Stainless Steel & Platinum Yacht-Master Cobalt Blue Sunray Dial!!!

...Best New Rolex Model Of 2012 Award...

Stainless Steel & Platinum Yacht-Master

Cobalt Blue Sunray Dial

[40mm: Reference 116622]

As we all prepare for 2013, I thought it would make sense to take a look back and decide what the best new Rolex model was for 2012, and my favorite is the all-new Platinum & Stainless Steel Yachtmaster with Blue Dial. Why? Rolex very, very rarely introduces all-new models, but when they originally introduced the Yacht-Master in 1992 it was a Reference 16628 in 18kt gold, with a white dial and 3135 movement, which was the same movement used in the Rolex Submariner. 

All New Blue Dial Yacht-Master Photo By Jurgen

At BaselWorld in 1999 Rolex suprised everyone when the introduced the stainless steel and platinum version. Rolex refers to the combination of Stainless Steel and Platinum as Rolesium. This all-new model was the first to bring back the timeless Maxi Markers and fat hands. Since then Rolex has slowly returned all sports models to incorporate Maxi Markers and fat hands-Thank God!!! 

The stainless and platinum Yacht-Master dial and bezel were made out of platinum but, the challenge was that the watch had no contrast. It was beautiful but it looked albino and had no pop. That all changed this rear at BaselWorld when Rolex introduced the new 40mm Reference 116622 with a Cobalt Blue Sunray dial, which is just stunning. With this new version Rolex also updated the case design, by giving the Yacht-Master a Supercase, which means, they made the lugs much thicker.

If you want to learn more about the origins of the Rolex Yacht-Master be sure to check out my story titled, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Yacht-Master."

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Paul Newman Daytona...On The Set Of The Color Of Money

...Rolex Super-Coolness...

Paul Newman Daytona

Accepting An Academy Award On The Set Of The Color Of Money

Hi Everybody!!!

I hope you are all having a great holiday season, and I wish you all a very happy new year!!! 2013 is going to be a great year on Jake's Rolex World and I will be bringing you some amazing new Rolex history!!! 

I am starting a little early with these next two images which have never been published on the web. They were both taken in early 1986 on the set of the Academy Award Winning "The Color Of Money." 

This first image was taken on March 24, 1986 and shows Paul Newman accepting an Honorary Oscar via Satellite on the set of The Color Of Money. Notice Paul Newman is wearing one of his trademark Paul Newman Rolex Daytona watches on a FatStrap.  Ironically, Paul Newman would go on to win another Academy Award for Best Actor later that year, for his role in The Color Of Money!!!

This next image taken on the set of The Color Of Money, show Paul Newman with his co-star, Tom Cruise. Notice Paul Newman is sporting his same black dial Rolex Daytona on a FatStrap. What makes these two images interesting is that Paul Newman wore a stainless steel Rolex Datejust in the movie, but you see that when he was not acting he was wearing his trademark Paul Newman Daytona. In the future, I will add these image to The Complete History Of The Paul Newman Daytona Story on Jake's Rolex World.

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

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

White Gold Rolex Daytona

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Rolex Coolness: Jack Klugman Two Absolute Classics

Rolex Coolness: Jack Klugman

From

The Twilight Zone

to

The Odd Couple

to

Quincy M.E.

Jack Klugman passed away today, and now belongs to the ages. Jack was born Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman on April 27, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and passed away on Christmas Eve 2012. He was one of the most beloved and great American character actors in film, stage and television, with amazing career achievements, and as we see below, his trademark Rolex GMT Master is as classic as he is.

Jack Klugman began his acting career during World War II in the United States Army and was roommates with in New York City with Charles Bronson prior to either actor becoming famous.

Jack Klugman began his film career in 1957 in 12 Angry Men and in 1962 he starred in Days Of Wine And Roses. Jack is perhaps best know for his TV career. He and Burgess Meredith are tied for the most appearances on the Twilight Zone with 4 appearances each. The Twilight zone was a Science Fiction Mystery-thriller that is still considered to this day to be a work of art.

"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone." –Rod Serling.

Jack Klugman was an early TV pioneer and began his TV career in 1950 on The Actor's Studio.

In 1961, Jack Klugman stared in an episode of the Twilight Zone titled "A Game Of Pool" and Jonathan Winters co-stared with him.

In the Game Of Pool episode of Twilight Zone, Jack Klugman plays Jesse Cardiff, a pool shark in Chicago. Johnathan Winters plays Fats Brown as seen above and below. In the Opening narration it to this episode it says "Jesse Cardiff, pool shark on Randolf Street, will soon learn that trying to be the best at anything carries its own special risks, in or out of the Twilight Zone.

The closing Narration says "Mr. Jesse Cardiff, who became a legend by beating one, but who has found out after his funeral that being the best of anything carries with it a special obligation to keep proving it. Mr. Fats Brown, on the other hand having relinquished the champion's mantle, has gone fishing. These are the ground rules, in the Twilight Zone."

In Praise Of Pip

Twilight Zone Episode

[Original Air Date, September 27, 1963]

In Praise Of Pip is considered to be one of the best episodes of the Twilight Zone and you can watch the episode below. It is interesting to note that JFK was the President of The United States when this originally aired, and less than 2 months later, JFK belonged to the ages.

The Odd Couple

[Originally Aired from September 24, 1970 to July 4, 1975]

Jack Klugman is perhaps best known for his Role as Oscar Madison in the classic TV series The Odd Couple which was written by Neil Simon and based upon the play by the same title. When I was a kid growing up, I remember this show was really popular and I have fond memories of watching it with family members.

The Odd Couple was about the super-neat, Felix Unger character played by Tony Randall and his super sloppy roommate Oscar Madison played flawlessly by Jack Klugman.

Watching the opening scene above and listening to the soundtrack is the ultimate Deja Vu mindblower if you are familiar with the show. Here is a sample episode of The Odd Couple:

On the show, Felix and Oscar are both divorced bachelors living with each other. The TV show was actually based on the 1968 film version of the stage play of The Odd Couple that starred Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison and Jack Lemmon as Felix Unger.

The Odd Couple was a great TV show that originally bounced back and forth over its 6 year run between Thursday and Friday evenings. Both Jack Klugman and Tony Randall were nominated for Emmy Awards each year the show aired. Jack Klugman won two Emmy Awards for his role on the Odd Couple in 1971 and 1973. He also won two Golden Globe awards–one in 1972 and again in 1974.

The Odd Couple was an amazing show because of the superb chemistry between Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. Of course the supreme irony is that Jack Klugman's character, Oscar Madison was a complete slog and Tony Randall's character of Felix Unger was a neat freak, but in reality they were the opposite.

Quincy, M.E.

The First CSI Show...

[Originally Aired from October 3, 1976 to September 4, 1983]

After Jack Klugman's success with the Odd Couple, he went on to play Dr. R. Quincy who is a very principled Medical Examiner (forensic coroner) in Los Angeles County who specializes in trying to solve mysterious and suspicious deaths.

Quincy, M.E. was another huge success and it ran for a total of 8 seasons. It also stared Robert Ito who was Quincy's right hand man in solving mysteries deaths.

Here is the opening theme to Quincy, M.E. Once again, if you are familiar with the music it is a Deja Vu trip!!!

Canon Copier Spokesman

After Jack Klugman completed the Quincy, M.E., show he had become one of America's most trusted figures, perhaps similarly to Walter Cronkite. Canon hired Jack to become the trusted face of their Canon Personal Copier line and in many of the Canon ads, Jack Klugman wore his trademark Rolex GMT.

The image above of Jack Klugman wearing his trusted trademark Rolex GMT Master would be used over and over again in Canon TV commercials to show how their copiers could print and scale photos. The screen shot below is from a 1980s Canon TV commercial.

Over the years that followed The Odd Couple, Jack Klugman and Tony Randall remained close pals, until Tony Randall unfortunately passed away.

Jack Klugman was also good pals with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and is pictured below with them.

Jack Klugman was a heavy smoker and in 1974 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and in 1989 he lost a vocal cord to cancer. Fortunately he survived the cancer and continued to act on TV and on stage. Since he lost a vocal cord, today he speaks with a scratchy voice.

Jack Klugman is pictured below in a recent photo taken when he was 87 years young. Jack Klugman's acting career has spanned 6 decades and in my personal opinion, he is one of the best actors in modern history and a man of amazing achievment, and all I can say is Bravo!!!!!! Bravo!!!!!! Bravo!!!!

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The Vintage Rolex Christmas Ads...

The Vintage Rolex Christmas Ads

I hope everybody is having a great holiday season! Every year, around Christmas time, I publish this Rolex Christmas ad story, and each year I significantly update it. This year is no exception, and I just completed a major update. I can hear the Nutcracker Suite playing in the background ;-)

Rolex used to publish Rolex Christmas ads, but I don't recall ever seeing one in a magazine in my lifetime. It is interesting to note the Rolex Christmas magazine ads only ran while Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex was alive.

It took Rolex 20 years before they came up with their crown logo which they introduced in 1925. If you examine all of the ads, which run from 1935 to 1948, you will notice how much the Rolex crown logo evolved. Over the 12 year span from 1935, we witness the evolution of the crown from a kind of primitive version to the timeless logo which has not changed very much over the past half-century.

1930 Beautiful Rolex Christmas Ad

We start with this stunning art-deco vintage Rolex ad from 1930 that features a woman sporting the flapper look. It was published in the British publication named "The Tatler" in 1930. This ad was published at a fascinating and optimistic time in Rolex history. Several years prior, Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex had recently completely revolutionized the world of watches, when Rolex introduced the worlds first waterproof watch, known as the Rolex Oyster.

In 1930, Rolex was preparing to revolutionize the world of watches again, by preparing to introduce the Rolex Perpetual movement, which was the worlds first automatic movement that would allow the wearer to wind their watch simply with just the movement of their wrist. I believe this beautiful ad reflects Rolex absolute optimism at this time. Notice how the ad uses the term wristlet instead of the commonly used term of of today which is wrist watch.

1935 French Rolex Noel Ad

Next we examine this vintage Rolex ad from 1935 that was published in France. The watches in this ad are art-deco and more dress watch oriented.

1936 British Rolex Noel Ad

Next we examine this vintage Rolex ad from 1936 that was published in England in the Punch or The London Charivari. 

1937 French Rolex Noel Ad

Next we examine this vintage Rolex ad from 1937 that was published in France. 

1938 French Rolex Christmas

We see in this next French Rolex Christmas ad that with all the different Rolex ads, Rolex is really beginning to hit its stride. I really like the artwork in this ad.

1942 World War II

Rolex U.S.A. Christmas Message

World War II was an extremely difficult time for most people on earth. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex was likely very, very frustrated by the mess the Nazi's and other axis powers made because it had a devastating financial impact on Rolex business.

The reason I suggest Hans Wildorf and Rolex must have been really frustrated, is because Rolex had really begun to hit its stride, and Rolex wanted to capitalize on their patents on both the waterproof Oyster as well as the perpetual automatic movement. This spiritually uplifting ad was published in the United States in 1942.

1943 World War II

Rolex Christmas Magazine Ad

It is difficult to put into words how profound and optimistically prescient this next 1943 Rolex magazine advertisement was from the middle of World War II:

1944 World War II

Rolex Christmas Magazine Ad

In this next World War II Rolex Christmas Ad, you see how they were getting excited about the end of World War II:

1945 World War II

Rolex Christmas Magazine Ad

In this next World War II Rolex Christmas Ad, you can see that Rolex is relieved and back on its optimistic game:

1946 German Rolex Ad

Rolex was quick to get things back to normal just after World War, as we see in this very elegant German Rolex Christmas ad from 1946.

1947 French Rolex Ad

1948 Rolex U.S.A. Christmas Ad

40th Jubilee Celebration

In this next Rolex Christmas ad from 1948 we see Rolex back on top of its game. With the World War II fiasco behind it, it was smooth sailing. 1948 was Rolex's 40th anniversary so they named their new 5-link trademark bracelet, "The Jubilee Bracelet" as seen below on this first generation yellow gold Datejust. (The 40th Anniversary of most things is referred to as The Jubilee Anniversary).

We take having a date complication on a watch today for granted, but back in the late 1940s when Rolex was the first to introduce the date feature, it was considered a dramatically positive innovation. This all-new Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet is essentially the watch Rolex gave Dwight Eisenhower, who at the time was the Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe.

The yellow gold Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet is essentially The Father Of The Rolex President or Rolex Day-Date.

Vintage Rolex U.S.A. Hotness Ad from 1968

When Pucci Dictates Glitter...Is It Chic To Flash A Rolex?

This is Rolex...The Christmas Watch For Golden Girls

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A Beautiful Rolex Moonphase 1952 Reference 6062

A Beautiful Rolex Moonphase

1952 Reference 6062

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Rolex Coolness: Brad Pitt Rolex Day-Date II

Rolex Coolness: Brad Pitt

Rolex Day-Date II

Brad Pitt has worn Rolex watches for man years. This next set of photos of Brad Pitt wearing a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date II was taken in Basel Switzerland at an art gallery where Brad purchased a painting for $1Million.

Notice that Brad's glasses match his Rolex Day-Date II

Here is a photo of the same model of Rolex Day-Date II that Brad is wearing. It has a black dial with black arabic markers.

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Rolex Wrist Shot Of The Day Kevin's Pre Rolex Daytona

Rolex Wrist Shot Of The Day

Kevin's Pre Rolex Daytona

[Stainless Steel: Small Pushers: Telemeter Scale]

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Eric Goode: A Great Man...

...Saving Endangered Species of Turtles...

Eric Goode

A Great Man

Rolex Datejust

Eric Goode is a great man, who has made it his mission in life to protect endangered species of turtles from all over the world. Be sure to check out the 60 Minutes video story.

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Rolex Hologram Photo Of The Day: Christmas Colors

Rolex Hologram Photo Of The Day

Christmas Colors

Ralph took these amazing photos of the Rolex Hologram sticker on the back of his Rolex which reminds me of Christmas Tree lights...

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Vintage Coca Cola Ads...

Vintage Coca-Cola Christmas

Rolex and Coca Cola have many attributes in common. They are both classic, timeless and iconic.

I love these vintage Coca-Cola Christmas ads from way back when. They remind me of my childhood. Yes, I actually used to put together an old electric train set from the 1950s when I was a kid ;-) Now that I think about it, Coca-Cola as a brand has much in common with Rolex in the sense they are both timeless and classic...

1938 Coca Cola Christmas Ad

1941 Coca Cola Christmas Ad

1945 Coca Cola Ad

Have A Coke

1952 Coca Cola Ad

1967 Coca Cola Holidays Ad

1970 Coca Cola Ad

It's The Real Thing. Coke.

As they say, "There's nothing like the real thing" and this vintage Coca Cola Ad from 1970 brings back many great memories!!!

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