Rolex Hotness: Sharon Stone..

Rolex Hotness: Sharon Stone

The First Modern Actress To Wear Men's Rolex Watches?

Who says only men can wear two or three Rolex watches at once?

Sounds kind of like Jerry Seinfeld saying "What is the deal with skydivers wearing helmets? Do they really think the helmet is going to do anything?" ;-))))))

Sharon Stone is one beautiful woman and she surely loves wearing Rolex watches as seen in this vintage 1980s shot!!! Sharon is wearing what appears to be a two-tone Submariner with a black dial and bezel; a two-tone 36mm Datejust with a blue dial and I can't make out the third Rolex sandwiched in the middle. I just think I can make out an Oyster bracelet.

I wonder if it was Sharon Stone or Elle Macpherson who started the trend of women wearing men's Rolex watches? Actually the first woman I have ever been able to document wearing a man's Rolex actress, Honor Blackman when she played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger in 1964.

Then, just two years later in 1966, we see Vanessa Redgrave in the movie Blow Up sporting a stainless steel Rolex Submariner on a black strap. I always thought it was Elle Macpherson, but now I am wondering if it was Sharon? Just to conclude, it seem to have been a trend in movies in the mid 1960s, and then came back in the late 1980s.

Today we sell the vast majority (98%+) of women who wear Rolex watches wearing men's 36mm and 40mm watches. It is kind of interesting when you study the symbolism in this photo of Sharon Stone, wearing a man's tailored shirt and necktie, with men's boxer shorts on.

Veeeeery interesting Klink!?!

Rolex Lume Shot of the Day: Yachtmaster II

Rolex Lume Shot of the Day: Yachtmaster II

Peter took this excellent lume shot of his white gold Rolex Yachtmaster II which is a very interesting watch. Thanks for sharing Peter!!!

Rolex Coolness: Bruce Willis...

Rolex Coolness: Bruce Willis

An Amazing Career With Rolex By His Side

Bruce Willis has an amazing acting career. He stared with Cybil Shepherd in the TV show Moonlighting. He has also been in many blockbuster movies including, Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, Sin City, 12 Monkeys, Armageddon and the Sixth Sense.

Bruce Willis movies have grossed over $3Billion dollars. As you can see in the photo above with Bruce's Moonlighting co-star Cybi Shepherd in 1989, Bruce is wearing a two-tone Rolex Datejust. Bruce has won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

In the photos above and below we see Bruce Willis wearing his stainless and platinum Rolex Yatchmaster on a stainless steel Oyster bracelet. Bruce Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany on March 19, 1955 and his father moved their family to New Jersey, U.S.A, in 1957.

The Quest For The Best The All-New Apple 27 inch iMac...

The Quest For The Best

The All-New Apple 27 inch iMac

You Need This Computer!!!!!

I pretty much live on the computer–which is by design–and I am not complaining since I really enjoy it. I have however, been frustrated my whole computing life by how slow computers performed and evolved :-((((

My dream has always been to have a computer that could keep up with me, which seems like it should have been possible, but it was simply not reality–not even close. I also noticed, the faster computers became, the faster my skills became, which made me feel like a donkey chasing a carrot on a stick.

I feel like I have been dwelling in a world where computers were designed by the same team that brought us the half-baked-at-best Ford Gremlin and Chrysler Reliant K–just a bunch of thoughtless beige cardboard garbage with plastic seat-covers.

I always felt like I should be living in the Jetson's, but I was stuck in the Flintstones. It seems as if my entire computer experience over the last 4 decades was summed up "Hurry up and wait!?!"

Friction-Free Computing

With the advent of Apple's all-new 27 inch iMac my digital-life just got much, much, much better and easier!!!! Everything is very close to instantaneous on the all-new iMac, which makes it feel like the computer actually understands me or can read my mind!!! My dream to have a friction-free computing experience has arrived and I couldn't be happier!!!

Typically a product review makes you wait until the end before it draws its conclusion, but I am going to take a different approach and begin with the conclusion:

The all-new 27 inch Apple iMac is Off-The-Richter-Scale Unbelievable!!!! Crazy, Stunningly Amazing, Over-The-Top, Beautiful, Off-the-hook, Astounding, Stupefying, Breathtaking, Awesome, Spectacular, Phenomenal, Extraordinary, Jaw-Dropping, Wondrous, Pure, Incredible, Delicious!!!!!!!!

Run out and buy one!!!!!!!! I am just completely blown-away with this Magnificent Masterpiece of Design which is an astonishingly fast piece of Industrial Art!!!!!!!!

The Future Has Arrived

A few weeks ago Apple surprised or should I say "stunned" everybody when they introduced an All-New line of their all-in-one-design desktop computers named iMac and this review covers the stunningly magnificent 27 inch iMac. I purchased one of these beauties over a week ago and have been testing it and I want to share my findings with you!!!

I sincerely believe, future generations, many years from now will look back at the introduction of this bold machine as a seminal event in computer history, where the computing dividend first paid-off.

In other words, 10 years from now, I believe we will look back and wonder how we ever lived with all the janky, junky, jokey-jokey desktop computers that came before the 27 inch iMac. I can literally see how in the future desktop computing will be measured in terms of before and after the 27incher–No Joke!!!

Not only is this the absolute best computer ever made–by a long shot–but it basically makes every desktop computer on earth obsolete!!! I realize I just made a bold declarative statement and I intend to back it up with this article.

Somebody once said "God gave us eyes so we could appreciate beauty" which is perfectly on-point for the all-new 27 inch iMac!!!!!!!!!

As you see in the above photo of the 27 inch iMac it comes with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and built-in 802.11n Wifi.

Not only is it the best performing computer, but it looks like a million bucks. I intentionally put the photo of the all-new Ferrari on the screen because that is essentially what you get when you purchase the new 27 inch iMac!!! The supreme irony with this magnificent machine is that it is extremely inexpensive for what you get.

The unbelievable new 27 inch iMac only cost $1699 and you can purchase it directly from Amazon for $1699 delivered to your doorstep by scrolling to the end of this review. This amazing price includes free shipping and Amazon does not charge sales tax.

Beauty That's A Beast!!!

As you see in the photo below the whole computer is in the screen. That's right...I said the entire computer, including the hard drive, RAM and dual Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz processor is located inside the screen case. Even the power supply is located inside the computer, so you just simply plug it in the wall and you're pretty much done.

This ultra-simple transportable design also makes it very easy to move it around your home or office. There is no reason why you couldn't sit in a comfortable chair in your den and write a book on it, and they move it to your bedroom to watch a movie or TV shows in bed.

The all-in-one design is remarkable because it not only looks like a work-of-art, but you don't have to have some stupid, ugly, noisy tower that sits on the floor or even worse, on your desktop.

Speaking of noisy computers...the all-new iMac is unbelievably quiet and has built in high-quality stereo speakers that are hidden on the bottom of the machine. It also has a super-high-resolution glossy glass screen that make all graphics look yummy and much more alive and 3Dimensional!!!!!!!

We also see in the photo above that the DVD burner and SD card slot are located on the right side of the new iMac. The wireless Bluetooth keyboard and all-new Apple Magic Mouse come stock with it. That's right, for $1699 the all new 27 inch iMac comes standard with the cordless keyboard and mouse which cost $120 if purchased separately. If you think about it, that means the computer and screen only cost $1580.

The Power Of Simplicity

Before we examine more details on what makes this the best computer ever made lets look at the breathtaking screen. As you can see in the photo above and below, the screen is real glass and the seamless black frame goes to the edge. This gives the 27 iMac a super-clean, simple vibe that is extremely elegant at the same time!!!!

The screen on this beast is a whopping 27 inches diagonally and in many ways the all new iMac's design language makes it appear like a huge iPhone. The screen has a native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels which allows you to view two full-size application windows side-by-side with zero overlap.

What is so important about being able to see two full-size application windows side by side? We human beings reason by analogy. We constantly compare one frame of reference to another and on the new 27 iMac this is easy. As you can see in the photo above we are seeing two full width 1245 Pixel web-browser windows side by side with zero overlap–Just like a full-sized glossy magazine!!!!

There have been many times when I have spoken with somebody on the phone and they are looking at Jake's Rolex Watch Blog and they ask why the main 800 pixel-wide images are cut-off on their screen? Obviously it is because their screen is too small.

I will share a story with you about a conversation I had on this subject with an old man who will go unmentioned. We were talking on the phone and he was on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. He asked me why the photos were cut-off and he could see just more than half of the width? After about 15 frustrating minutes with me trying to troubleshoot with him to overcome the challenge we concluded that he was on a 15 inch LCD!?!?

I told him his archaic 15 inch LCD was not displaying the web the way it was meant to be seen. He got really flustered with me and asked why he could not see the whole pictures on his computer? I asked him how long ago he bought his computer and he responded that he had only had it 4-5 years. I recommended he get a new iMac to make his life simple and he said he refused to waste money on a new computer when he had a perfectly good computer.

The challenge is that computer years are very much like dog years. His computer is more like a driving around in a 35 year-old Chrysler Reliant K. I don't mean to appear arrogant, but that is the stone-cold reality. Computers and the web have evolved so much in the last 4-5 years it is truly amazing, and thus it makes sense to invest in a computer that will allow you to completely enjoy yourself and see the web the way it looks best.

Timeless–Future Proof Design

No computer is future-proof per se and that is probably a good thing. I actually prefer my computer to become obsolete as soon as possible because that means that whatever replaces it will be that much better!!! The interesting thing with this all-new iMac is that I argue that it is the most future proof computer ever offered for sale.

With the advent of this all-new 27 inch iMac, I argue computer hardware has hit a crescendo, where for the first time in computer history the hardware is so much faster than what the software requires, that if you invest in this beautiful machine, you will enjoy it for many years to come. In 4-5 years I believe it will still look great and perform well.

Unbelievable Design & Specifications

Let's take a close look under the hood and examine what makes this all-new 27 inch Apple iMac so unusual and powerful.

First is the LED backlit LCD screen technology that Apple incorporated into the machine. LCD screens have historically been backlit with Fluorescent lights that require time to warm up. LED backlights are not only instantly at their brightest, but they are much brighter and consume far less electricity.

LED's also produce a cleaner, whiter light and last much, much, much longer without losing any light power whereas fluorescent backlighting dims and typically yellows with age. LED's also produce very little if any heat.

When Apple originally designed the iPhone, they invested $60 Million in just mechanical and electrical engineering to force the ultimate form-factor into existance. They did so because they realized how important it was to achieve the perfect small, skinny form-factor that had multiple invisible antennas inside; including a Bluetooth antenna, a Wifi antenna as well as a cellular antenna.

With the all new 27 inch iMac Apple once again stepped up and did the same thing, and this time they custom-fabricated their own custom-made LCD panel. This panel uses a state-of-the-art LCD screen technology named In-Plane-Swtiching (IPS) which creates a super-clear, tack-sharp image with excellent off-angle viewing coupled with a wider-color gamut, meaning more visible colors on the screen.

This custom LCD panel also has many unique characteristics. To begin with, it has the highest Pixel Per Inch (PPI) count of any monitor Apple has ever made. The screen also has a 16:9 aspect ratio which is also a first for Apple.

A 16:9 Aspect Ratio refers to the ratio between the Width (16) and the Height (9). Standard, old-fashioned TV's have an aspect ratio of 3:4 (meaning 3 High by 4 Wide) and most wide-screen computer monitors are 16:10 which means that if you watch a standard High-Defenition (HD) movie you would get black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, but this is not the case with the all-new 16:9 Aspect Ratio iMac!!!

Convergence Achieved

This is of significant consideration because I recall 10 years ago there was a big debate about whether we would see Computer-On-A-TV or TV-On-A-Computer?

The obvious answer is TV-On-A-Computer won out, and now we have a screen on a Mac that is the same aspect ratio as a Plasma or LCD TV. What does this all mean? You can now use your iMac for watching widescreen 16:9 movies or widescreen TV shows and they will both take up the whole screen.

Also, many of the new state-of-the-art point-and-shoot-digital cameras can shoot photos that are 16:9 so everything is uniform and looks great on this Apple masterpiece.

As we see, on the back of the machine (pictured below) the all-new 27 iMac has a vent on top of the all-aluminum case-back with the exception of the Apple logo which is high-end plastic that has the Wifi and Bluetooth antennas behind it to achieve superb reception. The 27 inch iMac is also VESA mountable which means you can remove the existing stand and wall mount it.
The all-new iMac has all its connection ports and power button on the back. As we see in the image below (from left to right) we see

• Audio Out (Digital Toslink & Analog)
• Audio In (Digital Toslink & Analog)
• 4 USB 2.0 Ports
• Firewire 800 Port
• Mini-Display Port (for hooking-up an additional monitor if you wish)
• Gigabit Ethernet Port

There is also a Kensington compatible security slot which would stop anybody from walking away with your computer in an office, gym or trade-show environment.

In the photo below we see a side-profile shot of the all-new iMac and it is hard to believe that the machine has a world-class professional workstation-class computer inside the screen enclosure, but it does. It comes standard with a 1 Terrabyte hard drive that spins at 7200 RPM–so it is really Fast!!!!!!!

It is hard to see, which is by design, but the all-new iMac also has an iSight video camera (pictured below: located top in the middle) which allows you to video conference over iChat or Skype for free with up to 3 other people in the world so long as they have an internet connection.

Is A Mac Really Better Than A PC?

In a word, Yes!!!!!!! When I was 16 years old, more than 25 years ago, I bought the first Apple Mac the first day it was available (January 24, 1984). I actually cut fifth-period and went to the Compuland in Mill Valley in Marin County, California and waited for the UPS man to show up!!!

That same years I also purchased my first Rolex which was a stainless steel Submariner. (By the way the new iMac perfectly matches a Submariner ;-)

I actually took my first computer lab class when I was 11 years old and I have been using computers for more than 3 decades.

So what makes the Mac so much better than a PC? A zillion things. I will enumerate what I consider to be the most compelling reasons:

1. System Integration: Apple designs and manufactures all their own hardware as well as writing their Snow Leopard Operating System (OS X). This results in much more predictable and reliable behavior.
2. Free World-Class Software: All apple computers including the all-new 27 inch iMac come with the iLife suite of world-class, easy to learn software which includes iPhoto for managing your digital photos; iMovie, for editing your video and Garage Band for editing sound recordings. As a matter of fact, I edit Jake's Rolex Watch Blog Podcasts in Garage Band.
3. Apple Stores: If you ever have any challenges with your Apple computer you can take it to any Apple store to the Genius Bar and they will fix it for you or answer any questions you have. If you have ever had a challenge with a DELL computer, you know what a nightmare it can be to get it fixed.
4. Zero Viruses: There are over 120,000 PC viruses that can also make your life a nightmare. To add insult to injury, you have to pay a third-party $40 a year to help protect your computer from viruses. This would be like having to pay a bodyguard to protect you from your husband or wife, which is absurd. The Apple Macs have ZERO Viruses. So not only do you not have to waste $40 per years, but you can't get a virus because they simply don't exist.
5. One-On-One Training: If you invest in an Apple and you want to learn how to use any piece of software, you can sign up for a program that allows you go to any Apple store in the world and take a 1 hour class up to once a week and it only costs $100 per year!!! The will teach you anything and it is a very, very impressive program and value. If you currently own a PC and you want to transfer all your data over to the Mac, they include this service for free if you sign-up for the One-On-One service.
6. Ease Of Use: Widows Vista was such a nightmare to upgrade to from Windows XP, that many people and businesses stuck with XP. Microsoft just came out with Windows 7 which is much better than XP or Vista, but in many ways it is a copy of the Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
7. It Just Works: Macs are not perfect by any means but everything works well together in symphony.
8. Zero Demoware: Macs don't come with unnecessary crapware and demoware installed.
9. People: Mac users are typically like people who wear Rolex watches. They are passionate, friendly, curious and enjoy helping each other.
10. Plug & Play Predictability: On a Mac you plug and play, there is no Plug & Prey like on a PC with goofy drivers for everything. USB drives and SD cards plug in and do what you expect them to.
11. Simplicity: If you wanted to upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard you had one choice and it was $29. Windows 7 comes in 9 different versions which range from $119 to $320. Microsoft Windows 7 comes in Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Home Premium Upgrade, Professional, Professional Upgrade, Windows Enterprise, Windows Ultimate & Ultimate Upgrade. This is completely absurd!!!

I could go on forever talking about how in my opinion, Mac is so much better than a PC, but guess what the best PC is? That's right, the 27 inch iMac!!!! If you want, you can purchase a 27 inch Mac and load Windows 7 on it and run it under Boot Camp as a full blown PC. This way, your PC will match your really cool iPhone ;-)

Another option, if you are crazy like me, you can run Windows side by side on the Mac using a program like Parallels 5 or VMWare Fusion 3 which allows you to run a PC side by side on your Mac simultaneously. You can also configure Parallels or VMWare so PC applications appear to run as Mac applications.

So if the Mac is so much better than the PC then why would you want to run a program that would allow you to run PC applications on your Apple Mac?

There are many reasons. For instance, Quickbooks, for some bizzare reason, has a different user interface for their Mac version and most accountants and CPA's would prefer you use the PC version. Also, if there is an application or two written for the PC you want or need to run for you business, you can on a Mac.

Conclusion

The all-new Apple 27 inch iMac is a complete game-changer. It comes in 3 versions with the least expensive version being $1699 which is the one I recommend for 99+% of the population. I wrote this review on the new $1699 27inch Mac which I have had for a week and I can say it completely boggles my mind!!!! Did I mention it is FAAAASSTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you can imagine, I spend at least 8 hours a day in front of the computer writing and researching stories for Jake's Rolex Watch Blog as well as all the graphics and html.

I basically live on the computer and the new iMac is so fast and everything is fluid, friction-free and almost instantaneous. I literally can't believe how fast it is and I certainly wonder how I ever lived without it!?!?!?

On all the computers I have ever owned, even surfing the web was a pain and always kind of slow, but with the new 27 iMac almost everything is instantaneous!!! Don't forget that if you have a lightning fast internet connection with a slow computer, you go slow. If you have a lightning fast computer like the 27 inch iMac and a so, so connection, it will still be very fast.

The all-new 27 iMac is the new ideal and the way a desktop computer should be!!!! That is really the point I wish to pass along to you...the new iMac is the way computers should have always been.

Superb Value with Rocket Performance!!!!!

How great of a value is the all-new 27 inch iMac? I can tell you that if Apple introduced it for twice the amount of money, I would still have gladly purchased it–seriously–and been equally ecstatic.

Why is Apple making such a powerful and great looking machine so inexpensively? Probably because they want to achieve the same ubiquity they have with the iPhone.

Apple also came out with an all-new 21.5 inch iMac that is also available (link below on left) but I don't recommend it because you can only comfortably view one window at a time without significant overlapping. I would only recommend the 21.5 for people who have limited eyesight and need to zoom everything way up on the screen.

As I mentioned, I recommend you save your money and purchase the least expensive all-new 27 inch iMac which you can have delivered to your doorstep for $1694. Make sure you click on Best Price on the icon on the right so you get if for $1,694:

If you have ANY questions about the new iMac I can help you with, please send me an email and I would be happy to help you. (My email is at the top of the page in the right hand corner). Computers can be confusing and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question ;-)

If you found this detailed review to be helpful and can afford to make a donation to help support Jake's Rolex Watch Blog, please do so and click the button below:

Profiles In Coolness: The Steve McQueen Submariner...

"I Live for myself and I answer to nobody" –Steve McQueen

The King Of Cool

Steve McQueen Submariner

Let's face reality for a moment. Steve McQueen is probably the coolest dude that ever lived!!!

One of Steve's girlfriends, Ali MacGraw once said of Steve McQueen:

"I remember seeing him across the swimming pool and my knees were knocking. He radiated such macho energy!!! Men wanted to be like him. Uptight society ladies and biker molls wanted to be with him."

Steve McQueen clearly lived life to the maximum. He loved racing cars and motorcycles. It is fascinating because Steve McQueen loved his trademark Rolex Submariner 5512 and we see him wearing it all over the place.

One of things that was cool about Steve McQueen was the way he wore his Rolex Submariner on his right wrist. Back in August I attended The First Annual Rolex Vintage Concours & GTG (Get Together) in Carmel-By-The-Sea at Fourtané Jewelers which was absolutely mind-blowing!!!

Fourtané had so many historically significant watches on display including Steve McQueen's actual Rolex Submariner [Reference 5512] and they let me put it my wrist. I intentionally put Steve McQueen's Rolex Submariner on my right wrist because I knew that was how The King Of Cool wore it.

Wrist Shot Of Steve McQueen's Actual Rolex Submariner On My Wrist!!!

I must also say that wearing Steve McQueen's actual Submariner on my wrist was about as close to a religious experience that I as a Rolex Fanatic have ever had or will likely ever have. I just kept staring at the watch in absolute awe!!!!!!

I know this sounds kind of crazy, but Steve McQueen's Rolex Submariner seemed to emanate some kind of amazing energy or aura. I somehow felt connected in some kind of cosmic or spiritual way with Steve when I put his watch on my wrist. I clearly remember just completely tripping on the fact I was wearing his Rolex Submariner on my wrist. It still sends chills down my spine when I think about it!!!!

Anyway, Steve McQueen is a high priest of Rolex Coolness, right up there next to Paul Newman, Sean Connery and Chuck Yeager. Just mind-blowingly cool!!!!!!!!

By the way, and I know this sounds kind of goofy, but I am being completely candid with you: Just last night I was wearing my LV Submariner as I usually do on my left wrist and for some reason I switched it to my right wrist and then I started Deja Vuing about Steve McQueen's Submariner. The reason I was Deja Vu'd out was because when I kept staring at it, it kept reminding me of something and then I realized it was Steve McQueen.

I always used to think it looked stupid to wear my Sub on my right wrist but then I started noticing how it looks kind of cooler because when you look down your arm at your wrist you get a straight on Rolex coronet crown shot. It is really cool!!! Try it out!!! Put your Sub on your right wrist and take it for a test drive. You know you want to!!! If you didn't you would not have read this article this far ;-)))))

Rolex Studio Shot of the Day: Two Tone Datejust II

Eric's All-New Rolex Datejust II

The Evolution Of The Revolution

Eric took this fantastic photo of his all-new 41mm two-tone Rolex Datejust on an Oyster bracelet with the new Roman numeral dial. This photo just blows me away!!! The statement that "A watch made to be worn a lifetime better be comfortable" is really profound if you think about it. I mean, that pretty much sums up a Rolex.

Vintage Rolex Ad: British Airways Concorde

JetSet Rolex Ad

Coke Concorde Coolness

Vintage Rolex GMT

Rolex Fashion Shot of the Day: Uli's LV Submainer...

Green On Green

Uli's LV Rolex Submariner

As the editor of Jake's Rolex Watch Blog I'm probably not supposed to talk about my favorite Rolex, but I will tell you it is the Rolex 50th Anniversary LV Submariner.

To my way of thinking The LV Submariner has the perfect balance of timeless Rolex design language and a colorful, charismatic vibe. I think the green bezel insert is fun, sporty, novel and aquatic and I love the Maxi-Markers and Fat Hands. This is a really cool color combination–assuming you are not afraid of color.

Rolex History: The First Rolex President...

The First Rolex President

President Dwight Eisenhower

[1951 Yellow Gold Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet]

The 150,000th Officially Certified Rolex Swiss Chronometer

The first President Of The United States that I know of who wore a Rolex was President Dwight D. Eisenhower. One of the myths I busted said he wore a Rolex Day-Date and I believe I proved that to be untrue in my 10 part series named The History of The Rolex President.

In fact, President Eisenhower wore his trademark yellow gold Rolex Datejust which you can learn all about by clicking here.

Rolex Wrist Shot of the Day: Mike's Rolex Oyster Perpetual

Mike's Rolex OP

Mike is an airline pilot and he sent in this great wrist shot of his Rolex Oyster Perpetual (OP) and said:

"Since the 36mm OP doesn't get much press I thought I would show you what mine looks like. It's a simple watch but I love the no date 3/6/9 dial. It's like the Rolex Explorer but good for dress or sport/casual."

Rolex Hotness: Jamie Lynn Sigler

Rolex Hotness: Jamie Lynn Sigler

Stainless Rolex Daytona

Jamie Lynn Sigler is best known for her role on the Sopranos as Meadow, the daughter of Tony and Carmella Soprano.

Rolex Studio Shot of the Day: Rolex Explorer and Louis Vuitton

Timeless Classics

Rolex and Louis Vuitton

Dear Jake, Came across your website by accident, and truly enjoy reading thru the pages. I have a question if you don’t mind to share with me....

Stainless Rolex Daytona Insight

Khong from Malaysia wrote in and asked a few questions so I thought I would share the answer with everybody:

Dear Jake,

Came across your website by accident, and truly enjoy reading thru the pages.

I have a question if you don’t mind to share with me.

I recently bought a Daytona 116520, year 2007, Z serial, white dial, like new.

Then last week I came across another Daytona 16520, year 1999, probably the last batch before they move to the new 4130 movement, yes this one is Zenith Movement with white dia.

My question is if you have a choice to chose one of them, which one will you take?

My next question will be what is the valuation for the two, the current market average price: 1999 Zenith White and 2007 116520 White. Which is more expensive?

Should I sell away my 2007 white to buy this 1999 Zenith White? Thanks and much appreciate for your time.

Regards, Khong (Malaysia)

Thanks for writing in Khong. This is JUST my personal opinion:

I have owned both the Zenith Movement stainless steel Daytona as well as the in-house Rolex Daytona in stainless steel. Ten out of ten times I would choose the more modern in-house Rolex for the following reasons:

1. Subdials: The white gold subdials look much better to me on the in-house stainless steel Rolex. The Zenith subdials are black and kind of boring. The in-house subdials have little tracks that glisten in the light and ad significant depth and color to the watch.

2. Bracelet: The Zenith Daytona has the old fashioned janky clasp which I prefer because it works and cannot open by mistake. The in-house Rolex Daytona clasp looks better and feels more solid, but if you catch the back of the clasp on an edge it can pop the clasp open backwards. To my design mind this is a design flaw, but it is pretty unlikely it will ever open at the wrong time.

3. Movement: If I understand it correctly, the Zenith movement is much more complicated to work on and service, thus making the Rolex in-house movement more robust and easily serviceable. On a side note, one of the great benefits over the years is that Rolex movements have been robust, hardy and very simple and easy to service.

4. Hands: The Zenith Movement Daytona has thinner hands which look anemic to me. The early in-house Rolex Daytona also shared these anemic hands despite gaining much fatter 5 minute markers. I think the early in-house Daytona looks strange with skinny hands and fat markers. I am not certain what year Rolex updated this design feature, but I know for the last couple of years at least, the Daytona has Fat-Hands to match the Fat-Markers, which look great.

5. Valuation: On Jake's Rolex Watch Blog we don't speculate on value so I can't really say. In my opinion, I would keep the 2007 Daytona [Reference 116520] assuming it has Fat-Hands.

6. Intelligent Marketing: The stainless steel Rolex Daytona is a very interesting creature. Ironically the early Daytona models like the Paul Newman Exotic dial Daytona models did not sell very well. Today those same watches are worth a fortune. Often times up to $150k.

The Rolex Daytona became a very popular model in the 1990s and up until recently there were waiting lists to purchase these models from an AD. I think from a design perspective this was due to the fact that the stainless steel Daytona has a low-key aura, kind of like a stainless Submariner, but the Daytona did not look like any other sport Rolex.

It really has a vibe all its own, which makes it exotic looking. Part of this has to do with the subdials and the 2 extra pushbuttons. Most people who own a Rolex Daytona ironically never even use the Chronograph feature, primarily because they can't even figure out how it works–not to mention you have to unscrew the screw-down pushers in order to be able to push the buttons.

Rolex became keenly aware of the Mystique of the stainless steel Daytona in the early 1990's and intelligently marketed the watch by not doing any marketing. In other words, Rolex to the best of my knowledge, never ever advertised the modern Rolex Daytona model in Stainless Steel. They did in gold, but not is steel.

Also, I have heard that Rolex brilliantly only ever met 80% of the market-demand, which actually caused the market demand to significantly expand. Of course I have loved Rolex watches and history for over a quarter-century, but I have always been extremely impressed with how successful their marketing campaigns have been.

What do you think?

Do any of you have an opinion you would like to share with Khong? If so please click on the comment link and share your insight.

My pal Seth Chandler seems to have disagreed with me because he sent me this message:

"Well, first of all its comparing apples and oranges. The modern is a better watch, technically speaking. The bracelet kicks ass. About fine time, Rolex! The new ones will always be better. Every 10/15 years we will see improvements. But the key with each previous generation is the simplicity. It’s pure….genuine. It’s the reason why a 5513 is the all time great.

"Personally I like the black sub dials on the white dial Zenith. Just like my Daytona. I hate the silver on white like the modern Daytona. From what I’ve read, the Zenith is a kick ass movement. Long term, I think it’s a winner, and the market clearly feels that way now. Lots of price support. Really nice ones full set, trade 10 to 12k, I’ve seen them higher. Avg. no papers 9k. I think it’s a 15k watch at some point, because it’s got a few interesting twists.

BTW, in one of those magazines we got a the Carmel GTG, there was a great article comparing the two. Informative."

Rolex Coolness: Lance Armstrong

Rolex Coolness: Lance Armstrong

Stainless Steel Daytona

Rolex Studio Shot of the Day: Lorenzo's Submariner 5508...

Lorenzo's Rolex Submariner

[Reference 5508]

Lorenzo Belliini took this superb photo of his incredibly cool vintage Rolex Submariner [Reference 5508]. This fantastic and rare 5508 has four lines and a shiny gilt dial. So Cool!!!