...Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day... White Gold Rolex Daytona

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

White Gold Rolex Daytona

Season's Greetings from Hans Wilsdorf, Founder Of Rolex

Season's Greetings

From Christmas 76 Years Ago

Hans Wilsdorf

Founder Of Rolex

Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex is one of the most successful and fascinating entrepreneurs in history. Hans built a world-wide wrist watch empire that is stronger and healthier today than ever. I have been utterly fascinated with learning everything I could about Hans life and times which I have shared with my readers over the past 17 years, and I have also been working on a series of 15 books that cover the entire Rolex History arc, and Volume 1 tells the never before story about this amazing man.

My inspiration for writing my upcoming book on Hans Wilsdorf was based upon the fact I wanted to learn what made Hans Wilsdorf tick, as it offers clues into what makes Rolex tick. In many ways when Hans got older, he became and remains a prolific benevolent avuncular figure on many levels. In the photo below Hans Wilsdorf, kind of reminds me of Santa Claus, sans the beard.

Jake's Rolex World, in my mind, is like a Rolex Time Machine that can take us back to yesteryear so we can take a nostalgic look around. The Season's Greetings message below from Hans Wilsdorf was originally published in 1948 and appears as part of my story titled "The Vintage Rolex Christmas Ads & Black Tie Guide." Hans Wilsdorf message is as apropos and on-point today as it was when first published 76 Christmases ago in 1948. 

Rolex has always been a chic brand for women as we see below in the vintage 1931 Rolex Ad.

The next Rolex ad was originally published in 1968 and features a beautiful woman wearing Pucci.

In this last image we see the gorgeous Skier and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Lindsey Vonn rocking her Submariner from several Christmases ago. You can learn much more about The Rolex Woman and How Women Began Wearing Men's Rolex Watches on Jake's Rolex World.

To all my readers located all over planet earth, I wish you a very Merry Christmas,  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!

Holiday Video: Marshmallow World with Frank and Dino

...It's A Marshmallow World...
Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra
1967 Family Christmas Special
Dean Martin singing Marshmallow World has always been one of my favorite Holiday songs, since it is so positive and upbeat, and what could be any better?  Watching Dino singing Marshmallow World with Frank Sinatra.  It doesn't get any better than this!!!!!
 

In the photo below we see Dean Martin's family with Frank Sinatra's family on the set of a Christmas special from 1967.

In 1967, Dean Marin and Frank Sinatra had a special two-family Christmas Show and in the photo below you see Gail Martin with her dad Dean Martin, and then you see Frank Sinatra with his daughter Nancy.

Also, you can watch the entire 1968 Dean Marin Christmas Show below...

Speaking of great Christmas shows from the mid to late 1960s, The Andy Williams Christmas show from 1966 which you can watch below is amazing—especially the music...

Since we are enjoying some amazing Christmas music video, I could not leave this one out which features David Bowie and Bing Crosby singing Little Drummer Boy...

Have Yourself A Very Merry ROLEXMAS!!!

1922 Rolex Submarine

1922

Rolex Submarine

The Photos below feature a hermetic Rolex 'Submarine' watch made in 1922. Note, it's NOT named 'Submariner', but 'Submarine' as it was based upon the same principle as a Submarine hatch that would spin open and closed like a jar lid. It was called a 'Hermetic' watch as this new style of watch completely protected the entire movement, and notice, when it is sealed the watch winding crown, is hidden inside the watch. This case design was originally patented by Jean Finger in 1921, and Hans Wilsdorf later purchased the rights to the patent. 

1922 Rolex Submariner 

Think of a Hermetically sealed watch as being very similar to a jar lid (with a round glass aperture window) screwed on a jar. Once the lid is screwed into place, it forms an impervious barrier. No liquid can get in or out of the jar when the lid is securely screwed into place. (This, of course, is if you do not submerge the watch in deep water. At some point, without a gasket the case would fail and let water in). In many ways the Rolex Submarine was the great grandfather of the Rolex Submariner which Rolex would bring to life three decades later.

This page below shows Rolex's trademark for THE SUBMARINE, which was first registered in 1922, most fascinatingly by Rolex Founder, Hans Wilsdorf, himself!

The absolutely fascinating trademark page above and below are from the Swiss Journals E-Periodica and the one below features Rolex trademarks from 1938-1939, including the ROLEX AQUA, ROLEX RANGER, ROLEX SUBMARINE, and THE TUDOR. It's also worth noting in the bottom left hand corner there is a trademark from December of 1938 that is named "SOUSMARINE", which is French for "Submarine".

Franz von Holzhausen Paul Newman Rolex Daytona

Franz von Holzhausen 

Paul Newman Rolex Daytona

For a while now, I have been trying to get a close look at Tesla Lead Designer, Franz Von Holzhausen's vintage Rolex Daytona, as I can't help but wonder or speculate as to wether or not he is wearing Paul Newman's own black dial Daytona? 

Update on December 21, 2024: Bryan wrote in and said, "Just thought I’d give you a heads up.  The watch Franz is wearing is not a Rolex Daytona but a Breitling 765 AVI / Co-Pilot Panda from the 1963 era.  You can even slightly see the large lime 15 sec timer or right sub dial." I am so embarrassed, but I still love the look of Franz's Breitling, which is a really cool looking watch!!!

The photo above appears courtesy of the Wall Street Journal and it shows Franz Von Holzhausen sitting in the back of a prototype Tesla CyberTruck. The image below shows Franz Von Holzhausen in a recent video where we see a close up of his Daytona—which looks super cool!!!!

The screen grabs above that show Franz Von Holzhausen showing off and discussing the Tesla CyberTaxi were taken from the video below, which is fascinating:

Gamal Abdel Nasser: An Egyptian Rolex President

 ...Rolex Leadership...

Gamal Abdel Nasser

An Egyptian Rolex President

Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected as the second President of Egypt in 1954, and he owned and wore one of the coolest Rolex Day-Date Presidential models during his presidency. 

Nasser's Rolex Day-Date recently came to auction at Sotheby's Auction House and it completely shattered Sotheby's Estimate of between $30,000 - $60,000 USD, as it sold for $840,000 USD. The dial on President Nasser's Rolex is described as being a champagne 'Claw' dial. Sotheby's wrote a fascinating overview of Nasser's Rolex Day-Date.

There are so many details that make this Rolex a magnificent masterpiece of horology. I would begin by pointing out the Arabic writing in the Day and Date windows, then I would point out the almost dauphine-like sword hands, coupled with the stunning "claw" indices. This model remains classic yet exotic at the same time, which is an awesome combination.

Below we see the included provenance letter that accompanied President Nasser's Rolex, which was written by his grandson.

In the photo below we see Egyptian President Nasser with United States, President Eisenhower, who was also famous for wearing a yellow gold Rolex.

President Eisenhower famously wore a yellow gold Rolex  Datejust, on a matching yellow gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet as pictured on his wrist below.

President Eisenhower really set the standard for world leaders to wear Rolex Political Dress "Tool" watches, and we see his actual Rolex pictured below.

The Rolex Magazine ad pictured below was published in 1964, and features Rolex's brilliant "Men who guide the destinies of the world wear Rolex watches" slogan which was developed by Rolex Marketing Director, René-Paul Jeanneret.

In the photo below we see the Arabic caseback engraving on President Nasser's watch which reads "Mr. Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" 

Condition Report

As Detailed by Sotheby's Auction House

Case: The case is in overall very good condition and has surface scratches and nicks throughout visible to the naked eye commensurate with normal wear and age. The case and case back have developed an even patina. The buckle is in commensurate condition. There is wear on the number engravings in between the lugs and a dent at 6 o’clock under the engravings in between the lugs. There are some light scratches on the back of the lugs from the spring bars being removed in the past. 

The case back is engraved Mr. Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963 in Arabic is crisp. The inside case back has a service mark. Gold mark is clear and crisp behind the lugs. The buckle is engraved ‘PLAQUEG’ and is signed Rolex S.A. Please note that the spring bar on the buckle is generic and is not plated. Please note that the strap is not signed Rolex.

Dial: The dial is in overall very good condition. There is a small, light mark from oxidation above the ‘Y’ of ‘OYSTER’ and another near the date window. There is partial loss of luminous material at 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 o’clock, and full loss at 4 o’clock. However, the dial still has a Geiger counter reading. Some of the luminous material has detached from the plots and is present on the dial’s surface. 

Movement: The movement is running at the time of cataloging. The movement was not tested for the accuracy of time or duration of the power reserve and may need service at the buyer’s discretion. Please note that Sotheby’s does not guarantee the future working of the movement.

Lisa Su: TIME 2024 CEO OF THE YEAR

...The Modern Rolex Woman...

Lisa Su

TIME 2024 CEO OF THE YEAR 

Nick Gould discovered these photos of AMD CEO, Lisa Su featured on the cover of TIME Magazine rocking her yellow gold Rolex Lady Datejust with a diamond bezel, and Nick said, "Women who guide the destinies of the world wear Rolex Watches", and suggested "Rolex should have run that altered tagline in the past. Time.com has a fascinating article all about what makes Lisa Su so successful, and it includes a video interview, and her role in developing innovative chips for AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Your Watermark Text

Lisa was born Lisa-Tzwu-Fang Su in Taiwan, and moved to the United States as a young child at 3 years of age. She went on to earn three degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and went on to work at Texas Instruments, IMB and Freescale Semiconductor in engineering and management. Su is perhaps best known for developing silicon-on-insulator semiconductor manufacturing technology, and specialized in making semiconductor chips far more efficient while at IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center.

In 2014, Su was appointed President and CEO of AMD in October of 2014 after joining the company in 2012 where she held roles like senior VP of AMD's global business units. Most profoundly, during her tenure as CEO of AMD, their market capitalization has grown from 3 Billion to more than $200 Billion. As a mater of fact, AMD overtook Intel in market capitalization.

Rolex has long been associated with TIME Magazine and is a proud sponsor with TIME PERSON OF THE YEAR. The image below is not a clickable ad. I just did a screengrab from here article on Time.

New Discovery: Genesis of Solid End Links (SEL)

New Discovery

Genesis of Solid End Links (SEL)

Found on Rolex Datejust

Last week I published a super-detailed story on the history of the Rolex Turn-O-Graph, and Rolex Thunderbird. Even though it might appear I have moved-on with stories, I have been working on updating and expanding that article every day since I first published it, (worth a look-see if you haven't seen it since I originally published it :-) and recently I made a discovery which I think is pretty profound! It was previously believed the first Rolex watch with a Rolex Oyster bracelet that featured Solid End Links, commonly referred to in its acronym form by vintage Rolex collectors and scholars as "SEL", came into existence with the yellow gold Rolex Submariner (Reference 1680) which Rolex introduced in 1969. 

Above we see a Rolex Submariner brochure from the early 1970s, which features the stainless steel Submariner (Reference 1680), as well as the yellow gold Submariner variant, along with the first commercially available Rolex SEA-DWELLER (Reference 1665). It's interesting to note, for all the hardcore Rolex history buffs, the photo in the upper right hand corner of the diver is none other than legendary deep sea diver, oceanographic expert and Rolex U.S.A. Executive, T. Walker Lloyd.

Rolex introduced the first Rolex Submariner model with a Date in 1967, with the introduction of the stainless steel Submariner model (Reference 1680), but it did NOT feature Solid End Links. This model was a huge hit and two years later, in 1969, Rolex introduced a premium luxury version which featured a number of details which differentiated it. This included, among other things, nipple indices (5 minute markers on dial), as well as Solid End Links.

First SEL Rolex Model

I believe I just discovered an even earlier Rolex Datejust that featured Solid End Links (SEL), and while I don't have an exact date, would imagine this model was made, based upon its design language characteristics, in the late 1950s, or early 1960s. I would date it this way based upon the combination of dauphin hands, and the applied ROLEX sans-serif logo on the dial under the Rolex Crown/Coronet, coupled with the sharp pointed late art-deco 5-minute dial indices. I shared my discovery with Nick Gould, and sought his opinion, and he said, "Who knows? Maybe it was a prototype Renè-Paul Jeanneret let out into the wild, as he frequently did?"

I want to point out while this photo from RPR (pictured above) could be an optical illusion, I don't think it is. If you look closely, the end of the center link SEL, is elongated and raised up highly as it juts out—just like a current modern Rolex Oyster Bracelet with SEL— to be held in place by a pin, which as we see has a rivet. 

Just for frame-of-reference, so this all makes sense, I am including the image below from Craft and Tailored that shows a 1958 Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph 6609 which also is on a yellow gold riveted Rolex Oyster Bracelet, but it clearly lacks Solid End Links (SEL). If you look closely you will notice the end links are attached to the bracelet with a standard for the time broken (NON SEL) end link that lies completely flat and is flush with the outer links and joins the bracelet to the end link.

My second observation, and that is the fact that the SEL  mode pictured two images up is on a riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet, which pre-dates the yellow gold Rolex Oyster Bracelet that was introduced on the 1969 yellow gold Rolex Submariner, as we see in the image below from Luca Musumeci. Notice the first generation, gold Rolex Submariner model Oyster Bracelet did NOT feature a riveted bracelet, but instead features the much more modern milled Oyster bracelet.

On a side note, the first generation yellow gold Submariner models, with the cobalt blue dial and matching bezel insert, with nipple indices remain one of my favorite vintage Rolex sport models. These models were just magnificent!!!!

Just for frame-of-reference, I am including the photo above of this magnificently beautiful example of a 1957 Rolex DATEJUST model featuring the THUNDERBIRD bezel insert, which features a remarkably similar dial and hands as the Datejust pictured above with the SEL. Both of the applied ROLEX letter logo, along with lumed dauphin hands., and the exact same bezel. This beauty was auctioned by Christie's back in 2015, and is a Reference 6609, that was made in 1957. The primary reason I added it to this story is to accurately date the SEL model.

SIDENOTE

I reached out to Cameron Barr from Craft & Tailored, to get his insight on this mystery, and he kind of freaked me out with his self-proclaimed "nerd rage", as he went off in detail that almost send my head spinning. He pointed out a potential point of confusion with my story, which I want to clarify. Solid End Link (SEL) can mean two different things. The way I was using it suggests that if the center end link is solid in construction and appearance, it's a Solid End Link, which is the case with the watch pictured below (pun not intended). 

Cameron pointed out the other meaning, which also makes sense. In the early days of the Oyster, it featured a stamped end piece, that were typically pretty flimsy and janky, particularly if yellow gold was used as its relatively soft. 

Then, over time, Rolex evolved the construction to make the end cap look like it was machined or milled from a solid piece of metal, when it was just stamped. Apparently this was the case with the first generation of yellow gold Submariner models. In other word, they looked like they had a solid center end link, but it was still stamped.

Then a few years later, Rolex beefed up the construction and milled the end links out of two separate parts. Then, in or around 2011 Rolex went all in and milled the entire end link out of one solid piece of metal, and this is the way they remain today. This beefier construction makes them much more solid and bulletproof. The really strange thing about the watch pictured above is its center end link is milled or machined, as we can plainly see from the side profile.

For now, this will remain a bit of a mystery until I can get to the bottom of it ;-)

Sam Walton Rolex Day-Date...

...Rolex Business Magnate...

Sam Walton

Kept The Time Of His Life With Rolex

1918-1992

Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date

Success is a fascinating subject. Chances are, if you are reading this, you are somewhat pre-occupied with success. Rolex in many ways is considered to be 'The International Mark Of Success.'  So a great question, is 'who is the most successful businessman to ever wear a Rolex?' The answer is easy, Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and Sam's Club. Sam Walton is arguably the most successful American Businessman in history. Walmart is the biggest retailer in the world today.

So what makes Sam Walton the most successful businessman in history? When he passed away in 1992, he was the wealthiest man in America. Sam left his fortune to his wife and children, which was split between them. If you add up that collective wealth today, it is far greater than Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Carlos Slim, or Warren Buffet's collective wealth. In other words, in excess of $100 Billion!!!

Sam Walton not only wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, but also wore a Rolex Submariner, which I have seen in the past.

Sam Walton is pictured below with his brother, James Lawrence "Bud" Walton who worked together to build the Walmart empire.

Sam Walton co-authored a book named Sam Walton: Made In America, which I read many years ago. It is the story of his amazing life achievements.

In the photo below we see Jim Walton, who is Sam Walton's youngest son, and according to Forbes Magazine 2016 list of Billionaires, he is currently worth $33.5 Billion. Notice Jim Walton is wearing a Rolex Explorer. Collectively, Sam Walton's family members are worth more than $100 Billion today!!!