"In the twilight of the deep waters one of the most vital items of a diver's equipment is his watch. The "Submariner" was the world's first watch designed especially for skin and deep sea divers, 100% waterproof to a depth of 660 feet, is has a calibrated outer bezel which allows the accurate and correct timing of decompression periods."
Who is the coolest dude to ever wear a Rolex? This is a fascinating question if you think about it since there have been so many. The top of this list would include Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Miles Davis, Robert Redford, and even Pablo Picasso. This being said, there is another person to add to this list that could arguably top the list, and that is actor, James Coburn. Nick Gould the amazing horological journalist discovered the photo of James Coburn rocking his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master in 1968.
So what makes a dude cool? I would argue coolness is a combination of being handsome, masculine, charismatic, stylish, confident, competent, with and a relative degree of nonchalance and je ne sais quoi—all of which James Coburn possessed in spades.
A Man For All Four Seasons
James Coburn was an unusually charismatic, handsome actor. During his acting career which made up the better part of a half-century he appeared in over 80 movies and 100 TV shows including Bonanza and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. James played many different roles in his career, and in 1998 won the Academy Award for his supporting role in the movie "Affliction."
The Magnificent Seven
James Coburn co-starred in The Magnificent Seven alongside other famous tough-guy actors including Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner and Charles Bronson.
The Great Escape
In 1963 James Coburn co-starred in the great escape alongside James Garner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. We see the three of them together pictured below in 1963. Speaking of Rolex and The Great Escape, our Captain Danny wrote and amazing story on this subject, which I highly recommend checking out!!!
Our Man Flint
James Coburn made a series of two movies which debuted in 1966 and 1968 named Our Man Flint, and In Like Flint in which he played a James Bond like character.
Duffy
James Coburn starred in a movie in 1968 named Duffy, where he wore his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master as seen below.
I was just going through Jake's Rolex World Archives and discovered this image I originally published sixteen years ago, back in 2008 and I still love this image!!!
The black strap above is a braided perlon NATO strap, but I think if somebody could figure out how to make a similar looking strap, but similar to Apples fitted Braided Solo Loop, it would be a mega-hit!!!! Why? Because the braided Solo Loop has no buckle or clasp, is ultra comfortable, durable and very secure on the wrist.
Tommy Lasorda was a professional baseball pitcher and manager who famously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 through 1996. Tommy Lasorda wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Day date as seen in the photos below. Lasorda passed away in January 2021 at age 93 and left behind an amazing list of achievements.
The Face & Soul of The Dodgers
"I Bleed Dodger Blue!"
Tommy Lasorda played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1954-1955, and in 1956 move on to play for the Kansas City Athletics. The Dodger's moved from Brooklyn to Los Angles in 1957.
Tommy Lasorda became a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1973 to 1976, and then took over as their manager. Lasorda won two World Series Championships while serving as manager of The Dodgers.
As we can see in the photo above Tommy Lasorda wore a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date with a blue dial with diamond markers which matched his Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.
The Rolex China Sea Race is Asia’s oldest, most prestigious blue water race. Inaugurated in 1962, the biannual event is organized by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and charts a 565-nautical mile (1,046 km) course from Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong to Subic Bay in the Philippines. In 2024, Happy Go became the first yacht in 14 years to take both line and overall honours, Nie Hua and his crew crossing the finish line in just over three days and 20 hours on corrected time. As part of its extensive support for yachting dating back almost 70 years, Rolex has partnered the race since 2008.
Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand’s enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie.
Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup.
It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world’s most famous harbours. Rolex’s partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.
Emmanuel from France is a fan of Jake's Rolex World and he recently sent in some really cool French Rolex ads from 1964 though 1966, which he found in a French magazine from the 1960s named, "Plongées", which was a scuba-diving magazine. The image below of the diver wearing a Rolex Submariner appeared in a French Magazine named "Géo", which was similar to National Geographic. Thank you so much for sharing these really cool ads with us Emmanuel!!!
Roberto is from Italy and he has an amazing collection of vintage Rolex watches. He took this stunning image of his pre-Daytona Rolex Chronograph. Notice is has a different scale running around the outside of the dial, along with the secondary scale on the bezel insert.
When I think of Caroline Kennedy, the term "America's First Daughter" pops into my head. I say this as she was a small girl, when she was in the White House with her legendary mother, Jackie, and father, JFK. In a way, Caroline is kind of like American royalty, and I think of her as being like a distant relative, kind of the way I used to think of Queen Elizabeth, in the sense that she was a fixture that was always there in our lives.
When I think of Rolex as a brand, I think of the word "classic". It's interesting to note that everything considered classic today, was once considered to be modern. When I think of any of the Kennedy family, including Caroline Kennedy, I also think of the word classic.
Caroline Kennedy is pictured below with her father, former U.S. President, John F. Kennedy and her Mother, Jackie Kennedy. Some of Caroline Kennedy's cousins wear Rolex watches, including Maria Shriver and Ted Kennedy Jr. Somebody once told me Bobby Kennedy also wore a Rolex Submariner, but I have never been able to find a photo of him wearing one? If you want to check out pictures of her brother, JFK Jr. wearing his Rolex Submariner, along with other Kennedy's rocking Rolex watches, click here.
Below is the first photo I am aware of that shows Caroline Kennedy wearing her two-tone Rolex Ladies Datejust. Her brother John F. Kennedy is sitting next to her. I am pretty certain this photo was taken close to a half-century ago at Andover Boarding School around 1975-1976.
The next photo seen below was taken four decades later, and Caroline Kennedy is still wearing the exact same Rolex Datejust. Caroline Kennedy is pictured below with then First Lady, Michelle Obama attending the 50th anniversary of the Whitehouse Historical Association. Caroline Kennedy is wearing her 34mm Ladies Rolex Two-Tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet.
Speaking of classic, and Kennedy, below we see a video interview from 2017 of Caroline Kennedy with her son, who is JFK's grandson.
...Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day... YACHT-MASTER 40MM: 18KT Everose Gold
OysterFlex Bracelet
I have to say the more I look at the EverRose Gold Yachtmaster on an OysterFlex bracelet, the more I like it. I think I might be falling in love with the beautiful look of this Rolex masterpiece.
I think my newfound love for this Yacht-Master has something to do with the fact the Rolex logo and chapter ring have a gilt dial look, and I also really like the single red YACHT-MASTER dial designation—or something like that...
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
