Mention the name Rolex and you will
automatically think of luxury and ultra reliable watches. Considered as
one of the most valuable brands in the world today, the company is the
largest single luxury watch brand. It produces around 2,000 watches
daily and has revenues in the billions of dollars.
Alfred Davis
and Hans Wildorf established Rolex in 1905. Originally based in London,
the company eventually transferred to Geneva in 1919.
Sports
lovers will always see the Rolex sign in tennis grand slam tournaments,
particularly in Wimbledon and in the Australian Open. The brand has been
used in the most extreme of conditions. It went down to 10,916 meters
when Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh dove the depth of the Mariana Trench
in 1960. Both men sported a Rolex Sea Dweller Deep Sea Special at that
time.
It has also gone way up when the chief guide of the Hillary
expedition to the peak of Mount Everest wore the brand in 1953 during
their assault of the world’s highest mountain. Tenzing Norgay, as well
as other members of the team, was sporting Rolex Oysters on their way to
the top, reaching an altitude of 8,848 meters.
The watch is a proven timepiece. Here is a list of the top ten most expensive watches made by Rolex.
1. 1942 Rolex Chronograph – $1.16 million
Only
12 pieces of this 1942 classic were made. Originally estimated to have a
value of around $680 thousand, it went at a Christie’s auction for
$1.16 million. The watch has a nickel finish and lever movement and
silver matte dials. It features 17 jewels and pink gold Arabic and baton
numerals. It also has outer minute divisions, blue telemeter, black
tachymeter scales, two subsidiary dials for constant seconds, a
30-minute register, and a split second chronograph mechanism.
2. Eric Clapton’s 1971 Rolex Daytona - $505,000
Just
like his guitars, Eric Clapton’s watch seems to be highly valued. The
watch features a silver monochrome dial, a stark contrast to the more
common design themes of Rolex that have different schemes. As a result,
the watch was nicknamed Albino. The price of the watch in the market is
around a hundred thousand, but Slowhand himself had worn this one, thus,
the increase in its value.
3. Rolex GMT 116769TBR – $485,350
This
is the most expensive watch that comes directly from Rolex. It features
a wave diamond dial with luminous hour markers. The hands are luminous
as well, though it is lined in black. The bracelet is made of white gold
weighing 18 carats. Along with the sides, it is filled with diamonds.
The self-winding, automatic watch features an Oysterlock clasp and can
go down to 100 meters of water resistance. Even the case and locks are
encrusted with 76 brilliant round diamonds.
4. James Bond 1973 Rolex 5513 – $450,000
The
watch was used in the Roger Moore movie Live and Let Die. It has a
white on black dial, and stainless steel body and strapping. And since
it was used in a James Bond movie, it features a razor disc, buzz saw,
and a magnetic field generator. Bond used the razor disc to remove a
woman’s dress and the magnetic field generator to dodge a bullet. It
sounds cool, but while you may try the watch to take off a woman’s
clothing, you should do the wise thing and not try the bulletproof
feature brought about by the magnetic field.
5. Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s Gold Rolex Oyster – $440,000
The
first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, owned this watch. It was
given to him in 1950 during India’s first ever Republic Day. The watch
features an 18K gold dial with a map of India dated 26 January 1950
inscribed into it.
6. Rolex Platinum Pearlmaster 18956 – $276,000
This
is a special edition watch that measures 39 millimeters. It features a
baguette diamond bezel and bracelet. The dial is made of meteorite
diamond. The double-quick set is made of sapphire crystal and has a
hidden clasp. This watch was released in 2011 and comes with Rolex
books, tags and leather wallet.
7. Paul Newman Ferrari Red Rolex Daytona 6565 – $267,203
Paul
Newman was an American actor who starred in a 1969 movie called
Winning, which was about racecar driving. A book about the actor
released afterwards featured publicity still from the film in which
Newman was wearing a Rolex Daytona. As Ferrari was known for its red
color, Rolex designed a watch based on it. The watch is stainless steel
coated with tritium and comes with a fat strap. It is winded manually
and has 17 jewel components. The dial is 37 millimeters wide and has red
enamel.
8. Steve McQueen 1967 Rolex Submariner – $234,000
Steve
McQueen starred in the 1971 film Le Mans. He sported a Rolex Submariner
that had automatic movement at its center and a COSC-certified
chronometer. It was made of stainless steel and can work up to 200
meters below the water level.
9. Paul Newman Rolex Daytona – $106,273
This
has always been one of the signature watches of the luxury brand. Its
casing and dial are made of 14k champagne gold. The tachometer outside
and the three interior sub dials were all fitted with black enamel to
give the watch a contrast. The round case is 38 millimeters wide, and
features sub dials for seconds, 30 minutes, and 12 hours. The hands are
luminous and the main dial has accents to give it emphasis. The watch
also features 17 jewels in its nickel finished lever movement. Only 200
units were ever built.
10. Rolex Submariner for Cartier – $100,000
Rolex
created a couple of watches that was exclusively sold by Cartier in its
Fifth Avenue shop in New York. The first one was the Double Red Sea
Dweller that sold for $91 thousand. The second is this Submariner that
is sold with matching archive papers and red box from Cartier that
indicates the date of purchase.
How this word is still used as a standard in the English language is astounding. People have been using the word like
so liberally for the last 15 years that it’s become so commonplace no
one even knows when they actually say it. It’s a sixth sense for scores
of slang-tongued hipsters.
Here’s another bit of verbal overkill that has
unfortunately lost its purpose. This once-friendly word has now been
turned into a fallback excuse to tell people you’re not interested in their conversation. A lot of people who can’t listen, or refuse
to listen, will drop this after someone tells a story, gives an
anecdote or makes a comment. “Nice” they’ll respond, as in “OK, I have
nothing to say to that.” The worst part is when the listener uses it as a
means to end the conversation or to indirectly suggest an end to the
current conversation. For this reason, it’s become a form of excuse, and
has now fallen into the realm of overused words -- and is a compliment
no more. . 
