...World's Top French Chef... Rolex Coolness: Paul Bocuse

...World's Top French Chef...

Rolex Coolness: Paul Bocuse

Now & Then

I must admit, one of my favorite features on Jake's Rolex World is Now & Then, whereby I feature a vintage Rolex ad, and they do a write-up on where the person is today, and highlight their continued life achievements!!!

Paul Bocuse is a French Chef born in 1926 and his is considered to be on of the top chef's in history. He also pioneered "Nouvelle Cuisine" which is lower in calories and less opulent that traditional "Cuisine Classique." Nouvelle Cuisine emphasizes the highest quality fresh ingredients.

Paul Bucose is featured below in this 1976 Rolex advertisement for the Rolex Day-Date.

Paul Bucouse is picture below 34 years later, and he still looks almost exactly the same, as does his Rolex in the following photo. It is true that everything considered classic was once considered modern ;-D

Rolex Coolness: John Goldberger 2011 Rolex GMT Master Calender

Rolex Coolness: John Goldberger

2011 Rolex GMT Master Calender

John Goldberger is a great pal of mine and he lives in Italy and is one of the top Rolex collectors in the world. He is the author of "100 Superlative Rolex Watches" and recently published an amazing book on Stainless Patek watches, which I will be doing a detailed review on as soon as I get a chance.

I recorded a podcast with John back in 2008, that is a favorite among listeners of Jake's Rolex World Podcast.

Every year, John creates a Rolex watch calendar just to give his friends, so you can't buy one, and here is the amazing cover artwork for his 2011 Rolex GMT Themed Calendar!!! How passionate about Rolex do you have to be to make an amazing Rolex calendar every year, filled with beautiful photos of rare Rolex watches as a Christmas present for all your fellow Rolex collector friends?

How many of the fascinating characters do you recognize on the cover?

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day: Jocke's Platinum & Stainless Yacht-Master

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day

Jocke's Platinum & Stainless Yacht-Master

Jocke is from Sweden and he is one of the top Rolex photographers in the world. Jocke has also been known to customize some of his Rolex watches, particularly to add a touch more red, and on his Yacht-Master pictured below he replaced the standard black numeral date dial with a red one, which looks great!!!

Rolex Coolness: Steve McQueen The King Of Cool

...The King Of Cool...

Rolex Coolness: Steve McQueen

McQueen at Sebring 1970

[Rolex Submariner: Reference 5512]

In this photo we see Steve McQueen at Sebring in 1970 wearing his trademark Rolex Submariner (Reference 5512). Of course, Steve McQueen is the King Of Cool, and I included a video interview of Steve McQueen at Sebring in 1970 talking about how he was racing with his broken foot!!!

"I'm not sure whether I'm an actor who races or a racer who acts."

-Steve McQueen

Notice in the photo below, that Steve McQueen is wearing his Rolex Submariner while racing during the 1970 Sebring race!!!

Steve McQueen's Secret Karate Career

Bruce Lee & Chuck Norris

"Those who are skilled in producing surprises will win."

–Sun Tzu, The Art Of War 500BC

Steve McQueen was an accomplished martial artist, but he kept it low key, and often denied it in interviews. Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee were close friends and Bruce Lee taught Steve McQueen, Jeet Kune Do which is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by Bruce Lee in 1967.

Chuck Norris with Bruce Lee Pictured Above

Chuck Norris was also a personal Karate instructor of Steve McQueen, and apparently, Steve McQueen earned a third degree black belt, but never tested for it because he did not want anybody to sue him and use it against him. Steve McQueen is pictured below with Chuck Norris, in a very rare photo taken in front of Chuck Norris' Karate Studio in the early 1970s, and Steve McQueen appears to be checking out a Karate magazine.

Steve McQueen encouraged, both of his martial arts teachers, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris to pursue acting careers.

Bruce Lee said when he first met Steve McQueen "When I first saw him, I couldn't understand the guy. Steve was so suspicious of me and it took quite a while before I got to know him. But once he accepted me as a friend, we became real close."

Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee are pictured below, and they are certainly two of the coolest guys that ever lived. Bruce Lee once referred to himself as "The Oriental Steve McQueen."

Steve McQueen said "I'm not an expert or anything like that. I'm not involved in the martial arts to any degree. Bruce was just a very old personal friend of mine and I cared for him a lot. I thought he was a brilliant, fine philosopher about everyday living. He had good standards, and I have great respect for that."

This footage from "Way Of The Dragon" is mesmerizing and it shows how amazing of an athlete Bruce Lee was!!! Turn the volume way up!!!!!

Bruce Lee had many famous actors and athletes as students, including basketball legend, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bruce Lee had this amazing fight screen in "Game Of Death" which was filmed in 1973 just before he passed away. Game Of Death was not released until 1978, at which time it became an enormous success despite the campy 1970s Charlie's Angels soundtrack.

The world was shocked when Bruce Lee died. Steve McQueen was a lead pallbearer along with James Coburn at Bruce Lee's funeral which took place on July 31, 1973 on Capital Hill. Bruce Lee was only 33 years old when he stepped back into eternity. 7 years later, Steve McQueen at only 50 yeas of age, also stepped back into eternity. I don't know if it is true that only the good die young, but it would have been nice to see them both with grey hair.

"If you love life, don't waste time, because time is what life is made of." –Bruce Lee

A Grandfather's Rolex from Snowy & Cold Sweden

A Grandfather's Rolex

from Snowy & Cold Sweden

Andreas is a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World and he sent in the great image along with the following note:

Hi Jake!

I´m a loyal reader of your great blog!

I thought I could send you some christmas spirit from a snowy and cold Sweden.

Here is a shot of my late grandfathers Datejust ref 1600 from 1974 that has a very special place in my collection.

Have a lovely holiday

//Andreas

Pele: The Greatest Soccer Player In History...

...The Greatest Soccer Player In History...

Rolex Super-Coolness

Pelé

The King Of Football

Gets A Kick Out Of 5 Decades Of Wearing Rolex

In the world of Sports, there are sometimes one person who is the best in history. In basketball we have Michael Jordan, who has also been a lifetime Rolex man; and in the world of soccer, Pelé is considered to be the all-time best. Pele has worn his trademark yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date for decades, as seen in this recent photo.

Pelé was born Edison "Edson" Arantes so Nascimento in October of 1940 in Brazil. During his amazing career which ran from 1956 to 1974 he scored 760 official goals, and 541 in league championships, thus, making him the top scorer of all time!!! In his career Pelé scored a total of 1281 goals in 1363 games.

Pelé is widely considered to be not only the most famous soccer/football player in history, but also the best. To this day, Pelé is the winningest soccer player in FIFA World Cup history remaining the only player to have won 3 Wold Cup Winners' Medals (1958, 1962 and 1970). Pelé was also received a special recognition award from the FIFA World Cup for the title of "FIFA Player Of The Century."

Pelé is pictured below with David Beckham who is considered the greatest soccer player playing today. David Beckham is also a Rolex man and wears a Rolex DEEP-SEA.

Pelé Rolex and Brazil '66

44 years ago in 1966, in the vintage photos below, we see world-wide soccer superstar, Pelé wearing his Rolex Datejust. Pelé is most famous for wearing his trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, but before he wore his Day-Date he wore a Rolex Datejust as seen in the two photos below.

For historical reference, it is interesting to note the Rolex watch Pelé is wearing is the same one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wore in that same time in history. Bill Cosby was also wearing his Pepsi GMT Master, this same year on I Spy.

Pelé's Trademark Bicycle Kick

In the next two photos we see Pelé executing his famous trademark "Bicycle-Kick."

In this next photo we see Pele with Muhammad Ali in 1977 in New York. What a photo!!!

In the next two recent photos we see Pele sporting his Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date that he typically wears.

In the next photo below, we see the visible clasp on the back of the Rolex "President" bracelet, which likely means Pelé acquired and has been wearing this Rolex Day-Date since sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s!!!

Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust

In this next photo below, we see Pele wearing a stainless steel Rolex that appears to be a Datejust on an Oyster Bracelet.

In the next recent photo below, we see Pelé wearing a stainless steel Rolex on an Oyster bracelet.

Rolex Sunset Shot Of The Day: Alwin's Daily Rockin' Submariner

Rolex Sunset Shot Of The Day

Alwin's Daily Rockin' Submariner

Alwin lives in Europe and he took this stunning shot of his Rolex Submariner which is his daily wearer.

Rolex Holiday Shot of the Season: Santa's Got A New Sled

Santa's Got A Brand New Sleigh...

I found this photo of Santa and it looks like he dropped a few pounds and traded in his sleigh for a Ferrari F430 Spyder convertible. Of course he is wearing a Rolex Submariner.

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day: Red White & Black Daytona Dial

Rolex Macro Dhot Of The Day

Red White & Black Daytona Dial

Why I Research & Publish Rolex History Happy Holidays from Jake!!!!!!

Why I Research & Publish Rolex History

Happy Holidays from Jake!!!!!!

Hi Everybody!!!

I hope you are having a great holiday season!!!!

People often ask me what motivates me to capture all this amazing Rolex history?

First and foremost, I find it to be absolutely fascinating!!!! I am probably the biggest fan of reading Jake's Rolex World. I realize this sounds strange, but often times I love to get lost in these amazing historical worlds!!!

Secondly, I realize if I don't capture this amazing Rolex history, it will be lost forever, and that would be an absolute shame.

Last, but not least, I love all the friends I have made all over the planet, and if I knew there was only one other person on planet earth that enjoyed my research, writing and photo layouts as much as I do, it would all make it worth while. That being said, Greg Carrara is a huge fan of Jake's Rolex World and he just sent in this amazing holiday note:

Hi Jake,

I have to say, Jake's Rolex World is the best thing on the web. At night when I am hanging out late, I stay up much later than my wife, I love going through Jake's Rolex World…no matter how many times I go through your site, I always find something new or something I missed…it is like Seinfeld for me, I can never get enough…

Greg Carrara

I have to say that getting notes like this make for a very Merry Christmas!!!!

By the way, I have much more mind-boggling Rolex history coming up in 2011, and I mean mind-boggling!!!!!!

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!

Jake :-D

Rolex Coolness: Roger Waters...

Rolex Coolness: Roger Waters

Legendary Founder of Pink Floyd

Rolex Submariner on Conan O' Brien Show

Roger Waters is a living musical legend, and founding member of the legendary 1970s and 1980s British rock band, Pink Floyd. Recently Roger Waters was on the all-new Conan O'Brien show on the TBS network, and he was sporting a stainless Rolex Submariner.

Roger Waters sporting a Stainless Steel Rolex Submariner was of particular interest since he historically wore a stainless steel Rolex Datejust, as seen in the images later in this story.

Roger Waters wears his Rolex watches very loose, almost like they are bracelets. I am pretty certain, Conan O'Brien's sidekick, Andy Richter also wears a stainless Rolex Submariner.

Here is the complete Roger Waters interview video on Conan O'Brien

Pink Floyd Rolex

British Supergroup Pink Floyd reunited in 2005 to perform at Live8 as seen in these photos and some of the videos below. David Gilmour is pictured on the left playing his guitar. Roger Waters is pictured on the right.

Roger Waters is pictured above on the right and below sporting his trademark two-tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

It is amazing how iconic and timeless Pink Floyd's music is. In many ways Pink Floyd's music defined a generation. Enjoy, and if you are part of the generation that grew up with Pink Floyd, be prepared for a serious and magical Deja vu experience.

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Separated At Birth?

American Gigolo v. Pink Floyd

1980 was a most fascinating year. Ronald Reagan was recently elected president of the United States, and the world was just really beginning to change. If you were alive in 1980, and of the age to listen to music on the radio, there were two songs that really kind of symbolize the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties. They were "Call Me" by Blondie, from American Gigolo, which starred Richard Gere, and "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, which featured Roger Waters.

In the first photo we see actor Richard Gere sporting his Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet and in the image below we see musician and founder of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters sporting his Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet.

Richard Gere v. Roger Waters

For some reason, these two men seem to have the same vibe, especially their hairstyle and choice of Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet. As Spock would say on Star Trek, "Interesting Captain."