugging his former Vice President Biden after the inauguration. Notice President Obama is wearing his Rolex Cellini. It is fascinating to note that both President's of The United States in this photo are wearing Rolex watches...

This next image from Reuters shows President Biden inside the capital signing his Inauguration Day proclamation as well as nominations for his cabinet and sub-cabinet after his swearing-in ceremony and we see the Rolex Jubilee bracelet on his wrist.

I published the story below on January 8th, 2021:

Looks like we have a new chapter of Rolex Presidential history unfolding. Eagle-eyed Rolex watch spotter, Nick Gould made an amazing discovery today when he discovered President Elect Joseph Biden wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust as seen below.

President Elect Joe Biden Wearing Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust appears courtesy of AP.

If we zoom in we can seen more detail that allows us to make a positive ID as seen below.

If we do a Bladerunner zoom in we can see even more detail which reveals a Rolex Cyclops Date Window Lens and we also notice there are no crown guards.

Nick and I have been trying to identify the exact Rolex Datejust model President Elect Biden is wearing and our best guess is that he is wearing a modern DATEJUST 41 with a smooth bezel as pictured below. If you look very closely at the zoomed in photo above you can see the serial number on the bottom of the rehaut and it appears Biden's dial is dark.

Of course, I'm naturally curious to learn who gave President Elect Biden his Rolex? Maybe it was from his former partner, former U.S. President Barak Obama who is pictured below wearing his Rolex Cellini 38MM Reference 50509 in white gold?

President Biden will be joining a long list of U.S. President's who wear Rolex as we see the photo below of potentially outgoing U.S. President Donal Trump rocking his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date model...

U.S. President Clinton is pictured below wearing a white gold or platinum Day-Date model as seen on his wrist in the photo below.

President Lyndon Johnson is the person who is really most responsible for nicknaming the Rolex Day-Date as the "Rolex President" as he referred to it as "The President's Watch." In another fascinating twist of fate, Lyndon Johnson began wearing his Rolex when he was President Elect of the United States in December of 1964!?!!

The Rolex Magazine ad below was originally published in 1966 and uses the term "The President's Watch."

President Ronald Reagan wore a Rolex Date on a Jubilee Bracelet for many decades and we see him in the photo below taken in 1965. It is interesting to note that Reagan's stainless steel Rolex on a Jubilee watch looks very similar to President Biden's Rolex pictured at the top of this story.

President Dwight Eisenhower is the first U.S. President I documented wearing a Rolex, and ironically President Biden is wearing the same model of Rolex as Eisenhower which is a Rolex Datejust, although Eisenhower wore a yellow gold Datejust and Biden is wearing a stainless steel Datejust. You can learn much more about by reading my 18 Part story titled "The Complete History of The Rolex President."

In the photo below we see President Elect Joseph Biden with his son Hunter Biden who I reported wears a number of different Rolex watches back in October of 2020.

Special thanks to Nick Gould for his significant contribution to this story!!!