This is one of the most important yet under appreciated parts of a watch: the crown. The humble crown has played an extensive role in helping Rolex – and the rest of the watch industry – get to where it is today. Here’s why.
The watch nerd that WWMT is, he rarely immediately wears his new watches; he likes to put them aside for a few days and let the anticipation grow. But when the day finally came that it was time to wear his new Rolex, he took it out of the box and proudly put it on his wrist. And then horror struck. He didn’t feel anything, not a thing! Zilch, nada, niente! What to do?
In June 2018 Phillips auction house in conjunction with Bacs and Russo announced it would be auctioning a Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 given to stuntman Loren James by actor Steve McQueen. Following Quill & Pad’s Nick Gould highlighting a few serious anomalies regarding the details of this Rolex’s provenance, Phillips now releases a statement announcing the removal of it from the fall 2018 auction.
There is probably nowhere in the world you will find more information on the juxtaposition of tennis and wristwatches than right here at Quill & Pad. Unless, that is, you are an ardent follower of Miguel Seabra. In this article, Elizabeth interviews Miguel on the current state of tennis and timepieces, including new sponsorships, strategies, and Rolex’s recent patronage of the U.S. Open.
As Nick Gould highlighted in his previous article, the first time Steve McQueen was seen wearing a Rolex Submariner was during the 12 Hours of Sebring Race in 1970, a Reference 5512. Through more photographic research, Nick came across some very clear pictures of McQueen wearing a 5513 Submariner only from 1977 to 1979, which he shares here, proving his theory that McQueen did not give Loren Janes the Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 to be auctioned this December off his wrist, but rather a brand-new one.
The ultra-successful James Bond film franchise celebrated 55 years of existence in 2017 – ‘Dr. No’ appeared in theaters in 1962 – and with it a host of luxury items used in the world-famous film series, including wristwatches. Bond’s love affair with timepieces began with Sean Connery, who wore a Q-modified, gadget-containing Rolex Submariner in ‘Dr. No’ even though his creator, author Ian Fleming, personally wore the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer. A multitude of watch models have come since . . . find out what they are right here!
In late 2017, a woman brought a Rolex Submariner to the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow that was missing its distinctive black bezel, which was appraised for about £20,000. She had been given the watch by an ex-boyfriend and it just sat in a drawer. But extra printing on the dial and a helium escape valve shouted Comex!
American actor Mark Wahlberg recently uploaded a video to his Instagram account wearing an early-delivery Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Root Beer,’ once again putting his penchant for precious metal watches on display.
Ever wondered what the inside of a Rolex Submariner looks like, then (sensibly) thought better of trying to find out? Well, wonder no more. The Watches TV has teamed up with The Naked Watchmaker, Peter Speake-Marin, to take a modern Rolex Submariner completely apart – diving right into the heart of this famous diver’s watch.
As far as automatic watch movements are concerned, Rolex Caliber 1575 is the cream of the crop, a watchmaker’s watch: hard wearing, robust, elegant (ish), and an exceptional timekeeper.