The “Patrizzi” dial is named after Osvaldo Patrizzi, a famous Swiss watch auctioneer and author. He observed and is credited for recognizing that the three silver rings around the sub-dials of a Model 16520 Zenith Daytona with a black dial sometimes turn a dark brown in color. This color change is possibly due the aging of the protective coating Rolex used on these Daytona dials during mid-1990’s. Today the Patrizzi Daytonas are very sought after by collectors.
3- “Paul Newman” Dial
The famous actor and race driver gives this important Rolex Daytona Cosmograph dial its nickname “Paul Newman.” In the earlier days of collecting wrist watches, these dials were referred to as “Exotic” dial Daytonas. This is due to their different colors and configuration over standard Daytona dials. Through the years, Rolex produced less of these “so called” exotic dials making them exceedingly rare over the more common standard Daytona dials. These exotic dial Daytonas are especially prized by Italian collectors. When Paul Newman was actually seen wearing one of these exotic dial Daytonas during his personal and racing life, the “Paul Newman” nickname for this special Daytona was born. Mr. Newman’s original Daytona sold at auction for more than $17 million U.S. dollars, breaking the record sale at the time for a vintage wristwatch.
4- “Steve McQueen” Explorer II model 1655
The “Steve McQueen” name, well known among aficionados for this particular Explorer II model, came from a 1970’s advertising campaign launched by Rolex, with the aptly named “King of Cool” film star. At the time of its release, it was considered more of a functional tool watch specifically aimed at Speleologists. It’s also interesting to note that although this Explorer II model 1655 is nicknamed after “Steve McQueen,” the actor never actually wore the watch. He was more likely to be seen wearing a Submariner or GMT-Master.
5- “James Bond” Submariner 6538
The mega actor Sean Connery played the part of James Bond 007 in the first blockbuster 1962 film “Dr. No.” Sean Connery wore a Rolex stainless steel Submariner model 6538 on the set. Since this was the first Rolex worn in a James Bond film, this model Submariner will always be known as the “James Bond” Submariner. The lack of crown guards and oversized crown on the Submariner 6238 stands out and sets it apart from all later model Submariners, making the model 6238 the original “James Bond” Submariner.
6- “Pussy Galore” GMT-Master 6542
In the follow-up James Bond film to “Dr. No.,” the 007 1964 film “Goldfinger” actress Honor Blackman wears a late 1950’s GMT-Master model 6542 with a bakelite bezel. Playing the role of Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger,” Blackman’s watch receives ample screen time showing its now very famous blue and red bezel, thus nicknamed the “Pussy Galore” GMT-Master.
7- “John Player” Daytona
The “John Player Special” refers to the beautiful and rare yellow gold Daytona model 6241. Its clean look with non-screw down pushers, black dial and bezel with gold subdials symbolizes the Lotus Formula 1 racing team colors that was sponsored by the John Player & Sons Special cigarette brand. The gold Daytona 6241 has earned the nickname the “John Player special.”
8- “Jean-Claude Killy” Dato-Compax Chronograph
1960’s celebrity professional French Champion alpine skier Jean-Claude Killy became a Rolex brand representative for advertisements by Rolex. He was famous for wearing the Rolex Dato-Compax Chronograph models which gave them the nickname the “Jean-Claude Killy” models. These special Oyster Chronograph Dato-Compax (complications: Day, Month, Date & Chronograph) are very expensive and very sought after by Rolex collectors; especially the model 6036.
9- “Bao Dai” Black diamond dial 6062 (no photo at this time)
This rare and exquisite Rolex timepiece “Bao Dai” model 6062 18k triple calendar moonphase with an original and beautiful special black diamond dial belonged to last Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam. He was granted the title “Bao Dai” (the keeper of greatness) when he was twelve years of age. The “Bao Dai” Rolex 6062 sold in 2017 at a Geneve auction for more than $5 million dollars. At this time, it was the most expensive publicly sold Rolex in history.
10- “Clint Eastwood” GMT-Master 16753
Mr. Eastwood’s favorite Rolex is his GMT-Master model 16753 brown dial or Root Beer now nicknamed “Clint Eastwood.” Not only was this his daily worn watch for many years; he also wore his GMT-Master in several major films playing different character roles.
11- “Belmondo” Daytona
Jean-Paul Belmondo, French legendary film actor and producer from the 1960’s forward, was a huge fan of Rolexwatches. His favorite Rolex was a 6263 black dial Big Red Daytona with silver subsidiary dials. He has been photographed many times with this favorite Daytona on his wrist. Jean-Paul Belmondo’s best known credits include “Breathless,” “That Man from Rio,” “Pierrot le Fou,” “Borsalino,” and “The Professional.”
12- “James Cameron” Deepsea
Flimmaker and explorer James Cameron has worn a Rolex Submariner for decades. He wore the same Submariner on his many exploration dives to the wreck of the Titanic that sunk in icy waters off the north Atlantic in April of 1912. In 2008, Rolex launched a new dive watch named the “Deepsea,” with an impressive depth certification of 3,990 meters. This was made possible by a thicker, domed sapphire crystal, as well as a Ringlock System, developed and patented by Rolex. The case size increased to 44 millimeters in diameter. Rolex incorporated a caliber 3235 movement with an advanced power reserve up to 70 hours. The “Deepsea” was originally launched with an all-black dial. Rolex later released the “D-blue,” a blue to black fade dial to replicate the color scheme of the ocean. The “Deep Blue” dial celebrates “James Cameron’s” Deepsea Challenger submersible trip to the deepest place on our planet. This amazing exploration to Challenger Deep (the deepest part of the Mariana Trench) took place March 26, 2012.
13- “John Mayer” Daytona
Rolex collectors nicknamed the yellow gold, green dial the Daytona the “John Mayer” Daytona. John Mayer is a very well-known musician and has a following with luxury watch fans and collectors. John’s presentation of his timepieces in public appearances, as well as a passion for the high art and craftsmanship inherent in fine watchmaking, has endeared him to many in the luxury watch community. John owns and wears many luxury watches but only one has risen to namesake status. The Rolex “John Mayer” Daytona model was launched in 2016, in 18k yellow gold with a bright green dial, with Chromalight and gold hour markers. Initially overlooked due to the public’s almost fanatical interest in stainless steel Daytona models, John’s appearance and subsequent high praise of the watch help push it into the upper echelon in regard to value and collectability.
Join us as we learn more about the history of Patek Philippe from 1839 until today!
"Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe is the last independent, family-owned Genevan watch manufacture. With a vibrant, uninterrupted operating history spanning nearly 180 years, the company benefits from a unique legacy of tradition and innovation.From Antoine Norbert de Patek’s encounter with Jean Adrien Philippe to Thierry Stern’s presidency, from the first pocket watches to the very latest super complications – discover the pivotal events that forged the history of Patek Philippe and the entire watchmaking industry found at https://www.patek.com/en/company/history#movies."
The Rolex Sea-Dweller, icon of the deep has origins going all the way back to 1960. The industry standard in dive watches at the time was Rolex’s own Submariner model, originally introduced in 1953. As divers began venturing to increasingly deeper depths of the ocean, a problem arose with the Submariner that would have Rolex going back to the drawing board in search of what would become a new and groundbreaking design in horology. Enter a special prototype timepiece Rolex dubbed “Deep Sea Special.” This was anchored to the exterior of another highly specialized instrument, specifically, a deep-sea exploration vehicle named “Trieste.” Together they descended to the deepest known depth of the ocean named the Mariana Trench. Both performed flawlessly and history was made with the inclusion of a message from crew member Jacques Piccard stating that the Rolex watch was as precise at 11,000m as it was it was on the surface. Not long after this monumental feat the effort was underway by Rolex to design a dive watch suitable for depths that would normally wreak havoc on commercially available dive watches at the time. The developments required for success were not exclusive to the obvious stresses put upon the timepiece by the increased depth of a dive, but more important, the unavoidable and often hazardous complications that arise from decompression as the diver ascends to the surface. With deeper dives comes a dramatic buildup in pressure from a combination of nitrogen and helium. This phenomenon proved to be the death knell for many of the very best dive watches of the day, and with that Rolex set out to develop the very first pressure release valve on a timepiece to solve the problem. With this revolutionary innovation, a new, state of the art generation of timepieces for serious oceanic adventure was born. Let’s take a deep dive into the various incarnations of prototype Submariners and standard issue Sea-Dweller models that have offered generations of saturation divers’ timepieces that are both functional and reliable.
Our story behind the Rolex Sea-Dweller cannot be told without mention of two specialized, prototype Submariner models offered by Rolex to the Compagnie Maritime D’Expertise (Comex), an elite team of French saturation divers. After several standard issue Rolex Submariners had structurally failed due to the increased depths the watches had encountered with the team, Rolex was approached with a request for a more durable alternative. Rolex went on to develop and patent the groundbreaking feature for what was needed in a Helium Escape Valve (HEV). This auto activated mechanism allows gas to escape through a unidirectional valve without sacrificing waterproofness. These two experimental models are quite rare and valued highly among watch collectors.
2) Rolex Sea-Dweller Model 1665 “Double Red” (Circa 1967-1978)
In 1967 the Rolex “Sea-Dweller” model 1665 was introduced. This was Rolex’s first offering for public use to feature the new HEV mechanism. The model became known by collectors as the “Double Red” due to the two distinct lines of red text on the dial that read: SEA-DWELLERSUBMARINER 2000 Many considered this model ref#1665 to be a spinoff of sorts to the Submariner model line, hence the name on the dial. This is a relatively rare and very desirable timepiece of historical significance.
3) Rolex Sea-Dweller Model 1665 “Great White” (Circa 1977-1983)
This particular Rolex Sea-Dweller retains the ref# 1665 yet, thanks to a couple of simple but nevertheless noteworthy revisions to the dial a new name was offered (by Rolex aficionados) and a new category of the model was born. First off, the Submariner name disappeared. This helped to solidify the perception that the Sea-Dweller was a distinct and separate model from the Submariner in the Rolex lineup. Next was a change from red to white text, hence the name “Great White.”
4) Rolex Sea-Dweller Model 16660 “Triple Six” (Circa 1978-1989)
The follow-up version Rolex Sea-Dweller was launched with a significant improvement to the depth rating. A new sapphire crystal (replacing plexiglass), larger case size and improved design for the HEV mechanism all enabled the watch to function at the depth of 1220m -- roughly double that of its predecessor.
5) Rolex Sea-Dweller Model 16600 (Circa 1989-2008)
Next in the development of the Sea-Dweller is the model Ref# 16600 which featured an improved caliber (3135) as well as an advancement in the power reserve (48 hours). This particular iteration of the Sea-Dweller has had the longest production run. Developments of the model throughout its production period pertained to the type of luminescence material installed on the dial with a total of three variants.
6) Rolex Deep Sea Model 116660 (Circa 2008-Present) & 126660 “James Cameron” (Circa 2014-Present)
The next and current Sea-Dweller commonly referred to as “Deep Sea” came with impressive depth rating of 3,990m. This was made possible by a thicker, domed sapphire crystal as well as a Ringlock System developed and patented by Rolex. The case size increased to 44mm, and Rolex incorporated a next-generation 3235 movement advancing the power reserve to 70 hours. The model was released with two dial options, black followed by a specialized blue to black fade replicating the color scheme of the ocean that a saturation diver would see upon descent. Rolex called this special dial option “D-blue” and the model ref# 126660 with this dial option is known as the “James Cameron” Deep Sea.