Reply With QuoteI have a set of Rolex tennis balls given at a VIP event at Wimbledon.
Rolex and its individual "client" territory subsidiaries have produced thousands of branded items alongside their watches. There are promotional items, tools, displays, demonstration sets, sales aids, sporting goods, awards, shop furniture, literature and many more pieces, all of which may appeal to the collector. How about a single thread to celebrate them?
I was making room in one of my Rolex stores today when I came across two plastic flip-books of main agent "cue cards" which were designed to support the struggling salesperson trying to sell those awkward professional models (curse them)!
The newer one is from some time around 1990 and is the less interesting of the two, but it does show the "floating Cosmograph" steel Daytona 16520. Note the bracelet references, which show the first examples were fitted with plain Oyster bracelets, lacking the Oysterlock safety clasp.
However, it is the older book of cue-cards from around 1980 which offers wider opportunity for excitement. There are Air-Kings, Datejusts, Day-Dates and Oysterquartz, but I'll show below the more popular heroes.
Submariner 1680 - not the specific model we might have expected to celebrate as the "Official watch for COMEX, world's largest diving organisation." Note that, as is typical of Rolex, the image is in fact that of an earlier incarnation. The depth rating is presented in meters first, meaning that this image must in fact depict a red-writing Submariner.
Explorer II 1655 - with not an orange but a red triangle hand! Note the early, straight seconds hand which lacked the "dot" of later versions.
Sea-Dweller 1665 - note how the lack of cyclops lens is celebrated as a selling point. As someone pointed out earlier today, do those crown guards look a little under-weight?
Milgauss 1019 - we knew about CERN in Switzerland, but I wonder in which laboratories in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan and Holland the watch was tested.
Daytona 6263 - I can imagine many modern commentators suggesting those lugs on the R.H.S. have been over-polished!
Submariner 5513 - another anachronistic image, the "200m-660ft" depth rating format being old news by over a decade at this time. "Official watch for Royal Navy divers" - boy, would I like to find one of those!
GMT-Master 1675 - any comments about the "22" on the bezel floating from the inner edge? Look at that unexpectedly-isosceles 24hr indicator, too!
Explorer 1016 - "Specially robust model...Black dial, easy to read." Easier to read, perhaps, than the memo from Geneva demanding that watches should be depicted with the time displayed at 10:10:31 !
Every year I see further pieces of Rolex ephemera that I never knew existed. Would members be interested in perpetuating this thread with other people's treasures: anything from Rolex but not an actual watch? I have much of my own to share, but would love to see others'.
Does anyone have a Rolex letter-rack or ash-tray, opera glasses, water-proof, umbrella, paper-weight, chocolates, teaspoons, paper-clips....? What is the most extraordinary Rolex item we could find?
Haywood
Last edited by Haywood_Milton; 5th May 2018 at 22:38.
I have a set of Rolex tennis balls given at a VIP event at Wimbledon.
Loving those old brochures.
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Unbelievable to think that dealers needed stuff like this to help them sell the professional models.
Great post, HM.
With the second catalog from the 1980’s, at that time could one walk into an AD and see all of those on display and immediately available?
Great stuff Haywood. Who would have guessed that 'back in the day' training aids would picture watches that 30+ years later would be some of the most desirable models around. An Explorer with a straight second hand and based on previous research there is a good chance that the floating dial pictured is a Porcelain dial.
Hi Haywood, very interesting. Please keep it coming.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thanks for that , I love stuff like this. It would be interesting to know what the prices were back in the day for each model just so when I was a teen, I could kick myself for not saved a little harder instead of blowing all my wages on Hi-fi equipment, cars and girls.
Then the only memories you have would be of staring at a watch and it's accoutrements.Originally Posted by zippy
I never had a Rolex, but plenty of what you had!
Very interesting items , I would be interested in seeing more things the more unusual the better
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True and to be fair I don't regret it too much but I did always lust after a Sub even at that age. Instead I seemed to deposit all my wages into the local Sony centre and car HP payment's. The only 'decent' watches I could afford were Tag's and they were the cheap nasty ones at that.
I used to work in a Sony Centre. Their kit was always top notch.
Silver Minidisc body warmer.
Last edited by Chalet; 5th May 2018 at 10:14.
Well my thing was the ES range and luckily I knew one of the salesman who gave me a decent discount but still....
Ah, the ubiquitous Sony Centre...if ever there was a rip-off!
Ive got a Rolex warranty card and stickers that they used to issue with new sales!
RIAC
Just taken this out of the safe to add to the thread - a genuine Rolex paperclip. When my personal horlogery investment manager first brought this to me there were some doubts as to its authenticity; some said the green was a couple of pantones out or the central prong of the crown was too long, but in Patrizzi's 'Rolex Stationary 1970 to 1980 - volume 2', there is clear evidence of the existance of a transition paperclip, made for one year only, before they changed to 904L steel.
Anyway, it's not for sale, I'm hanging on to this for when Rolex go bankrupt - and frankly given the supply problems they are having currently that day can't be far off, when prices for this sort of thing will go mental. So, back in the safe it goes.
I have the odd bit of Rolex Tat
Chocolate box comes in handy for keeping some of my spares tidy
I have this, one of the Rolex display pieces. Made by Roldeco S.A to a high standard. I think it is leather too.
Lovely, lovely thing that i was very lucky to have been given. My wife is a zoo keeper so it made a great gift from a friend. I would love to get more but not much chance of that. This is going nowhere.
70s Rolex tools given to me by a retired watchmaker.
Now that’s funny !!!
Nice gift!
This pressure tester also dates from that period, and it's still in regular service:
They're ace Haywood.
I only have bezel tins and coffins/pouches so nothing exciting although I did see a Rolex penknife once which was a bit tz tactical for them.
When we moved into our new house I found a Rolex teaspoon, sadly despite searching there was no Rolex and it was one of the most common teaspoons.
Bucherer/Lucerne teaspoons courtesy of my in-laws.
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Another paper clip , they must be real!
When Rolex moved I got hold of a huge amount of their merchandise including sunglasses, trays, watch boxes, knives, shirts, hats, flags, wallets etc, sold quite a lot on here at the time.
I've probably still got some pics on PB but I'm in US at the moment with only a tablet so I'll check when I get home.
Cheers,
Neil.
Finally a Rolex thread that’s interesting instead of lists,more lists and money.
Show some more please.
A great thread. The crown on the 5513 looks quite small in comparison to the Sub - is this the norm as I have not noticed that before.
Well-spotted. It appears to be a drafting error, as it should have the same crown and guards as the 1680.
This is truly what tz is all about
Loving it.
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As the small crown apparent in the image of the 5513 has been highlighted, allow me to introduce this exciting new feature, the triplock crown!
This tag was supplied with the first models featuring the innovation.
H
Love it, keep em coming, sadly I don't have anything to share...
it sounds better in Spanish.
Great thread as always Haywood.
It reminds me of some of the items I have had over the years including the flip books (certainly had the old style from the '80's)
At home I have a couple of Gold-plated Rolex crown lapel pins that were made for a period of time by my families' jewellery manufacturing business in Birmingham, Alabaster & Wilson.
I don't know how the commission came about from Rolex, although they did have dealings with the top London Jewellers of the day such as Garrard, Hancocks and Asprey and so may have been recommended by someone to Rolex.
Sadly A&W ceased trading after 130 years at the end of 2017 when my older brother and sister retired, ending four generations of making beautiful jewellery.
I did also have a Rolex Parker pen when I was Assistant Manager of Boodles in Manchester in the 1980's. I sold a very famous celebrity couple their engagement ring and discovered later that my pen must have left the shop with them!!! The Parker was so much better quality than the type they supply now.
I can't think what else I have got from over the years - being an AD we are fortunate to receive a small gift each year in Basel and the occasional sweater at the golf.
Love it H
anyway as you know I am equally sad so....
I see your Triplock tag and raise you a green dot anchor - already knowing a Royal Flush is on the way.
Good stuff Oracle, but what this thread needs from you is pictures of your AD treasures! Interesting A&W history.
As for Rolex pens....watch this space ;-)
Tim, your green anchor is a rare beastie! Nice.
Last edited by Haywood_Milton; 10th May 2018 at 13:15.
Come on!
A small selection unassociated with any watches - don't ask.....obviously everyone needs 5 spare sea dweller tool kits
Since Photobucket went Tats Up I have given up posting pictures.
Anyway they're at home and some of us are working in between posting on here
Customer confidentiality prevents me from disclosing that it was !@*$@&! and +^%@
Register with www.imgur.com which is free and has been great for me.....or send me a pic and I'll post it for you with a suitable credit.Since Photobucket went Tats Up I have given up posting pictures.
Anyway they're at home and some of us are working in between posting on here
Footballer and dolly bird, natch.
Don't know if he was any good at football but they were both a good looking couple but, of course, it is a while ago.......
Indeed, it appears that they simply re-used the 1675's drawing to (inaccurately) show the 5513, as the shading and cross-hatching are identical past the bezel.
But the Explorer II somehow gets its own illustration, despite actually having the same case and crown with the GMT.
What do you make of the proportions of the Submariner crown depicted on my enlarged image of the Triplock tag, post #31 ?Indeed, it appears that they simply re-used the 1675's drawing to (inaccurately) show the 5513, as the shading and cross-hatching are identical past the bezel.
But the Explorer II somehow gets its own illustration, despite actually having the same case and crown with the GMT.
Looks fine to me; both the crown and the crown guards align with the bezel markings the same as they do on the real deal:What do you make of the proportions of the Submariner crown depicted on my enlarged image of the Triplock tag, post #31 ?
[image added for comparison]
image credit: analogshift
Gotta love the attention to detail; even on the hang tag, the date display is set to their portrait standard of the 28th, with the eight just peeking through the bevelled edge of the crystal. This makes the blunder on the 5513 crown seem all the more uncharacteristic.
I suppose if we're being picky, it might be worth mentioning how most of the watches are depicted with solid end links even though they were equipped with folded ones, but that probably can be chalked up to artistic license.
By the way, how appealing does that 16520 look? Just goes to show how perfect the self-winding Daytona was on the first try. :)
Last edited by Belligero; 10th May 2018 at 17:03.
Very nice selection !!A small selection unassociated with any watches - don't ask.....obviously everyone needs 5 spare sea dweller tool kits
I have tons of Rolex adverts.
1 of many....
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
[QUOTE=Chris_in_the_UK;4761215]I have tons of Rolex adverts.
1 of many....
[QUOTE]
I love the old adverts (Jackie Stewart, Concorde etc) - probably influential in my buying a GMT-Master (ads in Nat Geo)
Keep posting them up!
Al
I have a few things too.
I believe this is my most interesting box.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
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