Roger Federer is a longtime Rolex ambassador, having lent his wrist to the brand since 2001, and as such naturally owns a few Rolex models, both new and vintage. In this video, Federer explains the personal significance of three of his favorite Rolexes.
Roger Federer has been a Rolex ambassador (testimonee as the brand likes to say) since 2001. In two recent videos on the Rolex YouTube account, the record-holding 20-time Grand Slam champion, known as the GOAT in tennis circles, thoughtfully explains in his own words what he loves about his Rolex watches.
Humans have long had a fascination with the depths of the ocean, striving to go ever deeper, ever further, and ever faster by pushing the limits of the human body, technology, and advancing modern science. But like all things, we are often faced with limits. Enter the helium escape valve.
Since Baselworld 2018, Rolex has subtly been revisiting its 36 mm Datejust models. The two stainless steel/white gold models revealed at Baselworld 2019 were the last of these, and Saad Chaudhry is pleased to now delve into the new and improved details of this popular modern wristwatch.
Thanks to its bezel, as Dietmar W. Fuchs explains, the diver’s watch is a much more versatile timepiece than many people think. Aside from teaching you how to use it on land, in the skies, and under water, here he answers the perennial question of who made the first true diver’s watch: Blancpain, Rolex, or Panerai.
In early February, expert spotter Nick Gould noticed that Vanessa Redgrave was wearing a special watch during the filming of the movie ‘Blowup’: a very rare Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 with so-called Explorer dial. We felt that the topic deserved more discussion, though, so the team turned to the latest form of social media: Clubhouse. You can hear the recorded conversation about that and the general nicknaming of vintage watches here.
After years of consideration, Bhanu Chopra took the plunge and bought both a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 mm and a Submariner Reference 114060. And less than 24 hours after finally taking ownership of them, Rolex discontinued both watches! Here he shares the story of how it all went down. Spoiler alert: he couldn’t be happier!
GaryG recently had the opportunity to borrow a Rolex GMT-Master II BLRO Meteorite from a long-time friend to photograph and wear. This watch’s main event is the dial, a thin slice of metallic meteorite whose crystalline structure reflects the slow cooling process that took place as the meteor hurtled through space. Here he tries a variety of photographic techniques to learn which works best on the dial’s unique structures. Which are your favorites?
While 2019 brought subtle improvements for Rolex’s mainstay watch lines, a rocky 2020 brought uncertainty – first we weren’t sure Rolex would release anything at all given the pandemic, which was followed by widely talked about updates for four of the crown’s pillar collections. The new 2020 models saw subtle changes for improvement and perfection rather than anything revolutionary. And lots more color!
Increasing demand for timepieces, especially Rolexes, with the Omani emblem is understandable given the high quality, good condition, demonstrable provenance, and rarity of most of these watches, combined with the fact that they had often been presented to their first owners in the 1970s by Sultan Qaboos in person as a token of gratitude for services rendered. Colin Alexander Smith takes a very close look at the meaning behind these rare timepieces and in this updated version of the article debunks one theory behind the dial symbol.