Book Review: 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger

Magnificent New Rolex Book

The Review of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches along with 86 photos of amazing Rolex watches is located below the Podcast in this post. You may purchase the book at the end of this review:

The Podcast

In this podcast, you will hear from John Goldberger who is one of the most knowledgeable Rolex experts on earth and happens to own one of the top Rolex collections in the world!!!

John is also close friends with the top 5 other Rolex collectors in the world and they allowed him to share their beautiful and extremely rare Rolex watches in his new book named 100 Superlative Rolex Watches. Many of these Rolex watches have never been seen by the public and the photography in John's book is amazing!!!

One of the most exciting things about this podcast is we discuss many, many rare and fascinating Rolex watches in detail and John agreed to share high-resolution photos from his book of ALL the watches we discussed. John's book contains 700 images and in the article below you will see more than 10% of the images from his Rolex book–which is a masterpiece in and of itself.

There are three great ways to listen to the podcast. The first way is you can click on the play button below and you can follow along with all the images we discuss in the book which are pictured below in the order they appear in the book. I have included the page numbers in the book order to make this easy for you to follow along.

If you elect this option I recommend after you hit the play button, you open a second browser window for looking at the photos. I say this because you will likely want to click on the photos below to see more detail and that will stop the podcast from playing in the browser. You can open this article in a second browser window by clicking here. (Running time 3:08:45)

To listen to the John Goldberger Podcast in another browser window without the story, click here.

The Second way to enjoy the podcast if you own the book is you can follow along with the photos in the book.

The third way to enjoy the podcast is in iTunes. You can download the enhanced podcast version of the interview from iTunes which will allow you see all the watches we discuss as we discuss them. This will work in iTunes for Mac or PC and you can also download the enhanced podcast from iTunes onto your iPod or iPhone and watch the amazing slideshow on the screen. To listen to or download the podcast from iTunes click on the Subscribe with iTunes button below.

Subscribing to Jake's Rolex Watch Blog Podcast in iTunes is free for everybody to enjoy, and all my podcasts and articles are commercial free, but please understand that bringing you this super-detailed podcast and article is extremely time consuming, so please help support the future of Jake's Rolex Watch Blog and Podcast by making a donation via Paypal. You can do so by clicking on the Donate button located approximately ten inches down from the top on the right column of this page.

100 Years of Rolex

The Rolex brand was formally founded in 1908 and is currently celebrating its 100 year centennial, thus John decided to name his book 100 Superlative Rolex Watches.

To put 100 years in perspective, in 1908 General Motors was founded, Henry Ford produced the first Model-T, the Grand Canyon National Monument was designated, Harvard Business School was founded, A long-distance radio message was sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time, the boy scout movement began, Mother's day was observed for the first time as a national holiday, and the first passenger airplane flew in 1908. 100 years is a long time.

John Goldberger's 100 Superlative Rolex Watches is an absolute masterpiece and forever changes the world of Rolex Collecting. John is not only an expert but a true Rolex connoisseur with one of the finest watch collections on earth.

The $20 Million Rolex Book

The book itself is unusual for a coffee-table sized book in the sense it has a leather-like cover which makes the book extremely comfortable to handle. Since there is no paper cover the book does not slip and you don't have to worry about damaging the slip cover. The 100 Superlative Rolex watches showcased in the book have a current market value of approximately $20 Million in U.S. currency.

John Goldberger is pictured below and is one of the greatest watch connoisseur's on earth. He has a collection of Patek Phillipe, Rolex, Cartier, Omega and Longines watches. He already authored two books on Omega and one on Longines–both of which are available for purchase along with his new Rolex book at the end of this article.

Italian Rolex Renaissance

John was born and resides in Italy today. He is 50 years old and started collecting vintage watches 30 years ago when he was 20 years old. It appears as if the Italian marketplace was the first to really start collecting vintage Rolex watches, and drove the significant price increases starting in the mid 1980s.

In my personal opinion, John Goldberger is a brilliant man with an amazing sense of design and superb taste. The layout of his book is excellent and Leo (The Idle Swede) said it is already his favorite Rolex book in his collection. This is an extreme compliment coming from Leo because Leo has a very constructively critical eye, is extremely picky and does not give out compliments easily.

I received an advanced review copy of the book and I mentioned to Leo how great it was. Leo insisted I send him a copy because I told him how great it was. Leo is my right hand man with the blog and has been an invaluable source of wisdom and insight, as well as a superb pal. Upon receiving a preview copy of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches Leo wrote me an email that said "You were right, this book is awesome!!!" I called Leo on the phone and asked him how he would rate it on a scale from 1 to 10 and Leo enthusiastically responded "10!!!!"

Everybody I have shown the book to so far freaks out on how beautiful and well designed the book is!!! There is something to be said about high-end Italian goods, culture, and people.

There is an essence that Italian's and Italian goods capture at the high-end that is incomparable. Think about it: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Luciano Pavarotti, Michaelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Persol Sunglasses, Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo–the list goes on and on and on. Whatever that passionate essence is, this book captures it. Don't let me get started on Italian food!!!

The book begins with a great four page Rolex watch chronology from 1905 to date and it makes it really easy to understand the evolution of the brand. The chronology begins in 1905 because Hans Wilsdorf created his company named Wilsdorf & Davis in 1905 in London, England and brilliantly changed its name to Rolex in 1908.

After the chronology there are two pages with many famous Rolex historical figures and John's superb slogan with the Rolex crown which reads "Watches With A Destiny." If you stop and think about it for a moment, this is a profoundly true statement. There really is something almost mystical about Rolex history and the people that have designed, manufactured, marketed and worn them. I realize mechanical devices are not supposed to have a spirit or soul but Rolex watches seem to posses qualities that go beyond the sum of their parts.

After the historical Rolex figure photos there is a well written four page Rolex history overview section by Giampiero Negretti. There are descriptions of the watches, but really the book is eye candy because it is just filled with awesome photos of the watches, and as cliche as it may sound, it remains true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

This book has a superb and consistent layout and there are a total of 700 images in the book and photos of approximately 280 different Rolex watches. John had to choose 100 Rolex watches to showcase and the following four photos bellow illustrate how the 100 he chose are intelligently laid out.

On the left side page for every showcase watch there are four smaller images that show detail and different perspectives. The right page always has a very large and detailed portrait of the watch.

The four images on the left pages have all the historical data on the watch including the reference number, caliber number and year of manufacture.

John Goldberger is a professional photographer and shot all the amazing quality photos in the book. Next week I will be adding photos of his portable and home studio so you can see how he captures these great shots.

As I mentioned, John has photos of 180 other Rolex highly collectable Rolex watches that are not part of the 100 and he illustrates them as seen on the two pages below.

John Goldberger donates 100% of the profit he makes on the books to charity, which means he made the book to share these stunning Rolex watches with the collectable Rolex community out of the kindness of his heart.

Magnificent Watches From The Book

John and I completed an amazing podcast interview which you can listen to in your browser window or in iTunes for free. In our incredible interview we cover more than 70 watches and John agreed to allow me to share high-resolution photos of these stunning watches with you. For this, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Speaking with John Goldberger is like like talking to an Encyclopedia as you will learn in the podcast. His depth and knowledge of not only Rolex, but all the major brands is intoxicatingly profound.

All the images are copyrighted and appear courtesy of John Goldberger and are only for your viewing pleasure. You may not publish or disseminate the images without his express written permission.

There are many beautiful Rolex watches in the book I did not have room to cover in this article including Rolex Prince watches. I can't highly enough recommend the book and these images give you an idea of what to expect.

Tip: As usual on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog you can click on all the high-resolution photos below to see the watches in much greater detail:

Page 5 Rolex Zerograph [Reference 3346] Circa 1937

Despite the fact the watch above was made in 1935, it is remarkable how modern it looks. There are only 3 known examples of this watch in private collections.

Page 23 Rolex Oyster Star Indices. [Reference 6098] Circa 1952

This watch was made around the same time as the Reference 6062 Star indices Moonphase watch. There is another version with a black dial which can be seen 7 watches down in this article.

The Rolex–Panerai Connection

Rolex made all the original Panerai watches pictured below for the Royal Italian Navy from 1936 to 1956.

Page 24 Rolex Oyster in Stainless [Reference 2081] Circa 1928-1930

This watch above is amazing because it seems to be the watch the later Rolex made Panerai watches were based upon. The watch above is smaller at around 30mm than the 47mm Panerai's (as seen below) but the design language is clearly derivative and almost identical.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 6154] Circa 1954

This is the last Paneria Rolex made (pictured above). It was made for the Egyptian Army. This watch has a current value of $120,00 and is the second rarest collectable Paneria. According to the Author, only 30 of this Reference 6154 were ever made. The most collectable and valuable would be the one existing example of the first Panerai Reference 2533 prototype.

The Rolex diving watch pictured in the illustration above is not in the book. The illustration is from a rare 1935 Rolex brochure and the watch was a honking 47mm. This is the Rolex model Panerai used to make its first Rolex made Panerai (as seen below).

The illustration above appears courtesy of John Goldberger and according to John, he has never seen an actual example of the Rolex Reference number 2533 because it is so rare. I imagine since it was 47mm it probably did not sell very well, so maybe Rolex simply swapped out the dials, and movements and sold the resulting watches with no name on the dials to Panerai. This may explain why there are no known examples of the watch that appear in the 1935 Rolex catalog.

I was doing some follow up research to best understand the genesis of this first Panerai model made by Rolex and I found a Timezone.com vintage Rolex thread where James Dowling said "My research on Panerai leads me to think Panerai essentially took an existing Rolex model and had Rolex adapt it to their specific requirements. Amongst them was this reference 2533, which is essentially the Mk1 Panerai. But then, of course, Rolex already had the basis of this watch in their catalogue, in the form of the Rolex Oyster Pocket watch."

So there you have it! Apparently Rolex experimented with putting wire lugs on their 47mm Oyster pocket watch and created the Rolex Reference 2533, and this went on to become the basis of the Panerai diving watch.

After finally figuring out and understanding this design evolution I decided to create the following graphic to illustrate step by step how the 47mm Rolex Oyster pocket-watch evolved into the original 47mm Panerai.

Click on image below to see evolution of Rolex Oyster Pocket-Watch into Panerai Diving Watch:

One of the obvious questions is "how did you attach and remove the leather band on these early wire lug Panerai watches if the wire lugs were soldered to the watch?" You guessed it!!! You had to sew the leather band onto the lugs. Panerai makes a very similar 45mm version of this watch today known as the Panerai Radiomir with the vintage wire lugs but they are no longer soldered on, but can removed with two very small screws in the watch body.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 2533] Circa 1936

This first Rolex Made Panerai, picture above is and Ultra-rare prototype of which there is only 1 known example on earth. Yes, you read that right–there is only one know example and you are looking at it picture above.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 3646] Circa 1936 to 1938

The Rolex made Panerai Reference 3646, pictured above has unusual art deco dial known as the California dial which has Roman numerals on the top and Arabic numerals on the bottom. This new model was different than its predecessor in that it had an onion shaped winding crown.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 3646] Circa 1938

This is the first Rolex made Panerai with the trademark 3,6,9,12 Panerai Radiomor dial. The Radiomor designation on the dial of the watch was used because it used Radium lume to illuminate the hands and dial in the dark. The dial on this watch is a plexiglass Prototype. Radiomir lume was patented in 1915.

Later Panerai Luminor watches would use Tritium to illuminate the hands and dial and the current generation Panerai watches use Super Luminova lume to light up the dial and hands.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 3646] Circa 1940

This next Rolex made Panerai, pictured above has the classic 2,6,9,12 Radiomor Panerai dial with the onion shaped winding crown.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 6152/1] Circa 1946

With the introduction of the 6152/1 model, Rolex added a new winding crown guard mechanism that allowed the watch to maintain its waterproof seal in deeper water than the conventional crown. Since all the Rolex made Panerai watches were manually wound, the waterproof crown gasket would wear out quickly over time, so Rolex and Panerai came up with this new design enhancement. Rolex made 300 examples of this model.

Page 27 Radiomor Paneria [Reference 6154] Circa 1956

This is the last Panerai model made by Rolex in 1956. It was made for the Egyptian army and they only produced 30 examples. The reason the dial is a light brown or even tan is because the radium based material they used for the markers and hands had a radioactive effect on the black dial and caused it to get much lighter.

Page 31 Panerai [Reference 3646] Circa 1941

Rolex began making Panerai watches for the Italian Royal Navy in 1936 and the watch above is from 1941. It has Roman numerals and Arabic numerals on its dial with no Panerai designation. Its current market value is $80,000, and according to John Goldberger only 600 of the Reference 3646 were ever made.

In this next photo below from the Philipps Collection–which does not appear in 100 Superlative Rolex Watches–we see a vintage cushion shaped Rolex Oyster from 1936 with the soldered wire lugs next to a Rolex made Panerai 3646. The resemblance is unmistakable.

Photo Credit: Philipps Collections

It is fascinating to note that the owner of the Panerai pictured above does not wear the watch very often because it is still radio-active.

The next three photos are of the Panerai Reference 6152 made by Rolex. In this first image you see the Rolex designation on the watch movement as well as on the back of the screw on back.

Remember if you want to see more detail in the photos on this page just click on them. If you are listening to the podcast in your browser and following along with the images on this page just open another page for viewing the images and let the podcast play in the original browser window.

Page 32 Panerai Movement Photo [Reference 6152] Circa 1950

This next image is of the same watch pictured above and below. You can see the Rolex Brevet designation and Rolex crown logo on the winding crown. Brevet means patented in French.

Page 32 Panerai Brevet Winding Crown Side View with Rolex Crown Logo [Reference 6152] Circa 1950

Page 33 Panerai Radiomir [Reference 6152] Circa 1950

This Radiomir Paneria diving watch (pictured above) is 47mm and has a light brown dial. This watch has a current market value of $100,000 and according to John Goldberger only 300 of the Reference 6152 were manufactured.

The watch pictured above has its original leather band that came with the watch. The original leather bands were not only water-proof, but salt-water-proof. The leather was treated with special oils and resins so if you rinsed it after a salt-water dive it would be fine. It is a status symbol of sorts to posses an original Rolex made Panerai with the original and weathered leather band.

I must admit that until reading 100 Superlative Rolex Watches I knew very little about Rolex making all the Panerai watches from 1936 to 1956. When I tried to learn more on the internet, I found much conflicting information. For instance, the Wikipedia article seems to suggest that from 1936 to 1956 Panerai only produced a total of 300 watches.

This did not make sense to me, so I followed up with John Goldberger and he shared with me that this was not true and that they made many more. Here are the numbers John shared with me that he said were from a good Panerai source on the number of Rolex made Panerai watches:

1935 [Reference 2533] 1 Prototype

1938 [Reference 3646] 600 Watches

1943 [Reference 6152] 300 Watches

1954 [Reference 6154] 30 Watches

After 1956, Panerai kept producing their watches but Rolex no longer made them. Apparently Panerai stopped making watches for the Italian Militare in 1993 because it was not longer cost effective, and Panerai decided to focus on producing watches for the general public.

The watches were not very successful. As a matter of fact, between 1993 and 1997, Panerai only produced 1828 watches. Of course, this would all soon change.

Sly And The Family Rolex

Please note the following six images are not from 100 Superlative Rolex Watches. I added them for historical context. In 1995 Sylvester Stallone noticed a Panerai watch in a Roman jewelry store and decided to wear the Panerai during shooting of the film Daylight which hit the big screens in 1996. Stallone was so impressed that he ordered a bunch of watches with his Slytech signature on the verso (case back) and the Slytech Daylight model came was introduced to coincide with the film.

Stallone gave the Panerai's to friends as a gift, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, and from that point the Panerai brand took off and became very popular.

It is interesting to note that prior to wearing Panerai watches, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger wore Rolex watches. Sly wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date and a Rolex Submariner, and Arnold wore a yellow gold Rolex GMT Master with a matching Jubilee bracelet. You can see photos of them wearing their Rolex watches by clicking here for Arnold Schwarzenneger and clicking here for Sylvester Stallone.

The Rolex Star Indices

Page 39 Black Dial Star Indices Super Oyster [Reference 6098] Circa 1952

This is an extremely rare Rolex that is stunningly beautiful. It's current value is around $150,000.

Page 41 American Continent Hand-Enameled Dial [Reference 6085] Circa 1952

Page 53 Rolex Chronograph in Pink Gold [Reference 3055] Circa 1951

Page 77 Stainless Steel Moonphase Triple Date [Reference 8171] Circa 1950

The reference 8171 was the first complicated Rolex Moonphase model Rolex ever made. Unlike the 6062 Oyster Moonphase (pictured below) which came after this one, the 8171 was not an Oyster and thus not waterproof. The 6062 was 36mm, and the 8171 was a little bigger at 38mm. The current value of this watch is $150,000.

Page 89 Black Dial Star Indices Moonphase [Reference 6062] Circa 1952

This watch is unusual because it has a red arrow date indicator which I think is a nice design detail. Everything needs a touch of red.

Page 89 Silvered Dial Star Indices Moonphase [Reference 6062] Circa 1953

Although the Black dial 6062 moonphase with the star indices is the rarest, I though I would include the silvered dial so you could see what it looks like. This Rolex moonphase has a blue arrow tip indicator on the tip of the date hand just like the red one above it on this page.

Page 89 Silvered Dial with 3,6,9 Arabic Indices [Reference 6062] Circa 1952

I thought I would include this watch since it has an original riveted Oyster bracelet. I have also seen examples of the 6062 with a Jubilee bracelet but there is not one in the book. The 6062 Moonphase was 36mm which is the day size as a current Rolex Datejust.

Page 89 Silvered Dial Star Indices Moonphase. [Reference 6062] Circa 1952

I included this watch because it has an unusual braided band and it also has the blue tip on the date hand.

Page 92 Rolex Centergraph [Reference 3346] Circa 1935

The photo of the watch above shows the movement of the watch pictured below. The Centograph is the same as the Zerograph pictured at the beginning of this section on Page 5 with a black dial and strap.

Page 93 Rolex Centergraph [Reference 3346] Circa 1937

In my mind this beautiful Rolex Oyster Centograph looks in many ways to be a precursor to the Rolex Submariner. This watch is extremely rare and there are less than 10 known examples on earth. This one is from a collection in Japan.

Page 95 Pink Gold & Steel [Reference 3669] Circa 1938

This watch is unusual in many ways, but in particular, the pink gold bezel is soldered to the watch body which is extremely difficult to achieve.

Page 114 Stainless Chronograph [Reference 6034] Circa 1950

This photo of the movement above is of the watch below. The movement is finished in Rodhium and has a monometallic compensation balance with a steel Super Oyster crown.

Page 115 Stainless Chronograph [Reference 6034] Circa 1950

This rare chronograph (pictured above) features a black dial with steel relief dart indices with 1/5 seconds division outer gilt tachymeter and telemeter scales along with Alpha Hands. If you click on the photo above you will notice the dial has a strange looking Rolex crown logo that Rolex must have experimented with but they obviously did not like it.

Page 121 Serpico Pulsation Chronograph [Reference 6234] Circa 1956

This 36mm beauty is anti-magnetic and has a matte silvered dial with faceted Baton applied indices. It was sold in Caracas, Venezuela by Serpico y Laino.

Page 143 Silvered Dial Star Indices Moonphase [Reference 6062] Circa 1953

This pink gold beauty is self-winding (automatic) and a waterproof Oyster in a 36mm Super Oyster case. Notice this watch has the luminous 5-minute markers on the sides of the stars apposed to being positioned in the center of the stars like the watch pictured below.

The Most Beautiful Rolex Ever Made

Page 145 Black Dial Star Moonphase [Reference 6062] Circa 1952

In my opinion the Rolex Moonphase pictured above is the most beautiful Rolex watch ever made!!! Black dial star indices moonphase Rolex watches are ultra-rare and this one is not only stunningly gorgeous, but in flawless mint condition. John Goldberger owns many of the watches in his book, but I imagine this must be his favorite. His choice of a tobacco colored leather band is brilliant.

If anybody from the Rolex design department reads this, please, please, please bring back these complicated beauties in 40mm with a flat back. Rolex dominates in sport watches and even brought back the Rolex Prince. I say it is time to bring back the complicated Rolex watches and give Patek Philippe a run for their money. Don't get me wrong, I love Patek, but I think the watch pictured above is the best balanced, most beautiful complicated watch ever made–especially with the star indices.

This black beauty has a matching black background on the moonphase disk as do all Rolex Moonphase watches with a black dial. Traditionally all moonphase watches by Rolex and Patek have a blue background for the sky color.

All I can say is this watch takes my breath away. The photo below is of the same watch without a band. It is worth about $400,000.

The 6062 Triple date moonphase Rolex is not only stunning from the front but equally gorgeous from the front as you can see below with the domed crystal. Just magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Page 150 Bao Dai Diamond Moonphase. [Reference 6062] Circa 1952

The watch pictured above and below belonged to the last Emperor of Vietnam, Boa Dai. It is unusual because it has a glossy black dial with 5 diamond indices. It also has the Officially Certified Chronometer designation on the moonphase subdial. The watch was manufactured in 1952 and sold in 1954 to his Majesty Boa Dai.

According to John Goldberger, Boa Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, was "well known for his fine taste, was a renowned tiger hunter, women lover and car collector. It was during his stay in Geneva for the Indochina peace talks he acquired the 5 diamond Rolex moonphase.

This watch is worth approximately $700,000 and the supreme irony with this watch is that Rolex discontinued the complicated moonphase watches because they did not sell well. Typically the most expensive Rolex watches are so highly valued because of their rarity which means they are so because they did not sell well at the time of production–sad but true.

Page 151 Boa Dia 5 Diamond Moonphase [Reference 6062] Circa 1952

Page 154 Chronograph Triple Date [Reference 6036] Circa 1955

This photo is of the back of the movement of the watch pictured below.

Page 155 Chronograph Triple Date [Reference 6036] Circa 1955

This watch model was dubbed "The Jean Claude Killy" despite the fact that nobody has ever seen a photo of him wearing this Rolex model. Jean Claude Killy is a three time gold medal winning Olympic skier who occupies a seat on the board of Rolex today. This watch is the most complicated Rolex ever made.

The Rolex Oyster watch pictured above has a silvered dial with pink gold applied pyramidal indices with luminous dots next to them. The outer date ring is in blue and matches the blued steel date hand. The hands of this watch are luminous Alpha hands.

Page 157 Antimagnetic Triple date [Reference 6036] Circa 1960

Another Jean Claude Killy Rolex Triple date Oyster, this time in stainless Steel. Same blue date ring and date hand. 36mm Tonneau-shaped two-body case with screw back.

Page 162 Stainless Steel Rolex Day-Date Prototype [No Reference] Circa 1975

This watch picture above has no serial number or reference number. It is a very rare prototype Rolex used for internal testing.

Page 162 Early Day-Date [Reference 6511] Circa 1956

This very early Rolex Day-Date was introduced in the Italian market and thus it has the day of the week wheel in Italian. The date is red as is the Day-Date designation. The watch was initially only available on a leather strap and has a fluted yellow gold bezel. Even though this watch is named the Rolex Day-Date by Rolex, people refer to it as "The Rolex President."

Page 162 Day-Date on Jubilee Bracelet [Reference 6611] Circa 1959

The early Rolex Day-Date watches apparently did not come with the Rolex "President" bracelet as witnessed by this Day-Date on a Jubilee bracelet. The Jubilee bracelet was introduced on the 40th anniversary of Rolex in 1945. It was named the Jubilee because the 40th anniversary is known as the Ruby Jubilee. Rolex also introduced the Rolex Datejust in 1945 which was the first watch with a date.

Page 162 White Gold Day-Date with matching Oyster Bracelett [Reference 6612] Circa 1958

This is another very unusual Rolex Day-Date because it is white gold with a matching white gold Oyster bracelet. The silvered dial has diamond indices and dauphin hands. Of course Rolex discontinued the Oyster band option after then introduced the President band, but brought it back many decades later as an option on the Day-Date. It is so interesting and unusual to see these bracelet combinations on the Day-Date.

Page 162 Pink Gold Day-Date with Oyster Bracelet [Reference 6612B/6611] Circa 1958

Another very unusual combo. This time a pink gold Rolex Day-Date on a matching pink gold Rolex Oyster bracelet. Notice the date is red. This watch also has a fluted pink gold bezel.

Page 163 Day-Date with Micro-Braided Bracelet [Reference 1803] Circa 1966

This is yet another example of a white gold Day-Date on an unusual bracelet. This watch watch has baton indices on a black dial.

Page 163 White Gold Day-Date [Reference 6613] Circa 1959

This white gold Rolex Day-Date has a diamond bezel with matching five minute diamond markers and dauphin hands. The day and date wheels are in arabic. Rolex has always made the Day-Date model in 26 different languages. This Day-Date has another unusual bracelet.

Page 172 Day-Date in Pink Gold [Reference 6605] Circa 1957

This watch also has a day wheel in arabic with a red date wheel with another example of an unusual bracelet. Fluted pink gold bezel with black glossy dial with faceted Baton indices and Alpha hands.

Page 178 Limited Edition Day-Date with King Midas Styling [Reference 1831] Circa 1977

The watch with the number 002 on its verso above is a photo of the watch below.

Page 179 Limited Edition Day-Date with King Midas Styling [Reference 1831] Circa 1977

This ultra-rare Rolex Day-Date is made from platinum and is 36mm. It is very heavy and weights 287 grams. This watch is number 2 of a limited series of only 8 produced. I call this model the King Midas Day-Date because its design language is so derivative of the limited edition King Midas originally produced in 1964.

This watch has a deployant clasp with a Bordeaux lacquered dial with diamond indices and a matching diamond bezel. One could also argue this watch incorporates much of the design language from the Rolex Oyster Quartz watches, but understand this is a purely mechanical auto-winding Rolex watch. This watch has a current market value of $100,000.

Page 182 Early Explorer II [Reference 1655] Circa 1978

This watch has been popularly dubbed as "The Steve McQueen" despite the fact that Steve McQueen never wore or owned it. Steve McQueen wore a Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner 5512 only. Unlike the current Explorer II which is 40mm, this watch is 36mm and very collectable.

Page 184 Rolex Monometer [Reference 6202] Circa 1953

Rolex came out with their first waterproof watch in 1922 named the Rolex Submarine. Not Submariner, but Submarine. You will see the original Rolex Submarine from 1922 in the last two images of this review.

In 1954 Rolex did not own the rights to the word Submariner so they came up with all kinds of interesting names and this watch was named the Rolex Monometer. It is interesting to note the black bezel has single minute markers like the future Rolex Military Submariner which is popularly nicknamed "the Milsub."

Page 186 Rolex Submariner with Jubilee Bracelet [Reference 5512/5513] Circa 1965

The photo of the 5512/5513 pictured above is the same model that Steve McQueen always wore. Today many people refer to this model as "The Steve McQueen."

Page 186 Rolex Submariner with Jubilee Bracelet [Reference 5513] Circa 1962

This Rolex Submariner was originally sold in South American and has a jubilee bracelet.

Page 193 GMT with United Arab Emeritz Eagle Logo [Reference 1675] Circa 1978

Not the rarest customized Rolex GMT, but the eagle looks really cool on the dial. Bakelite Coke bezel in red and black. Current market value around $20,000.

Page 195 Deep Sea Special [No Reference] Circa 1953

This is a two-tone stainless steel with 9kt yellow gold waterproof Rolex prototype named the Deep Sea Special. It measures 42x62mm. It has a highly domed crystal and screw back with a special screw winding crown.

This watch has a serial number 1, and is believed to be one of 7 prototypes made. The watch pictured above was a personal gift from Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf.

Today, this Rolex Deep Sea Special is in a private collection and the Smithsonian Institute has a different one in its permanent collection.

The Rolex Deep Sea Special was constructed for testing to withstand great water pressure and was tested by Professor August Piccard's on his Bathiscaphhe.

On November 30, 1953 one of the Rolex Deep Sea Special watches attached to the exterior of the Trieste depth craft submarine, which reached a world-record depth of 3150 meters which is 10,245 Feet or 2 miles down. This was achieved off the coast of Ponza island. After surfacing the watch was carefully inspected and was intact and functioning properly.

Page 203 Submariner with Explore 3,6,9 dial [Reference 6538] Circa 1956

This watch was manufactured in the third quarter of 1956. This early Submariner is unusual in many ways including the fact the black bezel does not have the standard 1-15 minute markers and it also has a Rolex Explorer-like 3,6,9 dial with baton indices. The "gilt" (meaning thinly) seconds track, is unusual on the submariner as is the 200/600 printed in red. This watch also has a NATO strap.

Page 205 Royal Marines Submariner [Reference A/6538] Circa 1957

This Military Submariner (Milsub) was custom made for and issued to the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines in England. It is 39mm with a prototype revolving metal bezel calibrated for 60 units. This watch also has the 3,6,9 Rolex Explorer like dial with Baton markers, along with the "Mercedes" hour hand. This watch also has a domed crystal.

Vintage Rolex Stainless Steel Submariners have become extremely collectable over the past couple of years and the one pictured above is worth $300,000.

Page 211 38mm Submariner [Reference 5510] Circa 1958

This watch was made in 1958 and sold in Spain. It has a red upside down pyramid indicator surrounding the zero position on the bezel, as well as the 3,6,9 Explorer markers. This watch is currently worth $200,000.

Page 213 British Navy Submariner [Reference 5517] Circa 1972

This Military issue Submariner (Milsub) is one of my favorites. It was manufactured in the first quarter of 1972 and has a 5513 reference number engraved on the inside of the screw on case which means it was modified. This watch is unusual because it has minute marks for all 60 minutes on the bezel.

This watch has "Maxi Marker" indices and "Sword" hands which lack the typical "Mercedes" symbol on the hour hand. It also has the Tritium "T" in the circle designation.

This watch has a drab green NATO strap and it is currently valued at $150,000.

Page 214 Robert Palmer Sea-Dweller Prototype [Reference 1665] Circa 1967

This is an extremely rare and historical Rolex Sea-Dweller prototype that belonged to famous Canadian diver Robert Palmer. This watch is really unusual in many ways because the case is much thinner than a standard Sea-Dweller and it lacks the typical helium release valve. The photo above shows the sides of the watch pictured below.

Page 215 Robert Palmer Sea-Dweller Prototype [Reference 1665] Circa 1967

The dial bears the single red Sea-Dweller designation and has a depth rating of 500M-1650 FT. The side view of this watch is pictured two photos up the page.

Page 217 Omani Sea-Dweller [Reference 1665] Circa 1973

This watch was a gift to the SAS (Special Air Service Regiment) officers from the Sultan of Oman, for the operations of counterinsurgency in 1972. The watch was sold by Asprey in London, England and it bears the red signature of the Sultan of Oman whose name is Qaboos bin Said Al Said.

Page 219 Omani Sea-Dweller [Reference 1665] Circa 1973

This 40mm Rolex Sea-Dweller was also made for the Omani SAS. It has the custom red emblem of the Sultanate of Oman which is a Khamjar dagger in a sheath over two crossed swords. This watch is currently worth $100,000.

Page 221 Omani Sea-Dweller [Reference 1665] Circa 1977

This 40mm Rolex Sea-Dweller was also made for the Omani SAS. It has the custom gold emblem of the Sultanate of Oman which is a Khamjar dagger in a sheath over two crossed swords.

Page 222 Sea-Dweller [Reference 1665] Circa 1977

This 40mm Rolex Sea-Dweller was made for Comex (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertize) which is a French diving company. The dial bears the Comex logo in place of the world Sea-Dweller. The words Chronometer and Certified are aligned and the maxi markers are closer to the minute track. This watch is currently worth $140,000.

Page 225 Milgaus Anti-Magnetic [Reference 6541] Circa 1958

This is the first Anti-Magnetic watch ever made and it has a number of fascinating design details. The second hand has a "lightning bolt" shape, with dauphin hands and in the 3,6, and 9 indices positions it has steel triangular markers. The watch is 38mm and was manufactured in the fourth quarter of 1958. It has a Anti-magnetic mild iron dust cover to shield the movement.

Page 227 White Dial Explorer [Reference 1016] Circa 1962

This 36mm Explorer is extremely rare because it has an unusual white dial with ivory-colored luminous baton hands. This watch is currently valued at $50,000.

Page 231 Prototype GMT in Yellow Gold with White Dial [Reference 6542] Circa 1958

This ultra-rare 18kt yellow gold prototype GMT has nipple indices and a white dial with "Alpha" hands. It is 38mm in diameter and had a brown acrylic bezel calibrated for 24 hours. The watch was manufactured in 1958 and sold in Italy. It is currently worth $300,000.

Page 232 Pan American International Airlines White Dial GMT Master [Reference 1675] Circa 1960

This watch is extremely rare. Almost all Rolex GMT Master watches have black dials. Rolex originally developed the Rolex GMT at the request of Pan American International Airlines and in Rolex folklore they made black dials for the pilots and white dials for executives. The photo above shows the Pan Am logo engraved in the back of the watch.

Page 233 Pan American International Airlines White Dial GMT Master [Reference 1675] Circa 1960

The bezel was replaced on this watch but everything else is original. This watch has a number of interesting design details beyond the rare white dial. The arrow at the tip of the 24 hour hand is very small and the crown guards have an unusual curved to a point shape. According to John Goldberger, all the 6542 GMT's we have seen with Bakelite bezels are fake.

Page 238 Cosmograph Daytona in Yellow Gold [Reference 6239] Circa 1968

This watch is a real beauty and it is 38mm. Strikingly simple and complicated looking at the same time. It also has a riveted Oyster bracelet.

Page 238 Hermes Cosmograph Daytona [Reference 6241] Circa 1969

This watch was retailed by Hermes of France and is the John Goldberger's favorite Rolex watch.

Page 245 Rolex Cosmograph [Reference 6241] Circa 1964

This watch is 37mm in diameter and has an Oyster bracelet with a deployment clasp.

Page 249 Albino Daytona [Reference 6239] Circa 1967

The "Albino" Daytona is an ultra-rare and highly collectable Rolex Cosmograph and it is valued at over $500,000. This watch was originally sold in Great Britain. The Daytona designation is a semicircle printed in red.

Page 250 Rolex Cosmograph with Pulsations Scale [Reference 6239] Circa 1968

The photo above shows off how beautiful the Valjoux movement is in the watch pictured below.

Page 251 Rolex Cosmograph with Pulsations Scale [Reference 6239] Circa 1968

This Cosmograph is unusual in the sense that it has two scales on the face. The typical tachymeter scale calibrated at 200 units per hour on the bezel and an additional Pulsation scale running around the edge of the matte silvered dial.

Page 252 Rolex Daytona [Reference 6241] Circa 1968

The base Valjoux movement pictured above belongs to the Daytona pictured below.

Page 253 Rolex Daytona [Reference 6241] Circa 1968

This is my favorite Rolex Daytona. It has a nickname of "The Panda." It is 37mm and it has push button pushers for the chronograph functions apposed to the screw-down type on the current Daytona. I think the watch looks so clean and cool. I love the red, white and black color combo.

Page 256 Pulsation Scale Cosmograph [Reference 6262] Circa 1970

The photo of the movement above is from the watch pictured below.

Page 257 Pulsation Scale Cosmograph [Reference 6262] Circa 1970

This Rolex Cosmograph has a Jubilee bracelet and it has two scales on it. First it the tachymeter scale on the steel bezel which is calibrated at 200 units per hour. The second is the pulsation scale around the edge of the dial.

Page 264 King Midas [Reference 9630] circa 1964

This is the same Rolex that Elvis Presley wore. It was a limited edition Rolex only made 1000 pieces of. The one above belongs to John Goldberger and Leo (The Idle Swede) also owns one.

The Rolex Submarine

The image above and below are of the first Rolex waterproof watch ever made. This watch was originally sold in 1922 and it had the name of Rolex Submarine. Not Submariner, but Submarine.

I mistakenly thought the Rolex Oyster was the first waterproof Rolex, but I learned from John Goldberger that it was the Rolex Submarine.

The way this watch worked, was that when you wear it on your arm it look as it does below, but if you wanted to change the time or wind it, you had to screw off the front bezel as pictured above.

I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing the images in this article as much as I enjoyed putting them together. I learned so much about Rolex history and really enjoyed the great photos of all the rare Rolex watches.

I very, very, very highly recommend investing in a copy of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches for your collection. The book has 700 stunning images and the book is a beautiful work of art. It is a proud possession you will enjoy and treasure for the rest of your life, and as I mentioned the book contains more than $20 Million worth of rare and interesting Rolex watches.

This is the kind of book you want to sit in front of the fire in the wintertime with your favorite warm drink and enjoy.

You can purchase John Goldberger's amazing Rolex book named 100 Superlative Rolex Watches below. By purchasing his Rolex book here you save $74 off the regular price of $200.

Enjoy!!!

Jake

John Goldberger also wrote the following books on Omega Watches, Omega Sport Watches and Longines Watches:

I would like to thank John Goldberger for sharing his superb photos and taking the time to record the excellent podcast.

I would also like to thank Damiani Publishing for creating such a beautifully printed and luxuriously bound book. Damiano Publishing specialize in art and photographic printing as well as volumes characterized by handmade quality and innovative technology. 100 Superlative Rolex Watches is the fourth book in their watch collection–adding to the previous titles of Omega, Omega Sportswatches and Longines.