aBlogtoRead.com » Rolex

Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116713 LN Watch Review

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:05:48 +0000

Article and images contributed by Michael Maximilien:

Let's be honest, Rolex watches are one of the society's symbol of success around the world. If you want people to know you've made it, then get a Rolex. And, this message is universal, it hardly matters where you are on the globe.

The Rolex models don't change much and some are so common that on a recent trip to the US east coast, I counted three of us, in close proximity, wearing Rolexes in the train at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson airport going from one terminal to the next.

While wearing a Rolex tends to exude this message of "I made it" (intentionally or not), there are however, plenty of other reasons why buying a Rolex is a great investment and will get you on the road to horological satisfaction and connoisseurship…

When I started my timepiece collection, I consider myself fortunate to have bought a Rolex GMT-Master II (ref. 116713 LN) as my first timepiece. It is one of Rolex's many iconic designs, and to be frank, it still remains one of my favorite watches to this day.

It's the measuring stick that I use to compare all of my other acquisitions --- those more or less expensive. I love the GMT-Master II for its classic design, its incredible construction, its feel, and of course the impact that it projects when I wear it.

Rolex created the first Oyster Perpetual GMT watch in the 1950s for Pan Am pilots who wanted a quick way to check and know the time in different timezones. The classic design has gone through various refinements, but it remains pretty much the same today.

The original Rolex GMT was one of the first watches on the market that could tell time in two timezones at once. Essentially, Rolex added a fourth hand (the green hand with the large arrow head, or the GMT hand) that circles the dial in 24 hours. The great innovation at the time was to create a rotating bezel with 24 hour markers that can be adjusted as one moves to different timezones.

There are two primary ways to make use of the GMT feature. First, with the bezel marker set to 12 o'clock, change the GMT to point to the current Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is the same as the timezone in London. Change the hour hands and set it to the current timezone. With the GMT-Master II this is done easily as the minutes move with the GMT hand when the crown (unscrewed) is pulled two positions and the hours hand moves by itself when the crown is in the first position.

That way, the GMT hand will indicate the current GMT reference time and using the bezel, one can move forward or backward to match the difference between GMT and the timezone you want to know. So in the pictures in this post, my GMT-Master II shows the time in US PDT and the GMT hand shows US EST which is -5 hours from GMT (or -4 hours as in now for daylight savings time).

The second way, is to use the GMT hand and the bezel to indicate your home time. As you travel to different timezones, you can change to local time by unscrewing the crown and pulling it in the first position and turning it. In this second usage mode, only two times are readable and since the bezel is not being used for timezone changes, it's not the most effective use of the watch's features.

The GMT-Master II reviewed here is the two-tone gold and stainless version. It uses Rolex's famous oyster case at 40 mm and it weighs in at 160 grams. The weight is due in part to the gold material and to Rolex's usage of high-grade 904L steel which is forged completely in-house and is supposed to be highly polishable and very resistant to corrosion. The gold is solid 18-karat which is also used in the bezel and the dial markers.

Two of my favorite features, which are new in this model, are the oysterlock with easylink clasp and the ceramic bezel. First, the clasp. It is secured with two locks, the first to close the bracelet and the second to lock it with a fall over gold buckle adorned with the Rolex crown logo. It is by far my favorite clasp on a steel bracelet watch as it is comfortable yet very secure. It has a feel that you must wear to understand… simply superb.

In this version, reference 116713 LN, one of the main new innovations is the use of a ceramic material for the bezel dubbed Cerachrom. According to Rolex, the result is a virtually scratch-proof bezel. Rolex also created a special patented nano-particle process to paint the bezel markers with gold, guaranteeing that they will remain timeless like the gold links.

In addition, what sets this bezel apart is the feel when turning it. The resistance is measured and the fluted marks make it easy to grip. It's simply a joy to use and I look forward to changing it to check different times, even when I usually leave it to show EST time...

Like all Rolexes, the movement is in-house and for this version, contains the Rolex Parachrom hairspring which is supposed to be better at resisting the negative effects of magnetic fields and thus keeping an accurate beat over the years. The sapphire crystal has some of the best anti-reflective coating (AR) I have ever seen on a watch. This makes the bezel visible at even the thinnest of angles…

The crystal contains a magnifying bump above the date. This makes the date visible at a glance. Some might see this as an unnecessary blemish on an otherwise perfect and symmetrical design but I believe that it is very functional and in time, I learned to appreciate and actually like this feature quite a bit.

The GMT-Master II reference 116713 LN retails for $11,750 for the two-tone gold and steel version reviewed here. There is also an all-steel version, reference 116710 LN ($7,900) and an all-gold reference 116718 LN ($29,500). Rolex also makes a yellow gold version with a green dial and various versions in white and yellow gold adorned with diamonds and other precious gems which all go for well above the $30,000 price point.

If I have any negative feelings about this watch is that the gold links will scratch. Mine did, ever so slightly after I wore it the very first time. Of course, this proneness to scratches is one of the consequences of wearing a gold watch (the material is relatively soft, compared to steel) and since I love the look of the watch so much, every blemish is accentuated in my eyes.

Besides this small nitpick, I would say that if you want a timeless classic that you can wear everyday for the rest of your life while lifting your spirits and confidence, then the Rolex GMT-Master II is the watch to consider getting. It won't be unique and you can expect to see a few others wearing it at a wedding or the next business meeting… However, you can also rest assured that you are wearing a superbly crafted timepiece that is simply superlative.

Watch What-If: Rolex Sky-Dweller

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:01:40 +0000

"Watch What-If" is a special column on aBlogtoRead.com that asks the playful question "what if an iconic watch you know and love was offered in a different style?" The idea embraces a good timepiece's core design and has fun by offering new colors and material concepts to stimulate your senses. These ideas may be provocative, artistic, or just plain silly. This is about fun, Photoshop, and the celebration of wrist watch design and experimentation. The original design we work off of will always be at the bottom of the article. The designs are brought to life by Beau Hudspeth who does the artwork and concepting after he and I choose the models and styles to focus on. These "special design experiments" are extremely time consuming and labor intensive but we hope you enjoy the results. Ideas and comments are more than welcome. Enough response may even lead to a round two of design of the same watch - so please comment below. You are also encouraged to suggest the watches that should make it into the Watch What-If section here on aBlogtoRead.com.

Watch What-Iffed: Rolex Sky-Dweller

The Original:

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Rolex Deepsea Challenge Watch Goes To Bottom Of The Ocean

admin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:07:39 +0000

Who said Rolex makes only smaller or medium-sized watches? With huge cojones Rolex deftly reclaims their status as king of the dive watch by making the deepest diving mechanical watch ever (as far as I can tell) in the size-happy 51.4mm wide Deepsea Challenge. The watch is cool and the story is even better - this is PR gold.

On March 26, 2012 a vessel called the Deepsea Challenger emerged from the depths off the coast of Guam after spending several hours underwater. Looking like a lime-hued torpedo with two robotic arms, a single man crawled out of the hatch as cameras peered inside to see if man or meat jelly would step out of the green machine after it spent over six hours traveling to and then strolling on the sea floor in an environment with immeasurable pressure (well it is measurable). Box office king (and director) James Cameron casually came out of the tube. Who else? Wearing a Jacques Cousteau style head-warmer and trimmed-beard, the do-no-wrong film-maker and sci-fi visionary just finished going to the deepest bottom of the ocean. Almost seven miles underwater to the floor of the well-known Marianas Trench. James piloted the Deepsea Challenger 35,756 feet (10,898 meters) under water.

Mr. Cameron's inclusion in the project was not exactly a Hollywood stunt. It is true that while down there he brought some special 3D cameras to take footage for an upcoming feature film about the bottom of the ocean (with a theatrical release relatively soon), but Cameron is no diving novice. Cameron has actually gone on over 70 deep vessel dives exploring the depths. If you recall he made movies such as The Abyss and Titanic which each involved underwater elements. Cameron is practically a diving hull professional, so putting him in charge of the Deepsea Challenger that took over eight years to develop wasn't that much of a liability. Plus, Cameron almost guarantees that people will pay attention - and who else was going to go down there and appreciate it as much as James?

At 24 feet long the Deepsea Challenger is tiny compared to the famous Trieste vessel that made a similar journey in 1960. The mission 52 years ago spent only 20 minutes on the sea floor, but was able to go down that deep. This time around Cameron not only took footage of what he saw, but collected samples and other data for scientific purposes. The project was a joint effort between a series of sponsors who are eager to help rebound deep sea exploration (because apparently space is on hold). One of them of course is the almighty Rolex (who is no stranger to the deep).

Rolex isn't new to this game. They were even part of the 1960 Deepsea mission just as they were with the 2012 mission. Aside from merely being a sponsor, Rolex developed a new Deepsea watch to go down with the ship. Most dive watches are pressure tank tested. Meaning they go into special dry tanks which simulate water pressure and test to see if air leaks into a watch case. That's useful and all, but Rolex wanted to test its new experimental watch as deep as possible in real water. Strapped to the Deepsea Challenger's robotic arm was the new, not-likely-ever-for-sale Rolex Deepsea Challenge watch. Robots - as our future overlords - will apparently also prefer to wear mechanical watches.

In a sense the story of the watch's mission is almost anti-climatic. It went down to almost 11,000 meters and came up just fine and without a hiccup. The Deepsea Challenge is essentially a beefed up Submariner Deepsea watch (originally released in 2008). With the same in-house made Rolex Caliber 3135 automatic COSC Chronometer movement, it is larger in most all ways but retains the same basic DNA. Think of the Deepsea Challege and the Deepsea's bigger more commercially unavailable brother.

Beyond a certainly point making a watch super water resistant is about armor. According to Rolex the Deepsea Challenge is able to resist 13.6 tonnes of pressure. That is up from the 3.1 tonnes of pressure on the Deepsea. How is this possible? More metal... and sapphire. The super-sized Submariner style case is a chunky block of Rolex's very nice 904L steel being 51.4mm wide and 28.5mm thick. The sapphire crystal alone is 14.3mm thick. It is a tank, made to resist the onslaught of pressure from all side. The watch incorporates the Oyster style caseback and the Rolex Ringlock system. The rear of the case is in grade 5 titanium.

In total the Deepsea Challenge is able to go down to 12,000 meters, which is 39,370 feet. The world of science still hasn't answered why this is necessary, but we think it is really cool (don't we? I know I do). Even with its large size most people want to wear this. I think it is amusing how Rolex produced a special long bracelet to strap the Deepsea Challenge to the robotic arm. What was Mr. Cameron wearing on his wrist? Mere humans only get regular Rolex Deepsea watches.

If the robotic arm had robot eyes then it would likely have been able to see the dial in the murky depths. Rolex uses their very nice CHROMALIGHT lume in blue for the dial, which is surrounded by a massive chapter ring (and we thought it was big on the regular Deepsea). The bezel insert is ceramic, done in Rolex's proprietary Cerachrom material with platinum colored numerals. For a piece that will likely never be produced in any commercial capacity, Rolex is sure going through a lot of effort to tease people.

The journey of the Deepsea Challenger is interesting and more information can be learned here via the official site. To continue reading about the history of the Rolex Deepsea projects then my friend Jake has chronicled many of the important facts here. By the way, the technology to this point has gotten so good if you think about it. There was so much confidence in this mission that no one ever even thought Mr. Cameron would be in any danger. He was even able to Tweet from 6.8 miles underwater. So why can't I get phone service at 38,000 feet in the air? Thanks to Rolex for keep the dream alive, it is nice to know that they still participate in this stuff.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

No related posts.

Rolex Sky-Dweller Watch

admin — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 08:03:00 +0000

Each year at the Baselworld watch and jewelry show the most anticipated news is what behemoth watch brand Rolex will release. This is a quizzical thing because what Rolex announces is often anything but revolutionary. Still the successful and closed watch brand seems to excite their loyalists with the new creations each year - often times small steps in anticipated directions. Rarely does Rolex offer something totally new - especially a new model or complication. Oddly enough - both of these things happened for 2012.

Rolex typically releases mere line extensions and small features updates (if that). Typical "exciting"announcements include new dial colors, perhaps a new strap, or something offered in a new material. The major new release for 2012 is the Sky-Dewller, an extremely rare new Rolex model, with a new movement, and with a never before seen complication for the modern brand. Say hello to an annual calendar. Rolex sure didn't invent it, but it seems revolutionary when included in one of their watches.

The Sky-Dweller is a mixed bag for watch lovers. On the one hand it offers some true Rolex innovations. A new product family with a new movement, and features that people have been wanting from Rolex for a long time. On the other hand the dial of the Sky-Dweller is... an acquired taste to say the least. The aesthetic problem in my opinion is the large exposed asymmetric GMT disc. It just looks misplaced on a Rolex watch dial. Functional? Perhaps. Sexy and alluring? Not at all. A hand would have sufficed. Just ask any GMT Master. Plus, the hands are a bit too short and too skeletonized for the watch's own good. Lume is too sparse and the skeletonized hands might be more trouble than they are worth.

If you can get over the dial then you have a lot to love. This is not only the first Rolex watch with an annual calendar, but it also includes a centrally mounted GMT hand. All operated with the "Ring Command" bezel. That's right, the Sky-Dweller bezel is part of how you operate and adjust the watch. The crown of the watch only pulls out in one position. The fluted bezel has three positions. You turn it and based on the position you can adjust the date, local time, or reference time via the crown. It is a wonderfully elegant solution that we haven't seen before.

The GMT hand is a disc in the middle of the dial and uses the red and white arrow as an index to tell the reference time. Other Rolex GMT models uses a hand to do this and a scale around the periphery of the watch. The system isn't super attractive, but it is highly functional. Rolex tired to make the transition from the dial to the disc as "luxurious" as possible with the polished ring. Nevertheless, you just can have that exposed dial and the Rolex aesthetic work together nicely in my opinion.

In addition to the GMT complication the Sky-Dweller has an annual calendar system that Rolex calls their SAROS annual calendar. The mechanism offers the date and month. The date is easily seen under the magnifier lens on the sapphire crystal at 3 o'clock. The month is told via darkened rectangles located outside of the hour indicator ring. On these watches you can see that "8 o'clock" is filled in black. That means the current month would be August. Only at the end of February do you need to adjust the calendar. This is the best part of the complication in my opinion. SAROS is a very cool complication, and I think it could find a happy home in the majority of calendar augmented Rolex watches offered today.

SAROS and Ring Command together make for one of the most complicated Rolex watches movements ever. Rolex is known for making extremely high-quality, durable movements, but nevertheless simple ones. Their most complex movements thus far have only been chronographs (not even with the date). An annual calendar GMT is a great traveler's watches, and a good addition to the Rolex line-up. It also signals Rolex's willingness to experiment with new designs and more complicated movements. In about 40 years we might see a Rolex tourbillon at their current rate.

The Sky-Dweller watch name is a curious thing as I don't personally see any connection to the sky or aviation. The name aside, this watch looks like an evolved Date-Just II watch. The Sky-Dweller has the fluted bezel of most Date Just watches and a similar set of hour markers. The case and bracelet is similar as well. The watch itself will be 42mm wide and initially available only in 18k gold.

Inside the Rolex Sky-Dweller is the new Rolex in-house made caliber 9001 automatic movement. The automatic movement has all of the above complications and a three-day power reserve. Rolex being known for their quality standards must have been testing the 9001 movement for a while. I have no doubts that the movement will be top notch for what it is.

42mm wide is a good size for this case. It is up from the 41mm wide Date-Just, though in person the Sky-Dweller doesn't feel all that big. To start Rolex will offer tie Sky-Dweller in three versions - all in gold. This is honestly no surpise as two-tone, and steel versions will come later. To start the Sky-Dweller will be available in 18k white hold, 18k Everose rose gold, or 18k yellow gold. It will come with a matching gold color bracelet or leather strap.

In my opinion Rolex needed more time to build a dial around this interesting complication. With Rolex you expect absolute perfect and consistency. With the Sky-Dweller offers something truly intriguing for Rolex brand lovers, but misses the ball a bit when it comes to offering a truly universally lovely design that the brand is known for. Prices in the middle are about $50,000 perhaps and up for the Rolex Sky-Dweller watch in gold.

White diamond hour marker rolex datejust dial woman
$688.00
Time Remaining: 37m
Buy It Now for only: $688.00
Buy It Now

ROLEX DATEJUST 31MM MID SIZE SS 18K WG UNISEX 178274 RRP 5670
$7,101.20
Time Remaining: 39m
Buy It Now for only: $7,101.20
Buy It Now

Rolex Datejust 36mm 116233 18k SS Oyster NIB 9700
$7,760.00
Time Remaining: 42m
Buy It Now for only: $7,760.00
Buy It Now

STAINLESS STEEL ROLEX GMT II MENS WATCH
$6,800.00
Time Remaining: 46m

Bid now

Rolex Datejust 36mm 116203 18k SS Oyster NIB 9650
$7,720.00
Time Remaining: 46m
Buy It Now for only: $7,720.00
Buy It Now

Rolex Datejust dial
$600.00
Time Remaining: 56m
Buy It Now for only: $600.00
Buy It Now

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Watch What-If: Rolex Submariner

beauhudspeth — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:50:21 +0000

Watch What-Iffed: Rolex Submariner Ref 116610

Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6241 Exotic Dial Watch Available On James List

admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 07:02:55 +0000

The Paul Newman Daytona - next to the Submariner range, this is of the most well-known collectible Rolex watches out there. There is a sort of mythos around the watch given the ambiguous connection to the movie star/pop culture hero, and the extreme fame that the Daytona collection later had. The story of the Paul Newman Daytona is a bit convoluted and complex. There was not just one watch, and Rolex never officially called any piece the Paul Newman Daytona.

Unlike some people out there I am not an expert of Rolex watch history or Rolex collecting. In fact, the high-prices that some Rolex watches fetch at auction make me chuckle. For a better historical observation of the Paul new Daytona I will defer to my friend Jake at RolexMagazine.com. He wrote a nice summary of the Rolex Paul Newman Daytona here.

My favorite part of the Paul Newman Daytona story refers to the indeterminable nature of collecting. People today strive hard to predict what will become a collector's item - and that is really hard to do. When this watch and its kin came out, they were most sales failures. There are a few reasons for this, mostly due to the style and the movement. In the 1960s you had automatic chronographs coming out on the market - and everyone wanted one. So this watch that had a reliable, but manually-wound chronograph wasn't appealing. There is a also a reason the Ref. 6241 has what people call the "Exotic Dial." Few Rolex timepieces have dials with this style and it was a unique design for the brand. Today people generally agree that the look and feel of this (supposedly) race-themed dial is a classic.

Rolex never made that many Paul Newman Daytonas as they didn't sell well. This created rarity, which now translates into value. It was difficult at the time to guess that a watch that couldn't sell would be so desired, but that is the way it went. So if you are trying to predict what pieces today will go up in value? It isn't always a bad idea to find nice, but highly discounted watches that have something a but special to them.

The Paul Newman film Winning had Newman wearing one of these Rolex ref. 6241 watches on the poster. I believe that Newman did not wear the watch in the movie actually, but he did own one and you can see him wearing it around in various pictures taken during his life. He seemed to like it off the bracelet on a sort of bund strap.

Today this Daytona model is among the most popular collectible Rolex watches on the planet. They are very rare and go for big bucks when auctioned. This particular piece available on James List seems to be in excellent condition and was made in 1964. It isn't super large at about 37-38mm wide in steel. I have a feeling that Rolex will come out with an homage dial in the next couple of years to remind us of this classic clean style that still has a bit of avant garde style to it. The post on James List mentions "Price on Request," but I hear from the seller that they will part with it for around $90,000. See the result ofÂ a Sotheby's auction where another Ref. 6241 got 110,500 Swiss Francs (more in dollars) here.

See this Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6241 watch on James List here.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Rolex Oyster Date Mickey Mouse Watch Available On James List

admin — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 07:03:06 +0000

Discovering watches like this is exciting and makes me wonder how the watch world has changed in the last 40 or 50 years. Things really were different back then - take for example Disney working with Rolex to put a classic form of Mickey Mouse on a watch dial. There has been a lot of argument online whether or not these watches are real. Today's Rolex would not likely ever put Mickey Mouse or any character on their watches (though leopard print is a different story). So it makes sense that today's brand devotees are skeptical of these timepieces.

It has been suggested that all Mickey Mouse dialed Rolex watches are fakes. Well not necessarily fake Rolex watches, but rather real ones that have had aftermarket dials placed in the watch.Â There is actually some merit to this argument because aftermarket Mickey Mouse Rolexes do exist. Based on my research however, I would say that it looks very likely that Rolex did have an actual relationship with Disney in mostly the 1960s and 1970s up to the early 1980s. In that time there seems to have been a series of Rolex watches with Mickey on the dial. These appear to be direct homages to the original Ingersoll Mickey Mouse dials.

For this reason Mickey's hands look odd. The original Mickey Mouse watches used his hands as the watch hands. Rolex didn't seem to want to do that, so they used their standard hands and hour markers, but with a nice quality "homage dial" that was meant to remind you of the original Mickey Mouse watches.

Most Mickey Mouse Rolex dials where in Oyster Date and other similar models. Each where in steel and about 35-36mm wide. Back then these would have been men's models. Today they are best for women and children - as well as other avid collectors. I for one think that these are really cool, and a testament to the immense merchandising power that Disney had (and still has to a large degree).

The top pictured model is a Rolex Oyster Date Ref. 6694 watch, and is very indicative of what Disney Rolex watches were like. Most of the base watches with the Mickey Mouse dials are inherently not very collectible, but these special models are quite rare. Rolex didn't want Mickey to be on their most high-end pieces. This model is currently available on James List at a price of $3,500. The others are pictures of similar Rolex Mickey Mouse watches so you can see a bit of the range of models. Prices for these pieces all seem to be under $5,000 today - where you can find them.

For nostalgic purposes or simply as interesting collector's items, these are some pretty interesting and rare Rolex watches that certainly take a lot of the current stuffiness out of the high-end Swiss watch industry. It is also worth noting that during most of Walt Disney's later life he wore Rolex timepieces.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Rolex Daytona Watches For 2011

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:14:41 +0000

In addition to the new Rolex Explorer 2 watch model for 2011, Rolex offers a new range of Daytona watches for men this year at the Baselworld show. 2011 is apparently the 50th anniversary of the Daytona, so we get two types of new models. Rolex is further rumored to released an overhauled Daytona for 2012. Until then we have the more standard looking model that now comes with Rolex's very nice ceramic bezel that they call their "Cerachrom" bezel. The black bezel is a retro-nod to some older Daytona models and is in black ceramic with pink gold numerals applied with an amusing technique call "magnetron cathode sputtering." Yes, more of that please.

The case is 40mm wide and in 18k Rolex Everose pink gold (that is said not to fade). This reference 116515LN will come on a black alligator strap for now. As is Rolex's custom, I anticipate more models of this style coming out in the next few years, including models with a bracelet, Rolesor (two tone), and steel models. As you can see, the watch comes with both white and chocolate dials. There also seems to be the option of Arabic numeral hour markers or baton style hour markers. Hands on the dial are in matching pink gold.

Inside the watch is the same outgoing Rolex made reference 4130 automatic chronograph movement. I believe that if Rolex makes an updated, larger Daytona watch they will fit it with a new movement. Could we see a Rolex Daytona 2 in the coming years? Trends seems to point to a "maybe" on that.

The black ceramic bezel is in line with what the GMT Master and Submariner watches now have. Rolex seems to be enjoying the pristine looking scratch-free material enough to use it in more watches.

Aside from the new ceramic bezeled Daytona there are a few other new styles for 2011 that I think are really handsome. These are Paul Newman Daytona homages that Rolex is giving itself. Again, expect more of these in the upcoming years. My favorite model is in all 18k Everose gold, with a polished bezel and gold dial with black chronograph subsdials and red chronograph seconds hand. How nice is that? And at 40mm in width it isn't huge, but it isn't very small like the real vintage models. This model also comes in a two-tone variant in a similar style but with Arabic hour numerals and a slightly different palette on the dial.

Rolex is hinting here that the Daytona line will see some changes in the coming years. I don't think they will discontinue the 40mm wide model, but I expect a new, larger Daytona with a new movement to come from the house of Rolex soon.

LEATHER STRAP FOR ROLEX DAYTONA WATCH S STEEL L BROWN 7D
$79.95
Time Remaining: 44m
Buy It Now for only: $79.95
Buy It Now

Rolex Daytona Cosmograph manual Booklet Rare from 1994
$49.00
Time Remaining: 1h 20m
Buy It Now for only: $49.00
Buy It Now

Rolex Mens Daytona Cosmograph 116519 18K White Gold Slate Dial Stk ID 37757
$18,500.00
Time Remaining: 1h 47m
Buy It Now for only: $18,500.00
Buy It Now

Rolex Stainless Steel Daytona with Black Dial
$10,250.00
Time Remaining: 1h 49m

Bid now

Rolex Daytona 16528 U 18k Gold Zenith Chronograph
$21,888.00
Time Remaining: 1h 51m
Buy It Now for only: $21,888.00
Buy It Now

Rolex Mens Daytona 116523 V 18k Yellow Gold Steel Rare Blue Dial
$12,450.00
Time Remaining: 2h 3m
Buy It Now for only: $12,450.00
Buy It Now

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Rolex Explorer 2 Watch For 2011

admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:51:56 +0000

For 2011 Rolex offers a new Explorer 2 to follow up last year's new Explorer. While the Explorer was bumped up to 39mm last year, the Explorer 2 is the Rolex sport watch with a modern size of 42mm in width. That is 2mm larger than the Submariner, and it likely wears better than the 43mm wide Submariner Deep Sea. Also new is the return of the orange GMT hand in addition to the Maxi-dial like size of the hands and hour indicators.

In a 42mm wide case, the Explorer 2 is in 904L steel with a mix of polished and brushed surfaces. While known for its white dial, the Explorer 2 now comes with a black dialed version as is traditional for the line - both in lacquer. Contrast on the dial on both models remains excellent, with the signature large orange GMT hand remaining on the dial. Both dials feature "Chromalight" luminant. The hands are all in white gold. I have had arguments with people about Rolex hands being in white gold. While not all of them are, many of the newer Rolex models have white gold hands. Says it right here in the Rolex material!

The case looks great with its steel on steel fixed 24 hour bezel. It is water resistant to 100 meters. Sapphire crystal is double AR coated and has a date magnifier lens. Inside the watch is an in-house made Rolex caliber 3187 COSC Chronometer certified automatic. It has the time, date, and GMT hand - and a 48 hour power reserve. Would have been great to see the watch have the glide-lock clasp of the Submariner, but then the Explorer would encorach on its territory.

It has a steel bracelet with an Oysterlock clasp and Easylink 5mm comfort extension link. Not sure exactly what that is yet, but it sounds like a nice microadjust system. Rolex offers yet another watch we all want. Funny how something like "42mm wide" is enough to get me excited in the Rolex context. This and the new Daytona styles are the big news for Rolex this year - the 36mm wide models are looking smaller and smaller!

ROLEX EXPLORER II 16550 CREAM DIAL AUTOMATIC STEEL 1986
$9,250.00
Time Remaining: 1h 2m
Buy It Now for only: $9,250.00
Buy It Now

Rolex 16570 Explorer II 2 GMT Red Hand 40mm White Dial Great Condition 1996
$3,950.00
Time Remaining: 1h 7m
Buy It Now for only: $3,950.00
Buy It Now

Rolex Explorer II SS Black 16570 WATCH CHEST 40mm
$4,750.00
Time Remaining: 1h 26m
Buy It Now for only: $4,750.00
Buy It Now

Rolex Mens Explorer II 16570 P Steel White Dial Box Papers
$5,195.00
Time Remaining: 2h 4m
Buy It Now for only: $5,195.00
Buy It Now

BRAND NEW ROLEX EXPLORER II New Model 42mm SS 216570 Black Dial
$7,599.00
Time Remaining: 2h 23m
Buy It Now for only: $7,599.00
Buy It Now

ROLEX Stainless Steel 40mm Explorer II Black Index Dial 16570
$4,450.00
Time Remaining: 2h 57m
Buy It Now for only: $4,450.00
Buy It Now

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Rolex Paul Newman Tribute Daytona Watch By Black-Out Concept

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:58:48 +0000

Here is some watch porn for you. Custom watch modifier Black-Out Concept USA is one of a handful of companies that can competently modify Rolex watches. Their newest mod is a limited edition called the Paul Newman Tribute Daytona. Based on a modern steel Rolex Daytona Cosmograph, BOC coats the case with DLC black and customizes the dial to look like one of the famous Paul Newman Daytona watches. I think it looks pretty sweet looking - and Black-Out Concept did a nice job making it Newmanish. Don't forget that original Paul Newman Daytonas are very expensive (and much smaller in size that this one). Price for this limited edition Paul Newman Tribute Daytona watch is $23,000. If you want one or more info contact BOC at the link above or call (857) 204-0837. Don't forget that Black-Out Concept has no relationship with Rolex.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.