A Most Unusual Date Today

 

Pussy Galore Rolex "Goldfinger" Movie Poster GMT-Master

Update #1: I originally published this story on November 1, 2020. My horological research colleague, Nick Gould just double-verified the Pussy Galore Rolex GMT-Master Poster is 1000% legit, as he discovered a very similar version that was published by the Singaporian Straits Times on August 17, 1965.

Update #2: Nick Gould also double-verified the Sean Connery ThunderBall Rolex ad also featured in this article is 1000% legit!!!

 

Just to be clear, I always thought both of these vintage James Bond Rolex posters were authentic, but it’s nice to now have independent source double-positive ID confirmation.

Pussy Galore

Rolex "Goldfinger" Movie Poster

GMT-Master

Every time I think I've seen it all in the world of Rolex, I seem to stumble across something that seems otherworldly—in the sense it contributes new insight that results in a paradigm shift—and that is the case with this 1965 avant-garde Rolex Pussy Galore Goldfinger movie poster Jose from Perezcope.com shared with me yesterday that features Honor Blackman rocking her Rolex GMT-Master. 

At first glance when I saw this image in lower-resolution I was a little bit skeptical in that it seemed perhaps to be too good to be true, but after careful research Jose got ahold of this higher resolution image (pictured below) and discovered that indeed it is a legitimate Rolex | James Bond | Pussy Galore movie poster!!! 

Ironically, the poster came from a retired Rolex watchmaker who lives in the Canary Islands in Spain (closer to Africa) who was cleaning out his basement and stumbled into this magnificent buried Rolex history treasure!!! Reality—it turns out, is stranger than fiction!!!

When Jose and Nick and I first saw the image we agreed the poster looked legitimate and Jose mentioned he was amazed we had never seen it before, to which I responded "Makes you wonder what else is floating around out there that we still have not discovered!?!!"

The relationship between the early James Bond franchise and Rolex has always been unclear and mysterious. When I started Jake's Rolex World close to 15 years ago, there was no real consensus on the nexus between Bond and Rolex. In other words, there was no apparent evidence that Rolex was at all involved with the James Bond franchise. In 2008 I interviewed T. Walker Lloyd who was a former Rolex U.S.A. executive who recollected being on the set of Thunderball and interacting with Sean Connery, but that discovery really didn't shine that much light on resolving the issue. The discovery of this new poster really sheds substantial new insight on Rolex's participation in the early James Bond franchise relationship.    

So what is so impressive and game-changing about this James Bond Rolex movie poster in relation to Rolex history? A few things:

1. It represents the earliest documented formal link between the James Bond Franchise and Rolex.

2. It offers great insight (think: missing puzzle piece) into how apparently Rolex showcased a mans Rolex being worn by a woman! 

 

Nick Gould pointed out:

 "The photo in the Goldfinger Rolex poster is taken from the scene where Bond is traveling on Goldfinger's jet to the U.S.A. The discovery of this Goldfinger Rolex poster may explain why they included the cigarette lighter scene (pictured below) of the Submariner at the Start of the movie. My take-away is that despite the fact that Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner in the first two James Bond movies (Dr. No in 1962, and From Russia with Love in 1963, Rolex was not involved in any way with the James Franchise since if you watch the first two films you don't get to see the dial or watch in close-up detail. Then all of a sudden in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) we see Rolex watches up-front-and-center on the wrist of James Bond (Sean Connery) and Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman".

Nick Gould also pointed out:

    "This would also explain the GMT-Master on the wrist of Felix Leiter

 

     who was played by Rick Van Nutter in Thunderball."

The photo below shows Sean Connery and Rik Van Nutter on the set of Thunderball which was shot in the Bahamas, and we see Rik rocking a GMT-Master.

Another Rolex Model on Sean Connery

Jose from Perezcope.com discovered and made a positive ID on the fascinating photo below and since Sir Sean Connery just passed away I realized now is probably the perfect time to showcase it. This photo shows Sean Connery in Thunderball at 1:10:54 wear a Rolex that appears to be a stainless steel Datejust with a white dial. This is a previously undocumented discovery, but I think it ads valuable context to Nicks historically significant comments.

I would add additional historical context with the fact that in 1963-1963, André Heiniger had just taken over as the Managing Director of Rolex in Geneva, and as a result he began taking Rolex in a whole new direction, which led largely to where Rolex is positioned in the world today. In other words, Rolex was still an up-and-coming company that was still trying to prove itself to the world, whereas today Rolex is considered to be THE Swiss Juggernaut Watch Brand...

It's funny because when I really think about it, I tend to constantly psychoanalyze Rolex history in order to put together all the disparate and seemingly unrelated puzzle pieces :-)

I am aware that at least some of the executives at Rolex in Geneva at the time frowned on Rolex's involvement with the James Bond franchise, as one executive referred to it as a "circus", as if to suggest it was not a worthwhile investment for Rolex. That being said, nobody at the time could be clairvoyant or prescient enough to know how strong of an impact Sean Connery and the James Bond franchise would have on the world—which carries on to this day.

Also, after Sean Connery stepped down as Bond, George Lazenby took his place. George Lazenby already owned and wore a Rolex Submariner, which he said he purchased since he knew Sean wore one. In Lazenby's only Bond movie titled "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" Lazenby also wore a pre-Daytona Rolex Chronograph which EON productions had sourced from a local jewelry store. When Sean Connery returned after Lazenby in "Diamonds Are Forever" he returned sans Rolex. My best guess is that Rolex lost interest at that point, thus the 'circus' comment. This is my best hypothesis. Of course, when Roger Moore first played James Bond in "Live And Let Die", he was wearing a Rolex Submariner. Also, Timothy Dalton wore a Submariner.

It's also funny to consider the fact nobody ever would expect researchers like Jose, Nick and I to dig so deep over the past decade to discover all these fascinating connection points and historical links.

The movie poster below shows a Rolex Submariner being featured in the James Bond movie Thunderball which came out in 1965. I remember when I fist saw this poster being a little cynical about its authenticity, but some deep research proved it to be real, which lends credence to the Pussy Galore Rolex poster featured at the beginning of this story.

One of the ironies with the Thunderbolt poster pictured above is that it features a rare 3, 6, 9 Explorer style dial Submariner [Reference 5512/5513] with then newly developed crown guards, which Sean Connery never wore when he played James Bond, as he wore an older Rolex Submariner [Reference 6538] "Big Crown" model.

I was talking to Nick Gould about the Pussy Galore poster featured at the top of this story and he mentioned it reminded him of the 1965 Redline ad below from his Rolex Racing Champions story he published on RolexMagazine.com earlier this year.

As previously mentioned, Nick and Jose and I believe the poster of Honor Blackman looks to be authentic and here are some more photos of Honor Blackman playing Pussy Galore from Goldfinger wearing her GMT-Master from the same scene in the movie. 

It's kind of profound when you think about it that both Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore) and Sean Connery (James Bond) both passed away in 2020...

ONE MORE THANG

Pepsi GMT-Master

It's Fashion On The Front Page

It's All The Rage

Vogue Magazine Cover 

October 1, 1963

The Vouge Magazine cover below from October 1, 1964 pictured below features Vouge model and actress, Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in Goldfinger wearing a Rolex Pepsi GMT-Master [Reference 6542] and it fascinatingly predates the Honor Blackman poster by less than three months as Goldfinger was released in theaters on January 9, 1965. Nick Gould was responsible for discovering the identity of Tania Mallet on this cover and he pointed out Tania was in Goldfinger.

The photo below of a model wearing a yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master appeared three years later in Vogue Magazine in November of 1966, which at the time would have been considered to be very avant-garde. 

This newly discovered information really does beg the question of what inspired women to start wearing men's professional Rolex watches back in the mid 1960s. The first known women I have documented that wore a Rolex GMT-Master was Shelia Scott who is pictured below in a 1966 Rolex GMT-Master Ad.

This newly discovered information really does beg the question of what inspired women to start wearing men's professional Rolex models? The photo below shows Shelia Scott rocking her Rolex GMT on her wrist back in 1966 as she was in the process of breaking over 100 aviation records.

Women wearing professional men's Rolex models is the epitome of style and refined elegance and femininity.

Speaking of How Women Began Wearing Men's Rolex Watches, we see Vanessa Redgrave pictured below back in 1965 from the film Blow Up (Released: January 1, 1966) rocking a Rolex Submariner.

In the photo below we see Vanessa Redgrave rocking her Rolex Submariner on a leather strap on the outside of her shirt cuff, which was another trendsetting style.

The New Rolex Standard

My best analysis is Rolex tried to make it a trend for women to wear men's Rolex watches from 1960 to 1966 which apparently did NOT catch on. I say this as I have NEVER seen a non Rolex related female voluntarily wear a Rolex men's professional model until the trend seemed to pick back up a decade and a half later in the early 1980s when super-leggy-model, Elle Macpherson began wearing Rolex professional watches, as we see in this first photo with a GMT-Master on her wrist. 

Today it's common to see women wearing Rolex Professional watches, but like many things Rolex, they often take a long time to catch-on, but then they become a Permanent trend. I imagine when a trend persists and becomes permanent we would refer to it as the new standard...

The Rolex Magazine ad below from 1997 that features clothing designer, Adrienne Vittadini perhaps represents the rebirth or recognition of the Rolex trend for women to wear larger, more masculine Rolex professional models. In other words, this 1997 Rolex Magazine Ad is the first one I am aware of that features a woman wearing a Rolex Professional ad.

So the great takeaway point to this story is women began wearing men's 40mm professional watches 62 years ago in 1960, and Rolex showcased them for 6 years until 1966 (56 years ago), but it did not catch on until around 1980 (42 years ago), and has remained constant since then. Ironically it took Rolex a decade and a half to really notice and recognize the trend before they comfortably embraced and celebrated the trend they initially tried to create. It turns out Rolex reality is once again stranger than fiction!?!!

How A Mechanical Watch Works Video...

How A Mechanical Watch Works
Ever wonder how a mechanical watch works? These videos offers a fascinating understanding and insight that answers that questions. This first video offers a modern perspective on the mechanics of how a watch works. In the future, I want to produce some videos on how Rolex movements work, with a series named "Inside Rolex Watches". So an example would be "Inside the Rolex Daytona." For the mean time these videos will have to do...

Next up we have some retro videos produced by the Hamilton Watch Company back in 1949 and 1947. The first film describes how a mechanical watch works, and the second video is titled "What makes a watch fine?"

It is fascinating to note that before World War II, the United States was a watchmaking powerhouse (as witnessed with the video below from Hamilton Watch, but after the war, Switzerland dominated, followed later by Japan.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
Transcending the sport’s traditional boundaries

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race holds a towering status in the world of sailing. First staged in 1945, it captures the attention of a nation with its spectacular Boxing Day start. The 2021 edition, featuring an 88-boat fleet, was a race of two markedly different halves; the first, a punishing test of physical endurance and perseverance, the latter, a heightened examination of mental resilience and tactical judgement. Matt Allen’s 52-foot (15.85 metre) Ichi Ban secured the overall win on time correction, completing the 628-nautical mile (1,163 km) course in 4 days, 10 hours, 17 minutes and 39 seconds. In so doing, the Australians became only the third crew to achieve three victories. Organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Rolex has partnered this race since 2002 as part of its wide-ranging support for yachting dating back more than 60 years.

Francesco Sauro: Underworld Explorer

Francesco Sauro

Underworld Explorer

Over the past two decades I have published some really cool stories about spelunking. Spelunking, if you are not familiar with the term is the study of cave systems. Back in 2010 I published a story about Dr. Arthur Miller who is a famous underwater cave explorer, archaeologist, historian and artist. Also, I wrote extensively back in 2015 about Jean-François Pernette who who is one of the worlds leading cave explorers and was the 1998 Rolex Laureate Winner in the Rolex Awards for Enterprise. I covered his then four decade love affair with his Orange Hand Rolex Explorer II, which he has now been wearing for five decades, which brings us to this fascinating new video Rolex recently introduced, which I highly recommend watching.

Italian speleologist and scientist Francesco Sauro has pursued a lifelong mission of discovery in the Earth’s mysterious underworld. From uncovering the hidden realm of the isolated tepuis table-top mountains in South America and advancing the scientific findings, for which he received a 2014 Rolex Award for Enterprise, to, most recently, exploring the caves of the Atlantic’s Selvagens archipelago, he is providing an archive of time for future generations that shows how life evolved, minerals formed and climate has changed. Determined to reveal the wonders of Earth’s inner space through his many expeditions, Sauro is helping to ensure a Perpetual Planet.

For some reason this video and story remind me of this famous 1964 Rolex Explorer AD titled "On Top Of The Matterhorn.":

Rolex Coolness: Peter Fonda

...Rolex Coolness...

Peter Fonda

1940-2019

The Easy Rider Rolex

Easy Rider Movie [1969]

"Born To Be Wild"

Peter Fonda passed away in August of 2019 at age 79 and left behind quite a legacy.  Peter Fonda co-starred with Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, and Peter Fonda wore a yellow gold Rolex GMT Master in the movie. Easy Rider is considered to be one of the seminal films that defined a generation.

Below is a screen grab of Peter Fonda's Rolex GMT-Master that appeared in the 1969 movie, Easy Rider.

"I'm Hip About Time. 
I Just Gotta Go."
– Peter Fonda

In the photo above and below you see Peter Fonda in Easy Rider rolling his own and you see clear shots of his yellow gold Rolex GMT Master.

"Dude means nice guy. Dude means regular sort of person." –Peter Fonda

Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda are pictured below on the set of Easy Rider and in this shot you again see Peter Fonda's GMT-Master on his wrist.

You can actually see the yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master pictured above on Peter Fonda's wrist in the famous 1969 Easy Rider opening scene it appears briefly on-screen 47 seconds in to the video below.

The Woodstock generation changed America forever, and ironically when Peter Fonda was sporting his yellow gold Rolex GMT Master in Easy Rider, Stephen Stills was on stage at Woodstock, making his debut with Crosby, Stills and Nash while wearing a Rolex Submariner.

The Hippy movement, which stemmed from the 1968 San Francisco Summer Of Love was blossoming across America, and the world. For better or worse, things would never be the same again...

Peter Fonda Tells The Story of

The Origins Of The Easy Rider Rolex

"Every Rolex Tells A Story"

Interesting video of Peter Fonda discussing the origins of his Yellow Gold Rolex Prototype GMT he wore in Easy Rider.

Born To Be Wild

Here is the scene that Peter talks about where he throws away his watch that is not the Rolex

The photo below is of Peter Fonda's actual yellow gold Rolex GMT Master he wore in Easy Rider.

Nick Gould discovered the photo below taken in 1992 that shows Peter Fonda wearing his yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master, and we see his famous sister, Jane Fonda standing next to him.

Sister Jane Fonda

As Barbarella

It is ironic, at the time Peter Fonda was filming Easy Rider, his sister Jane Fonda was filming Barbaralla which was also considered to be a slightly rebellious, counter-culture movie. Jane and Peter's father was the extremely famous movie star, Henry Fonda.

Henry Fonda is pictured below with his son Peter Fonda, and his daughter, Jane Fonda

100 Year Old Rolex Watchmaker

Georges Dubois

Retired 100 Year Old Rolex Watchmaker

My favorite aspect of researching and writing about Rolex history is PEOPLE. As much as I love superb timeless Rolex design language and the watches themselves, I have always been more fascinated with the people who wear and make Rolex watches a reality, and that is what makes this story so interesting...

My horological history colleague, David Boettcher who is a Fellow with the British Horological Institute and I were recently having a brilliant conversation about Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf. David Boettcher is the world's leading expert on early Rolex history and wrote a superb article on Hans Wildorf which I highly recommend reading. 

I mentioned to David I only knew of one person who is still alive today that knew Wilsdorf—who is featured in a soon to be published story I have been working on for many years. I asked David if he knew of anyone else who is still living that knew Hans Wilsdorf, then today he sent me this link to a superb WATCHES TV interview between retired Rolex and Patek Philippe watchmaker, Mr. Georges Dubois and Marc André Deschoux, which I highly recommend watching. After working for Rolex during World War II, Mr. Georges Dubois went to work for Patek Philippe as a watchmaker for 38 years.

Paul Newman's Birthday

Paul Newman's Birthday

Paul Newman was born on January 26, 1925, which makes today the 97th anniversary of his birth. Paul Newman is one of the coolest guys to ever wear a Rolex, and we see him below on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine rocking his Big Red Daytona [Reference 6263]. Paul Newman wore many different Rolex Daytona models during his life including his white exotic dial Daytona which is considered to be the holy grail of Rolex Daytona models.

James Bond Director, Cary Fukunaga: Rolex Day-Date

 

...James Bond Director...

Cary Fukunaga

Rolex Day-Date

Featured on Cover of The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter recently published a superb story on Cary Fukunaga that features him on the cover and in a pictorial rocking his Rolex Day-Date which really places him in great light so you can get a great look at his watch. Cary is the very first American director to direct a James Bond Film, which just happens to be the 25th James Bond Film.

No Time To Die is Daniel Craig's last James Bond film, and obviously he will be missed as many people love him as Bond. Captain Danny posted a story on No Time To Die back in September just before it debuted in movie theaters. It's kind of ironic to see a James Bond movie Director rocking a Rolex Day-Date for obvious reasons...

Rolex Macro Shot of the Day: Green Is Good...Ya, Ya!!!

Rolex Macro Coronet Shot Of The Week

An LV Submariner Coronet Up-Close

This LV Coronet Shot is great. Rolex started adding the etched Rolex Coronet to their synthetic sapphire crystals several years ago. It is always located in the six o'clock position and looks really cool.