The Sunday Edit | A Happy Horological Father’s Day Favorite
…Not a fickle fashion trend! The Rolex brand IS the holy trinity of gifts: sport, celebrity, and luxury. What father wouldn’t love (another!) Rolex timepiece? World leaders, celebrities and athletes have been famously photographed wearing this instantly recognizable wrist decoration.
Mercedes Gleitze publicity photo. Source/ Marilyn Morgan; Sir Edmund Hillary pictured with his Rolex Oyster at base camp of Mount Everest. Source/ Hourglass.
1927 Rolex lauds Mercedes Gleitze’s English Channel swim with its first-ever waterproof wristwatch, the “Oyster.” By associating their product with this record-breaking swim, Rolex successfully tests the brand’s marketability.
1935 Rolex again connects the watch’s precision to extreme sports. While timing laps with his Rolex Oyster, race car driver Malcolm Campbell breaks the world’s speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
1953 Rolex ascends Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary.
Tiger Woods wearing a Rolex Submariner Date during a golf tournament. Source/ The Richest.
Providing world-renowned athletes and celebrities with their watches continues to give Rolex its extreme sporting and luxury image. Rolex’s ambassadors represent excellence and luxury. Golfer Tiger Woods, gets not only the watch, but over a million dollars for his endorsement!
Dwayne Wade wearing an Everose Gold Rolex GMT II. Source/Watch Paparazzi.
Rolex is a wrist favorite of Olympic gold medal skier Lindsay Vonn, Tennis Player Roger Federer, Soccer Star David Beckham, Basketball Player Dwayne Wade and his wife Actress Gabrielle Union.
Paul Newman wearing his Daytona Rolex from Joanne Woodward; 1968 Daytona Rolex. Source/ Forbes.
The Ultimate Rolex
Actor Paul Newman’s own 1968 Daytona Rolex watch sold a few years back for $17.8 MILLION, making it one of the most expensive watches ever sold at auction. Paul was given the watch by his wife, Joanna Woodward. Later he gave it to a (former) boyfriend of his daughter’s, in 1984. At that time, the watch was selling for about $200! The sale of the “greatest watch in the world” represented the intersection of several high-profile collectible fields: luxury watches, sports cars, Hollywood, romance, and Americana. The previous record for a Rolex was set in 2017, when (the last Emperor of Vietnam’s) the Bao Dai Rolex sold for more than $5 million; the previous record for any wristwatch at auction was $11 million for a Patek Philippe timepiece.
Rolex watches maintain a sizable portion of the luxury watch marketplace. Omega, Cartier, Patek Phillipe, Longines and Audemars Piguets round out the top of the field. You’ll find most priced in the multi-thousands. Less pricey luxury watches can be also found in the secondary marketplace or in other brands like Tag Heuer and Hamilton.
How to Spot a fake Rolex. Source: Watchbox
Because Rolex is so recognizable, fakes abound and they look pretty good in passing…just don’t expect them to work! As always, "caveat emptor" and “If it’s too good to be true, it most likely is!”
Share the (timepiece) love with your favorite father!!
-Authored by Lynn Magnusson, President, and Jack Daly, Gallery Director
Know. Like. Trust.