Rolex

DrStrong
[Rolex Moderator]
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How about some old Rolex booklets ?

 I love the vintage Rolex goodies : the old ads, boxes, tags, chronometer papers, pamphlets, booklets, etc…To me, they are as collectible as the watches and when I have a chance, I purchase one even if I don’t have the corresponding model in my collection.

The booklets in particular are great reading: like the old ads, they really illustrate what the idea was when Rolex designed a specific model and what this watch represented at the time. Here are some old leaflets and booklets of my collection…
Let’s start with the Submariner, the absolute classic Rolex sports model...(please note the Explorer dial worn by the RN diver on the front page)




The 1960’s booklet of the 5513 is very famous and everyone has seen at least once this picture of a diver with the watch on the wrist: 





  The features of the watch are detailed, it was a revolutionary watch at the time: 660 ft waterproof thanks to the twinlock crown, protective crown guards, etc… 






Its cousin the GMT Master was even more sophisticated




Of course the booklet explains how the time zones work. When you read this, you feel like you are already on a plane: India, Singapore, Venezuela, Liberia,etc …



The booklet explains how to use the 24hrs bezel to read two different times on the watch





Again, the main technical breakthroughs of the watch are detailed and of course the partnership with the Pan Am is emphasized





  The Cosmograph was not really as a best seller as the previous watches I have mentioned, so the booklet is rather rare. The front page leaves no doubt about the kind of toolwatch it’s dealing with…






It explains who might need a chronograph: sailors, pilots, navigators, sports cars enthusiasts, photographers, etc…





And again the watches technical characteristics are fully described as well as the available dial color combinations:





My last booklet of this period is the Day Date ref. 1803. You don’t come across this one very often !




The procedure to set the time and date is described step by step. The 1803 owners know how useful it is ;-)




And again, the main features of the watch are detailed. In case you did not know, the day was available in 18 different languages….an interesting - and challenging - collection theme !







  The 1970’s booklets are quite different than the previous ones. The shape of course, as this time it’s really a booklet. Also the display and content are more “modern”.
The Milgauss booklet is very interesting. I love the photo of the CERN physicist on the front page: it really puts the watch into its technical context





The technical principle of the twinlock crown is explained by a famous sketch:





The Explorer I and II have the same booklet: the famous “mountain” booklet, where the references 1016 and 1655 are both presented and illustrated








Lets’ finish with the 1980’s Daytona booklet, which is really different from the 1960’s version. The Porsche 928 on the front page is the symbol of the modern era sports car.






And the sketch explaining how to use the chronograph is also completely different, probably easier to understand.






I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, feel free to add pictures of your old booklets !





This message has been edited by DrStrong on 2013-08-05 00:13:33

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