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6. Philanthropic Programs
Rolex Replica Watches were well known for its philanthropic and charity efforts, which include two global programs: The Rolex Awards for Enterprise, and The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.
Launched in 1976, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise provide financial support to individuals working in the areas of science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, the environment, and cultural heritage. In 2009 the Rolex Replica Watches Awards introduced the Young Laureates Program, designed to “foster innovation in the next generation.” Judges select enterprising young individuals and provide with them with funding and resources to pursue their projects.
Since their creation, 110 Rolex Replica Watches Awards have been presented to recipients in more than 60 countries. Examples of recognized projects include a system to carry our mass health screening in newborns, developing faster laboratory tests to detect so-called “superbugs”, developing braille smartphones, and a public awareness campaign designed to lower child mortality rates.
Created in 2002, the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative pairs gifted young artists with internationally recognized masters, sponsoring them to spend a year in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. Since its inception, 234 people, from more than 40 countries, have participated.
7. Top Auction Results
When it comes to collectability, two brands stand head and shoulders above the rest: Patek Philippe and Rolex. With its galaxy of complicated timepieces, in precious metal cases, produced in small numbers, Patek dominates any listing of the most expensive watches sold at auction. While large numbers of Pateks have crossed the auction block at prices above $1 million, until a few years ago, no Rolex could claim that distinction. That changed in May, 2011 when a Rolex ref. 4113 split-seconds chronograph brought 1,035,000 CHF, or $1,163,746 at a Christie’s sale in Geneva. Manufactured in 1942, this watch was unusually large for its day, measuring 44mm in diameter, and the stainless steel case did not hold it back. Indeed when it comes to collectible Rolexes, steel usually trumps gold at sale time.
Since the sale mentioned above, four more Rolexes have broken the $1 million benchmark at auction, and all have been sold by Christie’s. Here’s a quick rundown:
In May, 2013, another Rolex Replica Watches ref. 4113 chronograph sold for 1,107,750 CHF, or $1,161,436, in Geneva.
In November 2013 at its “Lesson One” sale in Geneva, Christie’s sold a Rolex ref. 6263 Cosmograph Daytona with an “RCO Paul Newman” dial for 989,000 CHF, or $1,089,186. The “RCO” is a reference to the text on the dial at 12 o’clock, which reads “Rolex Cosmograph Oyster Replica Watches”, rather than the usual “Rolex Oyster Cosmograph.”
The following month in New York, a Rolex ref. 8171 in steel with triple calendar, moon phases and diamond-set dial sold for $1,145,000. In the catalog, Christie’s noted that Italian collectors nicknamed this watch “Padellone”, or “Big Frying Pan”, because at 38 mm, it was so large for its time, circa 1953.
In May of this year in Geneva , Christie’s sold an 18k gold Rolex with star hour markers on a cloisonné enamel dial. Produced in 1949, this piece brought the equivalent of $1,242,040, placing a precious metal case at the top of the Rolex sales records, at least for the moment.
8. Paul Newman
If the James Bond Sub has a challenger for the title of most famous collector watch, it’s the “Paul Newman” Daytona. These are regular production Daytonas originally produced with exotic dials. These watches were not highly popular when they came out, meaning relatively few were sold, and that translates to fewer of them being available today.
Production of the rare dials begin in the mid-1960s, and the dials appeared on a total of six different references: 6239, 6241,6262,6264, 6265, and 6263. The dials were made with two colors – black and white, and some dials featured a third color, red. Among other details, the dials featured Art Deco-style numerals on the subdials, and the some of the subdial hash marks had small squares at the ends.
As is often the case with cult watches, the origin of the celebrity association is unclear. One story is that an image of Newman wearing the watch appeared on the cover of a top Italian magazine. While Newman was photographed wearing a Daytona with the exotic dial on several occasions, original copies of the Italian magazine cover remain elusive, so the story is likely untrue. Another story is that Newman was pictured wearing the watch in promotional posters for the movie “Winning”. Examples of the poster do exist, and that story does not hold water. However the association came to be, it took hold, and today “Paul Newman” Daytonas are worth far more than their weight in gold.
9. Steve McQueen
Another iconic actor and racing driver closely associated with Rolex is Steve McQueen. McQueen’s name is often linked with the model 1655 Explorer II – the original model with the big orange hand. However as there don’t seem to be any pictures of him wearing that watch, it’s considered more likely that dealers eager to generate interest in the watch fabricated the association.
The watch McQueen was photographed wearing on several occasions is the reference 5512 non-date, chronometer-rated Submariner. Indeed Antiqourum sold McQueen’s personal 5512 for $234,000 in New York in 2009.
10. The Mariana Trench
The deepest spot in the world’s oceans is the Mariana Trench, and the deepest part of the trench is the Challenger Deep, where the bottom lies about 35,800 feet below the surface. Rolex visited those depths for the first time in 1960, when Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh piloted the Swiss-designed bathyscaphe Trieste to the bottom. Attached to the Trieste’s hull, on the outside, was a specially-made Rolex called the Deep Sea. At that depth, the water pressure is about 1,086 bars, or 15,750 psi. After returning to the surface, Piccard sent Hans Wilsdorf a telegram reading “Am happy to confirm that even at 11,000 metres your watch is as precise as on the surface.”
Rolex returned to the Challenger Deep as a partner in filmmaker James Cameron’s expedition in March 2012, again with a specially built watch attached to the outside of the submersible. The new experimental watch was dubbed the Rolex Deepsea Challenge, as a tripartite tribute to the name of James Cameron’s project (Deepsea Challenge); to the 1960 Deep Sea watch that accompanied the Trieste; and to the 2008 Rolex Deepsea timepiece, which provided the technical and aesthetic blueprint for the new experimental watch. Rolex designed and manufactured the experimental watch in less than two months. It was attached to an arm on Cameron’s submersible, where it reached a depth of 35,787 feet.
Rolex commemorated the Cameron dive in August this year by releasing the Deepsea D-Blue Dial watch. Based on the Sea-Dweller Deepsea, this new model features a unique dial that is deep blue at the top and gradually fades to black at the bottom. The design represents the change in ocean color from the surface to the bottom Rolex Replica Watches.
10 Things to Know About Rolex Replica Watches(3)
