Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995: Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus Two Golf Legends

Rolex Datejust ad from July 1995

Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus

Two Golf Legends

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day: Thomas' Racing Dial Daytona

Rolex Macro Shot Of The Day

Thomas' Racing Dial Daytona

The red black and white color combination on this Rolex Daytona is unbeatable. Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go!!!

Rolex Outdoor Shot Of The Day: A Norwegian Rolex Explorer II Tool Watch

Rolex Outdoor Shot Of The Day

A Norwegian Rolex Explorer II Tool Watch

Joe Lundbo is a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World and he send it this amazing photo of his Polar Rolex Explorer II with this note:

Hi Jake,

It's been a while since you had an outdoor shot of the day :)

Here's my white Explorer II enjoying the last day of sunlight before the dark winter sets in.

Regards,

Jo Lundbo, Norway

Rolex Hotness: Nicky Hilton

Rolex Hotness: Nicky Hilton

Staring At How Beautiful Her Rolex Daytona Is...

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day: Roberto's Vintage Rolex from Italia

Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day

Roberto's Vintage Rolex from Italia

Rolex Coolness: Dr. George Bass

Professor George Bass

The Father of Underwater Archeology

52nd Anniversary Celebration

of The Beginning of Modern Shipwreck Archaeology

"Each successive discovery is a tiny window to the past. If you have enough of these windows, the picture of antiquity that the ship reveals is extraordinary." –George Bass

2012 represents the 50th anniversary of Dr. George Bass' historic excavation of a total shipwreck which was the first time in history this was achieved. This brilliant achievement heralded a whole new era of underwater archaeology that significantly changed mankind's understanding of the ocean's and history.

There is nothing more fascinating on Jake's Rolex World than to actually "explore the explorer" by meeting and speaking with famous history-changing Rolex Ambassadors which have appeared in Rolex ads in the past.

It is one thing to see them on a paper ad, and quite another to hear them share their own story, in their own words, in their own voice. On Jake's Rolex World we bring real Rolex history to life and go on a journey of substantial achievement with the actual explorers themselves.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to sit down and do a podcast interview with Dr. George Bass who appears in the vintage Rolex ad below.

Professor Bass and I had an amazing conversation and you will get to listen once I get the chance to edit and publish it. In the podcast Dr. Bass takes us from his childhood dream up to present.

Dr. George Bass is considered to be the Father Of Underwater Archeology and in his interview we will learn the story of his fascinating personal oddyssey through his life.

Dr. Bass is a world-class scientist and explorer. He is also a man of amazing achievement and as we see in the photo below taken in 1977 he is wearing his trademark Rolex Submariner.

In the next photo of Professor George Bass, he is examining weights from an 11th Century Byzantine Merchant Shipwreck Excavation. Notice he is wearing his two-tone Rolex Submariner.

Return To The Titanic Dive in 2003

For any DEEP-SEA diver and certainly for The Father Of Underwater Archeology, going down to explore the Titanic in its water-grave has to be a super-career-highlight and that is exactly what Dr. George Bass completed in 2003.

In 2003 Dr. George Bass participated on an expedition to return to explore the RMS Titanic. In photos I have seen of the Titanic expeditions I have seen it is amazing how many of the explorer's are wearing Rolex sport watches–everything from GMT Master, to Daytona to Submariner models.

In the photo below we see Dr. George Bass on the far left with Victor Nischeta from the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology who is the Mir submersible pilot. Of course the Mir submersible is behind them in the photo. On the far right, we see Captain Craig McLean, who was the Director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office Of Ocean Exploration.

In the photo below we see, from left to right, Larry Murphy, U.S. National Park Service, Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, with Captain Craig McLean, who was the Director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office Of Ocean Exploration, and Dr. George Bass on the far right. Notice that Captain Craig McLean is wearing his Rolex Submariner.

In the podcast I completed with Dr. Bass he spoke about his trip down to the Titanic and he mentioned this photo that was taken of him reading Clive Cussler's Raise The Titanic which was taken just feet away from the actual RMS Titanic on the ocean floor.

By saying "just a few feet away" I mean Dr. Bass is in a submersible 12,000 Feet or 2.5 miles (4km) below the ocean surface off the coast of Newfoundland. By the way, you can't see it in this photo but Dr. Bass told me he was wearing his Rolex Submariner when this photo was taken.

The photo below is basically what Dr. George Bass would see if he was looking out the window of the Mir Submersible when this photo was taken. What we see below is a photo of railing on the Titanic.

Dr. Bass is an amazing gentle man with an unbelievable set of career achievements and I look forward to sharing his complete story with you in 2010.

Former Rolex executive and oceanographic consultant, T. Walker Lloyd used to dive with George Bass.

Update: National Geographic just published a fascinating retrospective named "Fifty Years of Shipwreck Excavation Opens New Windows On History," which explores Dr. Bass' amazing career achievements.

In the future, as time permits, I will be significantly extending this article with more photos as well as my podcast interview with Dr. Bass.

A White Gold Rolex Daytona From Montecarlo, Monaco...

Magnificent Daytona

Chillin' in Montecarlo, Monaco

Francesco M. from Montecarlo, Monaco sent in this amazing photo of his white gold Rolex Daytona which he said he took "just for your beautiful blog." You have got to click on this image to see it up close!!!!

Moa Zedong's Rolex Watches...

The Chairman's Rolex

Communism for the Masses–Capitalism for the Bosses

Chairman Mao Zedong was the father of the Communist Party in China. He owned two yellow gold Rolex Datejust watches. Mao is pictured below in 1928.

Chairman Moa Zedong's Rolex watches were standard in every way, but as you can see below, they have Chinese characters for the Date.

Lume Shot Of The Year: Rolex Explorer II Orange Hand

Lume Shot Of The Year

Rolex Explorer II Orange Hand

Gary posted this photo on RolexForums.com and it blew my mind, so I asked him to send in a higher-resolution version of the shot and he was kind enough to do so. What a beautiful watch and what a magnificent Lume Shot. I am so impressed, I am awarding Gary's stunning photo with Lume Shot Of The Year!!!!

I couldn't make up my mind which way I like this image cropped, so I am sharing both with you ;-)

David Beckham Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date...

David Beckham

Yellow Gold Rolex Datejust

Emil is a fan of Jake's Rolex World and he sent in these recent photos he took of Soccer Superstar, David Beckham along with this email:

Hi Jake,

First of all i wanted to say i love your blog, you have so many amazing Rolex ads, photos, etc, So i decided to send you some photos of David Beckham at the LA Galaxy press conference, wearing a beautiful Rolex, not sure if its vintage or? But i am sure you know.

Emil xoxo

In the past on Jake's Rolex World, we have seen many photos of David Beckham sporting his Rolex DEEP-SEA Special, but I believe this is the first time we see him sporting a Rolex Datejust. Yellow Gold Datejust models are so rare to see, I almost mistook it for a Day-Date! David Beckham is married to Victoria Beckham who is also a huge Rolex fan.