Happy Halloween!!!!! From John Goldberger in Italy...

Happy Halloween!!!!!

From John Goldberger in Italy

Wow!!! What a nice surprise!!! I guess Leo was right about Halloween being celebrated in other parts of the world since John Goldberger from Italy sent in this great Halloween photo today to share with you. It features a very rare and unusual one of-a-kind pink gold Rolex Datejust with a beautiful blue lapis dial from 1974 [Reference 1601].

John Goldberger is one of the top Rolex collectors in the world and author of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches which, if you don't have copy, is an excellent Rolex book. You can check out my extremely detailed review of his book by clicking here.

Thanks for sharing John!!!!! Happy Halloween!!!!

American's Are Crazy About Halloween...

American's Are CrazyAbout Halloween
I live in San Francisco and it seems like everybody here is crazy about Halloween!!! I notice as the years go by Americans in general keep getting more and more into Halloween.
As a matter of fact, Americans spend more than$5 Billion a year celebrating Halloween!!! Perhaps it is because Halloween provides an escape from everyday reality? If you are not familiar with Halloween, people tend to dress up in costumes to pretend they are other people.
When I was a child it seems like it was more of a trick-or-treat thing, but it appears to have stuck with many adults who get really into it. This next video is really funny and strange at the same time. It features Al Roker, the host of the Today show, dressed up as the Hans Solo character from Star Wars that was play by Harrison Ford. Notice Al Roker is wearing his trademark Rolex Submariner on his right wrist in the video!!!
I am not sure what is going on, but the Ewok's seem to get drunk and loose their minds!!!

Speaking of crazy Star Wars costumes you gotta love this dudes crazy Halloween costume!!! Imagine if you showed up at a Halloween costume party with this setup!?!?!

Happy Halloween From Leo and Jake...

Happy Halloween!!!!!

From Leo & Jake

Leo and I would like to wish all our great international readership a Happy Halloween. I was talking with Leo about Halloween and mentioned I thought it was a U.S. only holiday and Leo said he thought it was starting to catch-on around the world. I imagine he must be correct because Morton Olesen from Denmark sent in this great Halloween Lume shot–so Leo must be correct.

Also an update: Things have been moving so quickly at Jake's Rolex Watch Blog that it is challenging for me to keep up. I was planning to resume our fascinating series The Complete History Of The Rolex Submariner & SEA-DWELLER this week, but it looks like it will resume next week. Anyway, Have a Happy & Safe Halloween!!!

Birdmen On 60 Minutes

Birdmen On 60 MinutesFlying Through The Sky Like Superman
It's a Bird...It's A Plane...It's crazy dudes flying through the sky like Superman!!! Sometimes I dream I am flying through the sky like Superman. These totally crazy dudes are actually doing it!!! My jaw dropped when I first saw this. Totally fascinating with some incredible footage. Enjoy!!!


Historical Note: So where did this idea of a flight-suit come from? Franz Reichelt, an Austrian born tailor created an overcoat flight suit that was supposed to work like a parachute. To showcase his invention he jumped off the Eiffel Tower in 1912, which at the time was the worlds tallest man-made structure. Things did not work quite the way Reichelt expected and he fell to his death.
Warning: This video is pretty heavy (Literally & Figuratively).

Gotham City GMT Master...

Raymond Kelly

New York City: Police Commissioner

GMT Master II

Commissioner Kelly (Sounds very Batman–think, Commissioner Gordon) clearly prefers Coke over Pepsi, at least in his choice of Rolex GMT. It is interesting because on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog we seem to see so many more Pepsi GMTs than we do Coke GMTs, so it is nice to see somebody with a Coke and a smile (I think he is smiling?).

The more I look at this photo, the more it looks like he is doing the Rodney Dangerfield "I don't get any respect" thing with his necktie ;-)))) Now that I think about it even more, I think he kind of has an I-Spy vibe...Kind of like Kelly or Scotty wearing their GMT Master with a suite and tie with French cuffs and a handkerchief in their breast pocket...

Autistic Artist Draws New York Skyline From Memory!!!!

Autistic Artist Draws New York City Panorama

From Memory!!!!

This is a most amazing story!!! Since we just saw New York City Police Commissioner, Raymond Kelly, I thought it would be great to take another look at New York–this time drawn from the memory of a British man named Stephen Wiltshire.

As you can see, Stephen Wiltshire is an extremely talented artist, and one of the things that makes him unusual is that he is autistic. His artistic talent just blows my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rolex Studio Shot of the Day: Rolex OysterQuartz Datejust On The Rocks...

Rolex OysterQuartz Datejust

On The Rocks

Chip took this great photo of his OysterQuartz Rolex Datejust on top of some Quartz crystals. Kind of has a Superman's cave vibe to it. Remember in the Superman movie where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father? I think that was Marlon Brando's last movie he made just before he gained a lot of weight.

Every time I look at a Rolex OysterQuartz I get confused? I can't figure out if it looks great or just weird? The OysterQuartz Rolex watches definitely have a 1970s vibe.

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Week: Daytona Designation...

Daytona Designation

ChampTheKid took this stunning macro shot of his Rolex Daytona up-close. You have to love the red, white and black color combination!!!

Howard Schultz: Founder & CEO of Starbucks

Howard Schultz

Founder & CEO of Starbucks

Rolex Explorer 1

Howard Schultz is the founder and CEO of Starbucks and as we see in these photos he wears a Rolex Explorer.

The Starbucks Submariner

With all due respect, I think Howard Schultz would be better-off wearing a Starbucks Submariner or 50th Anniversary Submariner. I created this graphic illustration last year to illustrate how the LV Submariner reminded me of the Starbucks logo.

In all seriousness, Howard Schultz wrote one of the absolute best and most inspirational business autobiographies I have ever read, which I very highly recommend!!!

The book titled Pour Your Heart Into It tells the story not only of how Howard Schultz built the Starbucks empire, but goes into great detail on his business ethics philosophy. I remember he talked about how he insisted that all Starbucks employees be given health care and I also remember him talking about the power of Under-promising and Over-delivering. You can have Howard Schultz's great book delivered to your home or office or to a friend as a gift from Amazon by clicking the secure link below.

The Most Complicated Rolex Ever Made...

Rolex Triple Date Chronograph [Reference 6236]

The Most Complicated Rolex Ever Made

Recently we saw how the Rolex Explorer II with orange hands was falsely dubbed "The Steve McQueen" but Steve McQueen never wore one. To the best of my investigative knowledge the same thing happened with the Rolex shown below which was also falsely dubbed as "The Jean-Claude Killy." I have NEVER seen any photographic evidence to suggest that Jean-Claude Killy ever wore this watch.

One of these days, I will write a definitive guide to falsely dubbed Rolex watches. That being said, the Rolex 6236 Triple-Date Chronometer is a beautifully designed complicated Rolex. The thing that surprised me when I first saw one in person was how small it was!!! I was expecting it to me like a modern Rolex Daytona at 40mm but it could not have been more than 36mm.

Rolex: The International Mark Of Success even In Communist Countries...

A Communist President

Rolex: The International Mark Of Success

Communist President sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it? Since we just saw the adorable photo below of a little girl with her father's yellow gold Rolex I thought I would share this Rolex baby photo.

When Fidel Castro overthrew the Batista government in Cuba, he wore just his Rolex Submariner. As time went by (pun intended) he started wearing a Rolex President (Day-Date) with his Submariner at the same time. Eventually he just ended up wearing his Rolex President as seen in this photo.

In another twist of irony, Rolex used to have a service center and distributorship in Habana, Cuba. I don't know if it is true, but I heard that after the Communist revolution, Castro had all the Rolex watches confiscated from Rolex, which is kind of wierd if you think about it, since Rolex watches have typically symbolized The International Mark Of Success.

I imagine that the supreme irony is that Rolex also became The International Mark Of Success in the Communist world as well!!! For instance, the father of the Chinese Communist Revolution Moa Zedong wore yellow gold Rolex watches!!! So did fellow Cuban revolutionary Che Guivara, and even Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Rolex Lume Shot of the Day...

ROLEX SEA-DWELLER GLOWPOWER

Photo Credit: Daveathall

Rolex Sunrise over Biel Switzerland...

Rolex Sunrise Over Biel Switzerland

Michael Groove took this stunning shot of the sun rising over one of the old Rolex buildings located at the foot of the Jura mountains just above Biel, Switzerland. Michael says "The production facilities have been moved to the outskirts some time ago leaving some beautiful old buildings behind, now used for management, training and overhead staff."

Macro Wrist Shot Of The Day: LV Submariner

Macro Wrist Shot Of The Day

Vu took this great macro/wrist shot of his LV Submariner, which ironically is the watch Daniel Craig's Project X Designs PXD SS1 is based upon (in the article below). It is amazing how different a Rolex can look when you customize just a few details!!!

Part 11: Modern James Bond Rolex Mystery Goes Deeper: A 7th Different Rolex On Daniel Craig

Modern James Bond Rolex Mystery Goes Deeper

A 7th Different Rolex On Daniel Craig

A Project X Designs Limited Edition Rolex Submariner

I never thought this Daniel Craig Prefers Rolex Series would ever make it to a Part 11, but it has!!!

It has been a while since we looked into the Daniel Craig Prefers Rolex mystery, but Jake's Rolex Watch Blog has confirmed that Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond has been wearing a 7th different Rolex, and this time it is a Project X Designs PXD SS1 Limited Edition customized modern Rolex 50th Anniversary LV Submariner.

Before we to into detail on this watch, since it has been a while, let's reexamine what makes this a mystery? The James Bond series of movies, based on Ian Flemming's novels has been ultra-successful ever since Sean Connery first played Bond 47 years ago in Dr. No 1962. Just to put things into perspective, JFK was the President of the United States in 1962–this was many, moons ago.

For a super-detailed overview of the genesis of the James Bond character as well as an overview of all the watches worn in James Bond movies please click here.

Several years ago, a relatively unknown actor named Daniel Craig stepped in to play the role of James Bond. Daniel Craig's first role as James Bond was in Casino Royale, and in the movie he wore an Omega Seamaster just as his predecessor Pierce Brosnan had. Many James Bond fans thought that James Bond wearing an Omega was a travesty for many different reasons.

First and foremost, Ian Flemming himself wrote in his 1953 novel, Casino Royale, that James Bond "Could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex." Furthermore, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton all wore Rolex Submariner watches in their movies–even Peter Sellers in the Casino Royale, James Bond spoof from 1967 wore a Rolex sports watch.

There has been much speculation about how Omega somehow became the official watch of James Bond, with many sources suggesting it was because Omega was willing to pay the James Bond franchise some kind of product placement fee that Rolex refused to pay.

Quantum Of Rolex

So What If The Guy Who Plays James Bond Has A Worse Case Of RISitus Than You!?!

About a year ago, I wrote a story about how I discovered photographic evidence that Daniel Craig, the new James Bond was wearing a vintage No Crown Gaurd Rolex Submariner [Reference 6538] on a NATO strap!!!

You can imagine how stunning this revelation was!!! The great question of course, was why was Daniel Craig wearing a Sean Connery Rolex Submariner [Reference 6538] as seen in the two pictures below?

At the Quantum of Solace debut in Rome was the first time I noticed Daniel Craig sporting his Sean Connery Submariner. Apparently, Daniel Craig wears it as an homage to Sean Connery who is one of his great role models.

Ironically, Daniel Craig was wearing his 6538 Submariner on a falsely dubbed grey and black NATO strap. To learn all about the difference between the real Sean Connery regimental strap and the falsely dubbed James Bond NATO and see the strap that is most similar and historically accurate please click here.

This story stunned everybody including myself. The strange thing was that I kept discovering Daniel Craig wearing different Rolex watches!!! It seem like they were popping-up, one right after the other:

1. Stainless Steel Vintage Rolex Submariner [Reference 6538] that was very similar to the one Sean Connery wore in Goldfinger. (Pictured in two photos above).

2. Two-tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

3. Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust on an Oyster bracelet.

4. Stainless Steel 50th Anniversary Milgauss GV with Green Crystal.

5. Stainless Steel Vintage Rolex Daytona "Big Red Panda" [Reference 6263]. (Pictured below).

6. Stainless Steel Vintage Rolex GMT Master [Reference 1675]

7. Stainless Steel Modern "Project X Designs" Limited Edition, PXD SS1] customized original 50th Anniversary LV Submariner (Newest Discovery).

The photo below is of the 6th Rolex I discovered Daniel Craig wearing. This time a vintage Pepsi Rolex GMT Master [Reference 1675].

PROJECT X DESIGNS

PXD SS1 Limited Edition

Customized Original 50th Anniversary Rolex LV Submariner

Recently, I discovered Daniel Craig wearing what appeared to be a 7th different Rolex, but at first it confused me!?! It looked like he was wearing his vintage Sean Connery [Reference 6538] on a black NATO strapped since it had a big crown and no crown guards, very similar in looks to the one Sean Connery is wearing in Dr. NO in the picture below.

Ursula Andres with Sean Connery from Dr. NO in 1962

When I looked closer I noticed it was larger (40mm), it appeared to be a modern Rolex Submariner LV with Maxi Markers, with the green bezel swapped out with a black one!?!

I could not figure it out, then it hit me like a ton of bricks!!! It had to be a Project X Designs Limited Edition PXD SS1. I wrote a detailed review about Project X Designs back in April of 2009 which you can check out by clicking here.

I did not originally recognize this watch at first because Daniel Bourn from Project X Designs had quietly released this watch and I was used to seeing his Bespoke Submariner watches that had a PVD Black coating. Project X Designs, specializes in customizing watches for their customers and they also offer limited editions of 24 highly customized original Rolex watches.

I recently spoke with Daniel Bourn from Project X Designs and he confirmed, that indeed my analysis was correct and that Daniel Craig does wear one of his Limited Edition watches. The model Daniel Craig wears is pictured below.

The Project X Designs PXD SS1 (pictured above and below) is highly customized 50th Anniversary Rolex Submariner with the following changes:

• Green Bezel is swapped with authentic black Rolex Submariner Bezel.

• Project X Designs green "X" in circle logo applied to dial just above Submariner designation.

• Crown Guards Carefully shaved off with updated winding crown tube.

• Rolex Trademark Submariner Cyclops Date Magnifier removed.

You have to admit, the Project X Design Limited Edition PXD SS1 is a very cool looking watch with a definite vintage Rolex look. I think it is really cool that Daniel Craig not only prefers Rolex but likes wearing a customized Rolex that looks different than a standard vanilla Submariner!!! Also, by wearing a highly customized Project X Design PXD SS1, since it is essentially a customized authentic LV Submariner, it is much more sturdy and precise.

A Black Bond Meeting a British Bond?

Sean John Meets With Daniel Craig

In the photo below we see Daniel Craig wearing his Project X Designs customized Rolex LV Submariner (Model PXD SS1) while meeting Sean John Combs more popularly known as Sean John and/or P. Diddy and/or Puff Daddy and/or Puffy and or Diddy. The irony of this meeting is that Sean John desperately wants to be, in his own words, "The first black James Bond."

How badly does Sean John (P. Diddy) want to play James Bond? Sean John is so passionate about playing James Bond he reportedly spent more than $750.000 of his own money to make this demo film (below) which he submitted to Ion Productions for their review.

Before you laugh as Sean John and say that James Bond has to be British in order to play, James Bond, don't forget that Cubby Broccoli, the founding producer of the James Bond movie franchise offered Burt Reynolds (An American) to play James Bond, after Sean Connery announced he was done playing Bond.

I AM KING

Men's Cologne

by

Sean John

Sean John mentioned his I AM KING fragrance is dedicated to his positive role models like Martin Luther King, Mohammed Ali and Barack Obama (Two of which are Nobel Prize Winners).

If you wish to learn more about the Daniel Craig Prefers Rolex Series you can always start at the beginning:

• Part 1: Quantum James Bond Rolex Theory

• Part 2: Quantum James Bond Rolex Mystery

• Part 3: The New James Bond Rolex Mystery

• Part 4: More Answers Lead to More Questions

• Part 5: Ian Fleming Wore A Rolex Explorer

• Part 6: Quantum of Rolex Mystery

• Part 7: James Bond Rolex Mystery Solved

• Part 8: Yet Another James Bond Rolex

• Part 9: A 5th Rolex on Daniel Craig

• Part 10: A 6th Rolex on Daniel Craig

• Part 11: A 7th Rolex: A Project X Designs PXD SS1 (You Are Here)

• >> More James Bond Watch History: All James Bond Watches...From A-Z...

Colin Chapman: Founder Of Lotus Cars

Colin Chapman

Founder Of Lotus Cars

A Passion For Sports Cars & Rolex

Colin Chapman was born in 1928 and passed away in 1982. Colin was a highly influential British designer, inventor and automotive industry maverick.

Chapman founded the Lotus Car Company in 1952 and was a revolutionary designer in the world of Formula One innovation. Among many of his innovative achievements was using struts as a rear suspension device. As we see in the photo below, Colin is pictured sporting his trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date which kept the time of his life.

"To add speed, add lightness." –Colin Chapman

Amanico's GMT Master From The United Arab Emirates

Amanico's GMT Master

From The United Arab Emirates

Amanico took this stunning photo of his vintage Rolex GMT Master that was made for the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Eagle logo looks really cool!!! I never noticed before, but it appears the UAE Eagle has a sailboat symbol on its chest.

Windows 7 Is Now Available!!!

Windows 7 Is Now Available!!!

Microsoft Windows newest operating system named Windows 7 is now available!!! Windows 7 is a huge improvement over Windows Vista and Windows XP!!! If you are a PC user and you want to significantly improve your PC experience definitely upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7.

Get excellent Windows 7 Upgrade Pricing from Amazon.com:

Very Old Rolex Lost On East Coat...It is yours?

Very Old Rolex Lost On East Coat...It is yours?

If you live on the east coast and lost a very old Rolex watch recently, please contact me and I will assist you in getting it back. Assuming it is your watch, you must accurately describe it and I will put you in contact with the police department that has it.

A reader of Jake's Rolex Watch Blog alerted me to this, and I am just trying to help out.

Thanks,

Jake

Young RISdom...

Young Rolex WISdom

Kyle L. Pictured Above

Kyle is the youngest Rolex enthusiast I have ever met. He is 14 today and I met him when he was 13 when he sent in some photos of his Rolex Explorer he bought with his own money, which I put up on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog.

I fell madly-in-love with and purchased (with my own money) my first Rolex (stainless Submariner) more than a quarter-century ago, when I was 16, so Kyle is in many ways ahead of me. Timeless Rolex design definitely had a strong effect on my own sense of design and taste. So much so I ended up writing this crazy blog you are reading ;-)

I started Jake's Rolex Watch Blog a few years ago, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I really wanted to share everything I learned in my life about Rolex with my fellow Rolex fans. As a result, I have become friends with people all over the planet, which just blows my mind!!!! Very cool!!!

I think this wrist shot (below) that Kyle took of his Rolex Explorer is also very cool. I think it has superb composition and I just think Kyle is so cool!!! If exploring the world of Rolex design gives Kyle, in his lifetime, just 10% of the inspiration it has given me, it will be invaluable, but that is not my wish. My wish it that it inspires him 1000%.

Wristshot by Kyle L.

Thanks for sharing this great wrist shot with us Kyle!!! and thanks for being a great contributor to the online Rolex community, which in many ways, feels like a big family to me ;-)

Dave Mathews sings a duet named Iwoya with Angelique Kidjo on her album named Black Ivory Soul and Dave Mathews sings:

"You don't have to be old to be wise. A bird doesn't wait till he dies to fly," which is profound and on-point in my mind.

Kyle reminded me of the words from Iwoya so I thought I would include a link to Iwoya which is an amazingly uplifting song–as is the whole Black Ivory Soul album by Angelique Kidjo.

Below is a MP3 Clip Widget that will allow you to preview Angelique Kidjo's album named Black Ivory Soul which features the song Iwoya, which is the second song on the album. Enjoy!!!

Kyle has his own Rolex Watch Blog named TRF's Collection where he posts images from RolexForums.com members. The following LV Submariner photo and accompanying story from Rambam is awesome, and appears on Kyle's great blog!!!

LV For A Lifetime

"I bought the LV for my 30th Birthday. I wanted a nice watch which I knew would last me a lifetime–and then some. There was never any doubt, it had to be a Rolex and the LV just had me awestruck. Had to special order it and I didn't even get to try one on for size before it arrived. I was so excited when I got the call, it arrived the day before my birthday, excellent timing! Alot of watches have come and gone since, but this one will never leave." –Rambam

Apple's Snow Leopard...

If you are an Apple User and you have not already updated to Apple's Snow Leopard, it is a must, and with this special offer from Amazon it is only $25!!!

The Quest For The Best: Solar Powered Homes...

The Quest For The BestU.S. Department Of EnergySolar Decathlon 2009
Solar energy technology is amazing and it keeps evolving. I don't understand why they don't make it a law in the U.S. (or in all countries for that matter) that all new home construction should be required to be solar powered!?! In this recent Solar Decathlon contest in the U.S. Capital of Washington D.C., Team Germany won with this incredible design.

Speaking of Solar innovation, I don't understand why they don't cover the entire surface area, including the underbelly of cars with solar skins? The car would literally charge while you were driving it, or when it is parked!!!
The Solar Decathlon is a competition between international college teams to design and build the most aesthetically pleasing, energy-efficient, effective solar powered house. You have got to watch these videos!!!


You can learn much more about the U.S. Department Of Energy 2009 Solar competition by clicking here.