...Rolex Coolness...
Arnold Palmer
6 Decades Wearing Nothing But Rolex
The KING of Golf
Arnold Palmer is not only one of the great golfing legends, but also a lifelong Rolex wearer. He has had the nickname of "The King" of golf because he was the first golf superstar in the age of television. He is considered to be a member of "The Big Three" along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Arnold Palmer became the first official Rolex Golf Ambassador in 1967.
"Rolex has shared every second of my time for the last 51 years." –Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer was responsible for making the elite sport of golf popular with the masses. During his amazing he won 92 overall victories including 4 Masters. He was also elected PGA Player Of The Year in 1960 and 1962. Arnold Palmer is pictured below with President Eisenhower in 1960.
Arnold Palmer is pictured below on in the Oval Office with President Nixon on February 13, 1969, along with fellow athletes, Bart Starr (football player) on far left, and Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers. Notice, that Arnold Palmer is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, which you can see even better, if you click on the photo.
In 1993, Arnold Palmer was awarded the National Sports Award by U.S. President, Bill Clinton, and in 2004, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.
In 2009, Arnold Palmer received the Congressional Gold Medal which is an award that has been around since the American Revolution. The Congressional Gold Medal recognizes distinguished achievements and contributions. In the photo below we see U.S. President Obama signing the "Arnold Palmer Gold Medal Act" in the Oval Office in the White House.
Arnold Palmer is only the second golfer in history to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which has to be approved by two-thirds of the Congress & Senate. The very first Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to George Washington in 1776, and since then, only 141 medals have been awarded.
Groovy Baby Yeah!!!
This advertisement appeared in Sports Illustrated in the November 18, 1968 issue. So what did men do before the Sony Play Station Tiger Woods games existed–back in 1968? Here it is. The reason I am sharing this with you is you see that Arnold Palmer is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 44 years ago, back in 1968 and he still wears it today. 1968 was–of course–the year of, "The Summer Of Love."
1982 Rolex Day-Date Ad
1980s Sidney Mobell Jewelers in San Francisco Ad
Yellow Gold Day-Date with President Bracelet
1992 Rolex Day-Date Tridor Ad
Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995
Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus
Two Golf Legends
ROLEX and Golf's Big Three
Pictured below is a screen-grab from Rolex.com's Sports and Culture website from several years ago. I featured golf's Big Three which consist of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Players.
It is amazing that the photo of Golf's Big Three was taken 50 years ago, back in 1962 when J.F.K. was the President Of The United States!!! Speaking of President's, the Rolex President is the primary watch choice of the big three.
Rolex Sports Legends
On July 23, 2007, five of Rolex' greatest sporting legends got together at Rolex headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Pictured above from left to right, 3 time gold medal olympic skier, Jean-Claude Killy; Racing legend, Sir. Jackie Stewart; Golfing legends, Gary Players, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus.
The Big Three (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player) observe the laboratory at Rolex headquarters as new time pieces are created.
Photos & Following Text from Nicklaus.com
Here is the press release that described the event pictured above:
GENEVA - Golf's Big Three - Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus - celebrated perhaps the longest on-going commercial relationship in sports this week with a two-day visit to the home of Rolex watches, where they were honored by the managing director of Rolex SA, Patrick Heiniger, and a select group of about 40 guests including Rolex board members and senior executives.
Palmer and the business manager for all three golfers, the late Mark McCormack, first met the late Andre Heiniger, Patrick's father and then Rolex's managing director, while on a business trip to Japan in 1961, and the relationships grew from there. Nicklaus and Player were presented with Rolex watches to mark their U.S. Open victories in 1962 and 1965, respectively, and Palmer became Rolex's first golf ambassador in 1967.
Joining the Big Three were their wives and two other world-class sportsmen and Rolex ambassadors from the same era, the Grand Prix racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart and the Olympic and World Cup champion skier Jean-Claude Killy. They were all presented gold Rolex GMT Master II watches to mark the occasion.
There was an informal welcoming dinner on the evening of their arrival. The next morning they were given a tour and saw Rolex watches being made.
There was a ceremony in Rolex's Andre Heiniger Auditorium. A video of the Big Three created especially for the occasion was shown before Patrick Heiniger spoke and recognized the Big Three in these words:
"In 1960, Arnold gave new life to the British Open and made it a championship never to be missed by the best players. As a result he created the modern Grand Slam.
"In 1965, Gary overcame all odds to be the third golfer ever, and the first of his generation, to win all four of the major golf championships in his career.
"In 1986, Jack proved that he was indeed the golfer of the century, winning the Masters at 46 years of age, to increase his total to 18 majors, five more than the great Bobby Jones."
Heiniger continued: "Like you, we at Rolex honor excellence and achievement. We equally honor the humor and the humanity that all of you radiate. It is thanks to that magical mix that we are here together so many years down the road.
"What we share transcends our association through sport and is rooted in the timeless values that each one of you celebrates in your daily life, be it through your philanthropic work, your business activities, your passions, your hobbies."
After the ceremony there was luncheon in Rolex's executive dining room for all attending, and that the tour of the Rolex facilities was continued. In the evening, Heiniger entertained the Big Three and their wives with a private dinner to conclude their visit.
Founded in 1905, Rolex has been associated for exactly 80 years with "the pursuit of excellence in sports, the arts and exploration" - to quote from their corporate communications - starting with a young female swimmer from Brighton, England, in 1927, one year after the Rolex patented the first waterproof wristwatch.
The swimmer's name was Mercedes Gleitze, and she was 27 years of age when she attempted crossing the English Channel armed with a Rolex Oyster. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder and managing director of Rolex, saw the promotional value that Gleitze could have, and her feat was duly recognized with a front-page advertisement in the Daily Mail. Rolex was also associated with Sir Edmond Hillary's 1953 conquest of Mount Everest.
While other watch companies are connected with a few golfers, or have their name on a tournament, Rolex dominates the sport like no other sponsor in any product category. Its affiliations extend to all four major championships for men and for ladies, the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Presidents Cup, European Tour, PGA of America, Rolex Rankings for ladies golf, LPGA Rolex Player of the Year and Rolex Rookie of the Year awards, and leading professional players including Phil Mickelson, Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Adam Scott, Retief Goosen and Luke Donald.
Rolex supports top sports and cultural events all over the world. It is present at more than 165 events in the realms of golf, yachting, tennis, equestrian events, motor sports, exploration, culture and the arts, as well as philanthropic awards programs, and Rolex's affiliates also support other local events.
Arnold Palmer with Andre and Patrick Hieniger
As mentioned in the story above, Arnold Palmer became a brand ambassador for Rolex in 1967, and he is pictured below with the second and third CEO's of Rolex, Andre Heiniger (center) and his son Patrick Heiniger (right).
The Rolex story above also mentioned that Andre Heiniger met Arnold Palmer through the famous sports agent Mark McCormack, who is featured in the Rolex add below:
Arnold Palmer is pictured below wearing his Rolex LV Submariner at a press conference in 2008.
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