Robert Mitchum wore Rolex watches for many years of his life. In 1962 he starred in the movie Cape Fear, and as we see below, he was wearing a Rolex. Steve McQueen is known for being the King Of Cool, and some would argue that Robert Mitchum was also the King Of Cool.
Robert Mitchum returned in the 1991 remake of Cape Fear, and in the photo below we see him wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet. Robert Mitchum co-starred in the remake with Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro.
Robert Mitchum is pictured below wearing a stainless steel Rolex Explorer.
Robert Mitchum's enjoyed an amazing career and starred in may famous movies. He is pictured below with Marylyn Monroe.
The video interview below features Robert Mitchum being interviewed by Dick Cavett in 1971, and if you look closely you see Robert Mitchum sporing his Rolex Explorer. I highly recommend watching this complete interview which is amazing!!!
Eagle-eyed Horological Investigator Nick Gould recently stumbled upon a fascinating clue that sheds light on the potential inspiration behind the design language of the Rolex King Midas Watch Model.
One of my greatest passions is unraveling the creative forces that have propelled Rolex to become a master of horological artistry over the centuries. This particular Rolex watch, as depicted in the image below, was meticulously crafted and hand-finished by Suzanne Rohr, a renowned watch painter who later achieved fame in the field.
There is so much we don't know about the watch pictured above, but what he do know is that it's an original design made by Rolex of Geneva, and features blue enamel on 18ct. gold. Suzanne Rohr, the renowned Swiss enameler (born 1939) won the Hans Wilsdorf Prize at the annual competition at the Geneva School of Decorative Arts in 1959 for this design the year she graduated. Suzanne Rohr is regarded as one of the greatest enamelers of the 20th and 21st centeruries, and went on to hand enamel watches for Patek Philippe for decades, which often took here 1-2 years to complete, many of which can be seen today in the amazing Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.
1962 Rolex King Midas Debut
The watch Rolex made in 1959 that is pictured above shares the same silhouette, and overall shape as the Rolex King Midas which is pictured below in a Rolex Magazine ad from 1962 introducing this new family of Rolex models which included the King Midas, Queen Midas, and Princess Midas.
Kings and Queens
Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf, and his right-hand-man and Rolex marketing director, René-Paul Jeanneret were seemingly obsessed with Royalty and all things regal. Rolex introduced the Rolex Datejust in 1945, which remains arguably the greatest Rolex archetype, and a decade later, in 1955, transcended its design by introducing the Rolex Day-Date.
Overall, both the Datejust and Day-Date were grand slam hits, and René-Paul Jeanneret wanted to top it, and thus in 1962 Rolex introduced the King Midas Collection, which began as a limited edition series, which is pictured below. The King Midas was the heaviest Rolex gold watch ever made to date, and its design language featured a late art-deco style know as populuxe.
Elvis Presley
The King of Rock n' Roll
While the King Midas was popular and successful and served as the genesis for Rolex's later Cellini line, it didn't really transcend time, and was later discontinued, but there were a number of famous people who wore them, including Elvis Presley, who is pictured below holding his Rolex King Midas. Legendary cowboy actor, John Wayne, also rocked a Rolex King Midas.
The exclusive image below was taken at Graceland of Elvis Presley's King Midas, and I published it decades ago.
Ella Fitzgerald
The First Lady of Song
& Queen of Jazz
Legendary singer, Ella Fitzgerald wore a Queen Midas which is pictured below on her wrist. Lady Ella arguably has the most beautiful female singing voice ever recorded.
Ella Fitzgerald can be seen below in her full concert recorded live at Montreux in 1969, rocking her Rolex Queen Midas:
Speaking of beautiful female voices and singers, since it's Valentines Day today, and despite the fact that I'm not big on Hallmark holidays, I figured I would wander off the reservation and share some really beautiful songs with you, starting with this more recent edition of Joni Mitchell classic late 1960s song titled, Both Sides Now:
Lorenzo Belliini took this superb photo of his incredibly cool vintage Rolex Submariner [Reference 5508]. This fantastic and rare 5508 has four lines and a shiny gilt dial. So Cool!!!
Speaking of Submariner being the watch for Super Bowl Champions I recently discovered this 1982 Rolex Magazine Super Bowl Submariner ad, which is very cool and interesting. So while it's true history doesn't repeat itself, it sure does rhyme. For some reason the term "The Breakfast of Champions" keeps popping into my mind, which makes be think of saying "The Watch of Champions"...
1982 49ers Super Bowl Submariner Rolex Magazine ad
At a record of 520 metres deep, the Sea-Dweller is still in its element
At a record of 520 metres deep, the Sea-Dweller is still in its element.
The Comex divers have once more forced forward the frontiers of the impossible. Diving off Marseilles, a six-man team spent eight days performing complex underwater tasks at the unprecedented depth of 520 metres.
An astonishing breathing mixture, hydraliox, made it possible for them to live and operate at such inhuman depths. Hydraliox is a combination of hydrogen, helium and oxygen. It gives divers complete freedom of movement with minds unimpaired by pressure effects.
The Comex operation, known as Hydra VIII, is a world record, comparable in its own way to man's first moon landing. It has created huge possibilities for research.
Tomorrow, thanks to the divers' determination and skill, men will descend even deeper, to repair oil rigs and explore the ocean floor.
Beneath the pressure of over 500 metres of water, there is a ceaseless need for precision. At such astonishing depths divers must depend on something rather more than a mere watch. They need a veritable measuring instrument: the Rolex Sea-Dweller.
Like Comex divers themselves, the Sea-Dweller is strong, precise and reliable. Guaranteed water-proof to 1,200 metres, it withstands the enormous pressures as well as decompression upon surfacing. This is ensured by a patented Rolex invention.
Men still have another 680 metres to descend before they rival the Rolex Sea-Dweller. But then, divers–even the most skilled–are always in an alien element. The Sea-Dweller is not.
This macro shot of a Rolex Day-Date is just AMAZING!!! The color combination of a rainforest green starburst dial with raised yellow gold roman numerals is stunning.
You have to give credit, where credit is due, and in this case, Rolex really did an incredible job in designing the 40MM Rolex Day-Date, which was scaled perfectly from the original 36MM model.
Rolex and the NFL (National Football League) have a great deal in common, as their highly iconic histories have intersected for over a century, and they both represent superlative principles coupled with a timeless appeal and perpetual drive for excellence. You can kind of think of this article as Jake's Rolex World's Hall of Fame for Football as I attempt to encompass and chronicle this fascinating history...
Precision timing is EVERYTHING in Football—as it is in life. Rolex watches and American Football share many characteristics including the fact they are big, bold, burly, classic, tribal, universally loved and completely alpha...
Let's start with this 1982 Sidney Mobell Super Bowl Submariner Rolex Magazine ad I recently discovered saying that he "was commissioned to design a special commemorative Super Bowl wrist watch for the World Champion 49ers". I have never seen one of these commemorative Submariner models, but would love to as they seem fascinating:
1982 49ers Super Bowl Submariner Rolex Magazine ad
It's that time of the year again—time for Super Bowl Sunday, so let's hop in the Rolex Time Machine and go back to take a look at some of the greatest coaches and players in NFL history—all wearing their trusted Rolex watches.
1983 Rolex "Orange Hand" Explorer II [Reference 1655] Football Magazine AD
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
SBL LX
The Seattle Seahawks faced off against the New England Patriots in the 60th Super Bowl, played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday, February 8, 2026. The Seattle Seahawks destroyed the New England Patriots and I couldn't help but notice Mike MacDonald, the head coach of the Seahawks was rocking a Rolex Submariner as seen below.
Tale of Two Mike's
New England Patriot's head coach, Mike Vrabel was also rocking a Rolex, as a matter of fact he was wearing a rare Yacht-Master II, as seen below on his wrist. Mike is a former linebacker who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, most notably with the Patriots.
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
SBL LIX
The Philadelphia Eagles badly beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the LIX Super Bowl. Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback, Jalen Hurts has an amazing collection of Rolex watches, which makes sense as he has plenty of cake as he signed a 5 year contract for $255 Million.
Of course, there are Rolex watches everywhere at the 2025 Super Bowl. Watching the pre-game show, I noticed Legendary NFL star, Michael Strahan rocking his gold Rainbow Daytona which Rolex introduced at Basel World in 2018:
President Trump showed up in New Orleans today to become the first U.S. President in history to attend a Super Bowl game, and this was after he flew over the former Gulf of Mexico, on Air Force 1, and announced the United States was formally changing the name to The Gulf of America:
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
SBLVIII
This years Super Bowl LVIII was played in Las Vegas, Nevada at Allegiant Stadium between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last years Super Bowl went into overtime as the Kansas City Chiefs not only won but also won the following year. It's was the third Super Bowl the Kansas City Chiefs won in the last five years.
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs
Rolex Fanatic
Patrick Mahomes is the lead quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, and not only won Super Bowl LVIII last year, but has formerly been a Super Bowl Champion twice (LIV, LVII). He was also the MVP for both of those Super Bowls, and Mahomes is back again for the 2025 Super Bowl.
Last years Super Bowl represented Mahomes 4th appearance in the past 5 Super Bowls and in Patrick Mahoney words "Is the start of a football dynasty!!!" Despite being only 28 years old, Patrick has excellent taste coupled with a huge Rolex collection that contains many, many Rolex models.
In the photo above we see Patrick Mahomes rocking his Everose Yacht-Master on an OysterFlex bracelet.
In the photo below we see Patrick Mahomes rocking his yellow gold rainbow Daytona.
In the image below we see Patrick Mahomes rocking his BLNR Rolex GMT-Master, which is just one of many Rolex watches he owns and wears. From what I can tell, Patrick seems to own and wear just about every Rolex model made.
"When a man has a world in his hands, you expect to find a Rolex on his wrist."
Kansas City Chiefs visited the White House in June of 2023 to celebrate winning Super Bowl LVII, and notice both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are ironically wearing Rolex Day-Date models on Rolex President bracelets with President Biden, who wears a Rolex Datejust.
What do NFL Champions who earned a Super Bowl Championship ring have in common with Rolex watches? They both represent timeless iconic international marks of success and achievement!
Kansas City Chiefs NFL Champions, Travis Kelce & Patrick Mahomes
both rock Rolex watches and Super Bowl Championship Rings
Travis Kelce is the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and not only does he have excellent taste in Rolex watches as witnessed by the yellow gold Rolex Day-Date he is wearing in the photo above with Patrick Mahomes, but he is also dating the gorgeously talented singer, Taylor Swift, and his crowning achievement of Super Bowl may have been the kiss he stole after having won the Super Bowl!!!!
I have an interesting personal observation. I remember when I was a child, my father Jake Ehrlich Jr., was an NFL football fanatic. I mean he LOVED watching football, and with my uncle Harry, the two of them would drink Coors beer, and watch Monday night football, and scream at the TV set for a couple of hours, then retreat back into the more silent world of their families.
I remember how when I was a kid, how professional football players looked so old to me. Then when I got older, they were suddenly the same age I was. Today, it trips me out as I could not help but notice that both quarterbacks playing in the Super Bowl are each less than half my age!?!! I don't mean to belittle them in any way, but they look like little kids throwing around the football to me. —Such is life :-0
Super Bowl Commercials
Many people watch the Super Bowl just for the awesome commercials last year we saw one that included Rolex Coolness and the greatest quarterback in history, Tom Brady rocking his stainless steel Rolex Submariner in a commercial for MGM:
Next up we see Rolex Hotness, Jennifer Aniston rocking her trademark yellow gold Rolex Day-Date:
Kansas City Chiefs Owner, Sports Legend, League Founder
Meet the man who coined the term 'Super Bowl'
The late Lamar Hunt was mentioned numerous times during Super Bowl LVII & LV and during America's biggest game of the year, as the team he founded played at the Super Bowl LVII for just the third time in 50 years.
Lamar Hunt is America’s super sixties’ serial sports franchiser and league founder. Raised in Texas, he turned down his dad's offer to join him in the highly lucrative oil business and got into sports instead. He would launch the American Football League, the World Championship Tennis, the North American Soccer League, the Chicago Bulls and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Man Who Coined the Term "Super Bowl"
In 1966, Lamar Hunt was negotiating an AFL-NFL merger with then NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle. Rozelle and Hunt agreed that the victors in each league would play each other.
At one point Hunt said, "No, not those games—the one I mean is the final game. You know, the Super Bowl." He said it probably registered in his head because his daughter, Sharron, and his son, Lamar Jr., had a children’s toy called a Super Ball.
"And I probably interchanged the phonetics of 'bowl' and 'ball,'" —he would later recount.
Above, a 1979 Rolex ad featuring Lamar Hunt's Day-Date in yellow gold.
In July 1966, Lamar Hunt wrote to Rozelle, "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon." Later on, Hunt proposed adding the Roman Numerals to give the games "more dignity."
Lamar Hunt passed away in 2006 at the age of 74. His team, the Kansas City Chiefs finally made it to the Super Bowl in 2020 and retuned in 2021. He would be proud.
Troy Aikman—the former quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, Pro Football Hall of Famer and MVP with three Super Bowl victories—paid tribute to Lamar Hunt on Instagram several years ago:
Lamar Hunt Jr. followed in his dad's footsteps also works in the sports business. He owns Kansas City's professional hockey team, the Mavericks. With a Rolex on his wrist.
Jim Nantz
The Voice of The Super Bowl
ROLEX Datejust
American sportscaster Jim Nantz, is considered to be the modern voice of Super Bowl commentating and will be the lead commentator this year at the 2024 Super Bowl and as we see he wears a yellow gold Rolex Datejust.
Tom Landry (pictured above and below) began his professional athletic career as a football player for the New York Yankees in 1949. From 1950 to 1955 he played for the New York Giants. He became a coach for the Giants and seven with them from 1954-1959. He then went on to become the head coach of his beloved Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988. Tom Landry was best know for his trademark Fedora, and Rolex Day-Date...
Tom Landry won two Super Bowl titles (VI, XII), as well as five NFC titles, and 13 Divisional titles. He is record makes him the third-winningest coach in Football with a 270-178-6 record. From 1966 to 1885 he had 20 consecutive winning seasons.
Tom Landry is pictured below with fellow Green Bay Packers football coaching legend, Vincent Lombardi.
Jimmy Johnson
DALLAS COWBOYSCOACH
ROLEX DAY-DATE
Since we are on the subject of Dallas Cowboy coaching, I thought I would point out that one of Tom Landry's successors also wears a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, and that is Jimmy Johnson.
Jimmy Johnson won the Super Bowl twice, just like Tom Landry did. Johnson won Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII. In the photos above and below we see Dallas Cowboys Head Coach (1989-1993), Jimmy Johnson wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.
For some reason, in Texas some people refer to Rolex watches as a TEXAS TIMEX, since Rolex watches are so commonly worn in Texas.
Jimmy Johnson is pictured below with Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones.
Don Shula
Miami DolphinsHead Coach
ROLEX DAY-DATE
Don Shula is best known as the head coach for the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995, which he lead to two Super Bowl victories.
He is also the ONLY coach in NFL history to have a perfect season. He was also the Head Coach for for the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1969. During his career he led his teams to six Super Bowls...
In the photo below we see Don Shula with former Miami Dolphins Quarterback Bob Griese waving to a crowd and notice the are both wearing Rolex Day-Date models on President Bracelets...This photo was taken on December 16, 2007 which was the 35th anniversary of their 1972 undefeated season, and this image appears courtesy of J. Pat Carter.
The photo below from Super Bowl VII shows quarterback Bob Griese passing against the Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Some consider Griese to be the greatest quarterback in history as he is the only one to have an undefeated season...
Bill Walsh
49ERSHead Coach
ROLEX DAY-DATE OYSTER QUARTZ
Bill Walsh is considered to be one of the best NFL Head Coaches in history with an amazing career achievement with the 49ers of 102-63-1. H won 10 of his postseason games along with 6 division titles, along with three NFC Championship tiles. He also won the Super Bowl three times with the 49ers, in 1981, 1984 and 1988.
Bill Walsh is pictured below with 49ers Quarterback, Joe Montana, and 49ers owner, Eddie DeBartola Jr. holding the Super Bowl Trophy on January 20, 1985 when the 49ers prevailed over the Miami Dolphins.
Speaking of prevailing, one of the funniest things I have heard was somebody sarcastically say:
"Hurray, the sports franchise located close to my physical location emerged victorious against one further away from me!" ;-)
Mike Ditka
DA BEARS, DA BULLS
Mike Ditka is another famous NFL coach. In the photo below we see Mike Ditka when he was an assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys, where he served under the legendary Tom Landry.
ROLEX TRIDORDAY-DATE
In the photo below we see Mike Ditka wearing a Rolex Tridor Day-Date. The Rolex Tridor looked like a two-tone Datejust had a baby with a Rolex Day-Date. Mike Ditka was the Head Coach for the Bears when they won Super Bowl XX.
The photo below shows Bill Walsh giving Mike Ditka a congratulatory hug after winning against the 49ers on October 13, 1985, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
In the next three photos, we see the legendary football player, Walter Payton in photos from Sports Illustrated. In this first photo, Payton is shaking hands with Mike Ditka on August 22, 1997, in Chicago. Ditka had coached Payton when he played for the Chicago Bears.
Walter Payton is pictured below on May 8, 1984, next to Chicago Bears President Mike McCaskey at a press conference where Walter Payton signed a contract extension for 3 years to continue playing with the Bears.
In 1984 before signing the extension contract he had rushed for an amazing career high of 1,684 yards. Notice Walter Payton is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date in the photo below.
Super Bowl Champion Walter Payton was a running back for the Chicago Bears where he spent his entire career from 1975 to 1987. His nickname was Sweetness as he was such an amazing rusher. Mike Ditka said that Payton was the greatest football player he had ever seen but was an even greater human being. Payton rushed for a total career record of 16,726 yards.
John Madden
Oakland Raider Coach
Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date
John Madden was the head coach for the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, where he coached them to win the Super Bowl.
John Madden had an aversion to flying on airplanes so he had a decked out custom bus. The Sports Illustrated photo below from 1990 shows John Madden traveling on his bus from Oakland to Manhattan, which took 55 hours and covered 3,016 miles. Notice Madden is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.
John Madden is perhaps best known for his career as an NFL broadcaster, where he was an analyst for all four major TV networks including CBS (1979-1993), Fox (1994-2001), ABC (2002-2005), and NBC (2006-2009). In the photo below we see John Madden with his co anouncer Pat Summerall, while Madden was with CBS, and notice they are both wearing Rolex watches. Summerall is wearing a two-tone Rolex Datejust and Madden is wearing his yellow gold Rolex Day-Date.
Tom Coughlin
2012 Super Bowl Winning Coach
Stainless Steel Submariner
Next up we see New York Giants Head Coach, Tom Coughlin holding up the 2012 Super Bowl XLVI trophy, and we get a clear shot of his Rolex Submariner. He won the Super Bowl with Giants twice, with XLII and XLVI.
The photos of New York Giants Head Coach, Tom Coughlin show him holding up the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy.
Rex Ryan
New York Jets Coach
Stainless Steel Submariner
Next up we see New York Jets Head Coach, Rex Ryan who appears on the cover of September 12, 2010, New York Times Magazine, wearing his Rolex Datejust.
Joe Namath
New York Jets
Super Bowl Champion (III)
Joe Namath is considered to be one of the great NFL quarterbacks and he won not only won Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969, but was also the MVP. Joe Namath wears a two tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet as seen below.
Troy Aikman
Dallas Cowboy's Quarterback
3 Times Super Bowl Champion
Troy Aikman is retired from the NFL and works for Fox Sports. He commented live for Super Bowl LIV several years ago with a Rolex Daytona on his wrist.
Troy Aikman is considered to be one of the great quarterbacks in NFL History as he won three Super Bowls in 1992, 1993 and 1995.
Mark Sanchez
Ceramic LV Submariner
Cover of GQ Magazine, August 2011
I am including the cover of GQ Magazine photo of Mark Sanchez rocking his LV Submariner as it's one of the coolest images of an NFL Quarterback wearing a Rolex. Mark Sanchez began his NFL career in 2009, when he played for the New York Jets, then went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles (2014-2015), Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys (2016), Chicago Bears (2017) and ended his career with the Washington Redskins (2018).
Michael Strahan
A Brilliant Career
With Rolex Keeping His Time
Michael Strahan is one of the coolest dudes who has ever worn a Rolex. Strahan began his career as a defensive end in the NFL and holds the record for the most sacks in a season (2001), when he played for the New York Giants and helped take them to the Super Bowl that same year.
Strahan played for the Giants for 14 years, from 1993 to 2007. The photo below was taken just after Strahan broke the record for most sacks in a season. Strahan is a Rolex fanatic and wears many, many different Rolex models.
Tom Brady
The Greatest Quarterback In History
Tom Brady wins 2019 Superbowl. Image appears courtesy of Getty Images Ronald Martinez Six Time Super Bowl Winner!!!!!!
In the 2019 Super Bowl Tom Brady stepped into history to become the first quarterback in history to shatter the record to win 6 Super Bowls. Keep in mind this was after he set the all time record to become the first quarterback to win 5 Super Bowls. This is likely a record that will NEVER be broken again by anybody, expect perhaps Tom Brady himself.
Pictured above we see Tom Brady in Super-bowl 50. It was the first Super Bowl in 50 years of history that went into overtime, and in the most dramatic fashion, the New England Patriots pulled off what could easily be called a miracle.
Rolex Day-Date
Tom Brady is pictured below wearing his Rolex Day-Date on a President Bracelet.
Rolex Milgauss
Tom Brady is pictured below wearing his 50th Anniversary GV Rolex Milgauss, which has the classic green sapphire crystal and orange lighting-bolt hand.
In the photos above Tom Brady is wearing his 50th Anniversary GV Rolex Milgauss on a Rolex Oyster Bracelet, and in the photo below from a GQ photo shoot, he is wearing his Milgauss on a black alligator strap.
The photo below is of a 50th Anniversary Rolex Milgauss which is the same model Tom Brady is wearing in the photos above. It is an unusual looking watch in the sense it has a bright Kelly green sapphire crystal coupled with an orange lightning bolt second hand.
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
