CHIO Aachen 2024...

CHIO Aachen 2024

Highlights Presented by Rolex

The Rolex Grand Prix at The CHIO Aachen is one of the four equestrian Majors that form the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping and is one of the most prestigious Grand Prix on the international circuit. Re-live the excitement of this competition at the world’s leading venue, as the finest riders compete for this prestigious title.

From Russia With Rolex Love: Adriyan Nikolayev Soviet Cosmonaut

From Russia With Rolex Love

Andriyan Nikolayev

Soviet Cosmonaut

Deputy Director of Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

One of the most fascinating things about Rolex history is the fact that we keep discovering new puzzle pieces that keep changing and enhancing the course of Rolex history. This story being a perfect case-in-point! Pointed Crown Guard (PCG) in particular...

The photo above of Soviet Cosmonaut, Andriyan Nikolayev appears courtesy of TASS and was shared by Philip from Moonwatch Universe. Philip wrote the third chapter in the 3rd edition of Moonwatch Only, and was also a recent guest on the podcast Time 4 A Pint where he discussed A Brief History of Watches in Space. 

In the photo above which was taken in August of 1963 we see Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin (left), Pavel Popovich (second left), German Titov and Andriyan Nikolayev (right). Andriyan Nicolayev was the third cosmonaut to travel into space.

Nikolayev traveled to the United States in 1971, where he met with NASA Astronauts who gave him signed photos.

Many U.S. Test pilots and NASA Astronauts wore Rolex GMT-Master models, including to and on the moon! What would you think if I told you a Russian Cosmonaut wore a GMT-Master before an American Astronaut? It's hard to belive but true as we see in the photo below taken in 1965 that shows Russian Cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev sporting his Pepsi GMT-Master in photos with his wife and daughter discovered by Nick Gould. To the best of my knowledge this predates any American Astronaut wearing a Rolex GMT-Master.

As a Soviet Cosmonaut, Andriyan Nikolayev was number 3, and flew two space flights. His wife, Valentina Tereshkova is pictured below with their daughter, Elena who is considered the first space child in history, since both her parents with spacefarers.

Adriyan Nikolayev was married to Valentina Tereshkova (pictured above and below) and she was the first women in Space, whereby in 1963 she orbited earth 48 times in her Vostok-6 over the course of 3 days!!!

Clyde Beatty 1964 Datejust Ad

Clyde Beatty

1964 Datejust Ad 

Circus Impresario 

Lion Tamer with Two Tiger Cubs

One of my absolute favorite aspects of journaling Rolex history is discovering brilliant vintage ads that had previously disappeared into the abyss. In other words, I think vintage Rolex ads are often times even more interesting than the Rolex watches featured in them. Every so often I discover a vintage Rolex ad that takes my breath away and this beauty from 1964 is one of them. 

There is something so cool about the overall composition of this ad I recently acquired that makes it so cool looking. As I have mentioned before, I perceive these vintage ads as being high-art in-and-of-themselves.

1964 Clyde Beatty Rolex Datejust Magazine Ad

Another one of my favorite things to do when exploring vintage Rolex ads is to do a deep dive into the backstory behind the person featured in the ad, which often times offers me a fascinating history lesson and this ad is no exception. Let's begin by examining a photo that Nick Gould discovered that features Clyde Beatty wearing his Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet. In the photo below we see Clyde Beatty with Prince Rainier of Monaco along with his son, daughter and beautiful wife, Princess Grace of Monaco with Clyde Beatty pictured on the far right rocking his Datejust which is featured in the 1964 Rolex ad seen above.

What can be said of a man long after he has departed the living world? That he left the world having made it a better place than when he entered it? That he made a significant contribution to mankind's understanding of the world we still share? Or, as Saroyan brilliantly said:

"In the time of our life, live—so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it." 

—William Saroyan 

(Pulitzer Prize winner who wrote: The Time of Your Life, 1939)

Clyde Beatty was born in 1903 in Bainbridge, Ohio and passed away at age 62 in 1965 in Ventura, California. Clyde was a famed animal trainer, actor, circus mogul, and zoo owner. 

Clyde Beatty stood 5 foot 6 inches and was nicknamed  'Scrap-Iron Shorty' was the first lion tamer to be featured in a circus and was best known for his 'fighting Act' where he would enter the cage only equipped with a chair, whip, pistol on his hip and a tremendous amount of courage and confidence. 

I was not familiar with Clyde Beatty until I saw his really cool 1964 Rolex ad featured toward the top of this story, but researching and sharing his career achievements has been fascinating. My takeaway from this story is that he personally exhibited many of the characteristics that make a Rolex a Rolex which are strength, value, competent, timelessness, elegance and precision.

Rolex Retail: What is Going on?

 

Rolex Retail

What is Going on?

Scarcity v. Abundance

I was recently in a Rolex authorized dealership and I noticed the strangest thing. I took the photo below which shows the ENTIRE Rolex retail showcase, and could not help but notice there were a total of ONLY 18 Rolex watches in these very small and minimalistic glass exhibition showcases.

Also there are small signs in each case with the watches that say "THE WATCHES DISPLAYED ARE FOR EXHIBITION ONLY". I also noticed there are copies of The Rolex Magazine showcased on the countertop which actually looks REALLY COOL!!!

Granted, the Rolex authorized dealership display case pictured above was in a smaller mall, and was NOT a big store, but nonetheless I was surprised at how sparse the collection was. I remember the first time I really noticed and studied the display case in a Rolex authorized dealership when I was 16 years old and that was 41 years ago, and I remember tripping on how many Rolex watches they had under the glass showcase. In other words, they had EVERY main Rolex model in the showcase, for sale. 

I took the photo above and below at Fourtane in Carmel, California in 2008, which is a Rolex authorized dealer, and notice the amazing difference in the retail casing, in the sense they used to carry their inventory in the exhibition cases out on the retail floor, but it seems now like they must keep their inventory in a safe in the back of the store. 

In the old days, it must have been a complete pain-in-the-ass for the retail employees to have to refill/repopulate the showcase every morning before the retail store opens by moving watches from the safe to the retail showcase cabinets. Then, at the end of the day, having to shlep them back into the safe.

So the question I ask is, why is Rolex moving toward such a minimalistic approach to retail showcasing in authorized dealers? I did notice that none of the other brands in the retailer had changed over to a minimalist approach—just Rolex. 

I wonder if Rolex is taking more of an Apple-like minimalist approach, or maybe it's an anti-theft approach based upon increased insurance premiums for exposure? I think if you walk into a store and there are hundreds of Rolex watches in a case it suggests abundance, coupled with a lack of scarcity. When there are are so few Rolex watch models in the sparsely populate small cases, is suggests rarity and scarcity.

So what is really going on with Rolex Supply and Demand? From what I understand, Rolex demand is still unusually high for many popular models, as Rolex has been able to increase supply a bit. While the broader watch market demand has been cooling down since interest rates increased significantly, Rolex remains at the top of their game as they evolve to embrace the future.

Hans Wilsdorf Smartphone Wallpaper by Captain Danny

HANS WILSDORF

Smartphone Wallpaper

by Captain Danny

Our Captain Danny was experimenting with making wallpaper for his iPhone, and he came up with this super-cool wallpaper that shows an artistic version of a photo of Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf that was taken in 1906, and he simply put his first name (HANS) below the image. 

Captain Danny showed it to me and I was so impressed I asked if we could share it, and, of course, he said yes. So you can download the image below and put it on your iPhone or Smartphone.

Captain Danny never ceases to amaze me with his creativity as he constantly surprises me with great ideas. Speaking of great ideas, if you haven't had a chance, be sure to check out his Coronet Rolex blog which is very cool.

Captain Danny's Coronet blog is my favorite Rolex blog, beside Jake's Rolex World, as he always offers superb insight, and he typically does it in bite size pieces, with stories that take around a minute or so to enjoy.

ONE MORE THANG

Captain Danny and I were talking about this article after I published it yesterday, and we decided in the future we plan to build an online library of Rolex images for smartphone wallpaper, and here is another one Captain Danny created to share with you:

1966 Asprey Rolex Add Rolex Submariner Reference 5513

1966 Asprey Rolex Ad
Rolex Submariner Reference 5513

This 1966 Rolex Magazine Ad shows the rare 3-6-9 Explorer dial Rolex Submariner being offered by Asprey which is located on Bond Street in England. One of the most interesting details in this add is that the Rolex Submariner was selling for 69 British Pounds, which in today's dollars would be $77. Today this same Rolex Submariner would be worth close to $200,000 in U.S. Dollars!!!

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day Andreas' Rolex Explorer II...

...Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day...

Andreas' Rolex Explorer II

Rolex Spotting @ The 2024 Republican Convention

Rolex Spotting

@ The 2024 Republican Convention

These are some interesting times we are living through, which I will get more into a little later in this article. The notion that a Rolex doesn't just tell time, but it tells history is profoundly true and on-point as we witness in this article.

This week the world witnessed the Republican National Convention which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Donald Trump Jr. gave a speech were he began by introducing his oldest daughter, Kai Madison Trump, and both of them were rocking Rolex watches. The younger Donald was rocking his GTM-Master, and his daughter, Kai was rocking a ladies two-tone Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

I wrote a super detailed article about the new GMT-Master with the black and grey bezel, just after it was introduced back in April of 2024 by Rolex at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Switzerland. This particular GMT-Master Rolex model which is pictured above on Donald Trump Jr.'s wrist is endowed with intentionally low-key characteristic as it doesn't pop nearly as much as its Pepsi or Batman bezel brethren versions.

Last month, just after the Presidential debate between President Trump and President Biden, I published a story, and included the photo below of President Biden with his son, Hunter Biden who is pictured wearing his stainless steel Batman Rolex GMT-Master on an Oyster bracelet, and in the photo above we see Donald Trump Jr. rocking the newly introduced black and gray ceramic bezel insert GMT-Master on a Jubilee bracelet. My takeaway is, how ironic is it both sons of the leading U.S. Presidential candidates from both the Republican and Democrat parties both wear Rolex GMT-Master watches!?!!

This strikes me as profound as the two parties seem to have never been in greater polar opposition, but ironically then one thing their sons seem to agree upon is rocking a Rolex GMT-Master. 

In the photo below we see President Biden giving his inaugural address, and we see him rocking his stainless steel Rolex Datejsut which his wife, Jill gave him as a congratulatory give after having won the election. This was discovered by Nick Gould.

Biden Resigns

What a whirlwind this past week has been? Among many of the outstanding events was President Biden announcing he would not be running for reelection in 2024. If I recall correctly, Biden is the first president to wear a Rolex in the Oval Office since, President Lyndon Johnson, although, I recall President Ronald Reagan also wore his stainless steel Rolex Datejust while in office.

Nick Gould discovered the amazing image below that shows President Biden whacking the time on his Rolex Datejust as he sits at the Resolute Desk on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House photo by Adam Shultz). After I originally posted this story Nick quipped to me "Still the best photo ever".

in the photo below we see a similar 41MM Rolex Datejust to President Biden's model. The only difference so far as I can tell is Biden's watch features a plain, non-fluted bezel.

Kai Madison Trump, who is Donald Trump Jr.'s gorgeous daughter, made her political debut when she gave a moving speech about her support for as well as her relationship with her grandfather, President Donald J. Trump. As Kai walked out on stage, we see she was rocking a ladies Rolex on a Jubilee bracelet.

Below we see the video footage from the 2024 Republican convention where Donald Trump Jr. introduces his daughter, Kai Madison Trump, before he makes his own speech. BTW, on a side note, I think it is likely Donald Trump Jr. will become a future President of the United States, which is just my prediction, but remember you read it here first. Also, when you watch the video below, notice both Donald Trump Jr, and his daughter, Kai Madison Trump are both rocking Rolex watches on Jubilee bracelets.

In the photo below, we see President Trump rocking his yellow gold Rolex President, before he was elected President of the United States. It is worth pointing out, the best scholarship suggests Donald Trump was the first and only U.S. President to rock a Rolex before he was elected President. So this means we witness three generations of Trump's rocking Rolex, which is interesting. 

The Teflon Don

Survives Assassination Attempt 

To say we are living through some strange times would be an understatement, as last week the world witnessed President Trump getting shot in the ear while giving a speech in Pennsylvania as he ran for President. Just after being shot in the ear, Trump stood up in defiance to face the audience members at his speech event and pumped his fist while repeating "Fight!, Fight!, Fight!!!"

It's worth noting the similarities between Trumps assassination attempt and JFK's assassination. In particular, Trump was shot in the same area of his head that JFK was shot, which is just above the right ear, and they were both shot by supposed patsy lone gunmen that are commonly referred to with 3 word names: Lee Harvey Oswald (Age:24)  and Thomas Matthew Crooks (Age: 20)...I imagine it's just another peculiar coincidence...

The harrowing footage below shows the assanaiton attempt on President Trump as well as the moments leading up to the shooting which begins at 8:55:

Next up we see President Trump as he gives his speech at the The Republican National Convention, in which he goes into detail on the assassination attempt:

In the photo below we see President Trump's two sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, admiringly looking at their father at the Republican National Convention early this week, and more than anything it looks like they are both staring at his white bandage covering his ear. At this point I would say there is a 99%++ likelihood Trump, at age 78 will again be the next president of the United States...

Last up, we see a moving speech given at the RNC by a World War II veteran. 

In Memoriam: Anthony Bourdain

In Memoriam

Anthony Bourdain

Lover of Food, Travel, Rolex

  

         

Anthony Bourdain was one of the coolest guys to ever wear a Rolex watch. Our Captain Danny wrote this superb story about his love of Rolex.

American celebrity chef, author and travel documentarian, Anthony Bourdain passed away six years ago, in June of 2018, at the age of 61, and was survived by his then 11-year-old daughter (pictured below).

Bourdain and a CNN crew were preparing to film an episode on Alsatian food for the CNN hit show "Parts Unknown." I grew up and lived in Alsace, the beautiful and culinary-rich region of Northeast France. 

For me, Alsatian food will always be the perfect combination of the clarity of flavor the French are known for, with the German heft and heartiness that leave you full and satisfied. We will never see Bourdain's episode on Alsatian food, but I'm sure he found it delicious.

Another kinship I've felt with Bourdain is our profession. As a pilot for a major airline, I know what it's like to discover new countries and new cultures, and partake of the local cuisines without fear or prejudice. 

Bourdain has admitted he'd occasionally get sick from the local food. "I have to take one for the team," he'd say. As a pilot, I have to be careful that the food I eat is always fresh. Pro tip: When I go to a local restaurant abroad, I ask my waiter two questions: What is his/her favorite dish on the menu? And what do patrons order most?

I love Bourdain's blacked-out Rolex Milgauss. He is wearing it as he is preparing food for an episode with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.  

I read in an interview that Bourdain’s original pitch for the series was, roughly, “I travel around the world, eat a lot of sh*t, and basically do whatever the f*ck I want.” I'm sure glad he has a Rolex on his wrist while he does all that! Below, he meets former President Barack Obama outside a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

“I’m a guy who needs a lot of projects,” Bourdain once said. “I would probably have been happy as an air-traffic controller.” 

He would have been happy in the cockpit of my jet as well. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is one of my favorite people in the world spoke on CNN about Anthony Bourdain's authenticity.

Anderson Cooper is featured below doing a special on Anthony Bourdain.