“Every Rolex tells a story”, so goes one of their campaigns. But some Rolexes tell more than others – because of their place in history or in pop culture.
Some of these watches have earned themselves nicknames because of these associations. And a number have been so commonplace among collectors and watch enthusiasts alike that they can be considered “official” even without appearing in the Rolex catalog.
Here are some of the most popular Rolex watch nicknames, and how they came about:
THE PRESIDENT : Rolex President Day-DateIntroduced in 1956, the Rolex Day-Date was nicknamed the “President” after the company gave one to Dwight Eisenhower. It has since graced the wrists of other Presidents such as Ford, Johnson, Nixon, Kennedy, Reagan, and more.
JAMES BOND : Rolex Submariner ref. 6538Sean Connery wore the Submariner ref. 6538 in the James Bond films Dr. No, From Russia with Love,Goldfinger, and Thunderball. The watch is characterized by its oversized crown and lack of crown guards, and was worn by Connery on a striped textile strap.
STEVE MCQUEEN : Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655The watch got its nickname after American actor Steve McQueen whose celebrity Rolex used to boost the sales of this slightly obscure watch in the ’70s. Designed for speleologists, its unique feature is its large, bright orange 24-hour hand.
PAUL NEWMAN : Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref 6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264, or 6265In the ’60s, Rolex produced an “exotic dial” for their Daytona watches, characterized by the art deco font, and 15/30/45/60 numerals on the 9 o’clock subdials. The legendary actor and race car driver was so often seen wearing the model, that it is now more commonly referred to in watch circles as the Paul Newman.
JAMES CAMERON : Rolex Seadweller Deepsea ref. 116660In 2012, director James Cameron worked with Rolex and other companies to design a submersible vessel called the Deepsea Challenger. He piloted it himself and dove 11,000 meters into the Pacific Ocean to record the experience for a new film. The watch was created to commemorate the expedition’s success.
Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi ref. 1675, 16750, 16710, 116719Introduced in 1955, the GMT-Master II was created as a pilot’s watch, and made with a bi-color bezel to help distinguish between day and night hours. The original model had a blue and red bezel, made to match Pan-Am airline’s company colors, and which closely resembled the logo of the popular soda.
ROOTBEER : Rolex GMT-Master ref 1675/3 & 16753In the early ’60s, Rolex introduced a two-tone version of the GMT-Master ref 1657/3 in steel and yellow gold. To complement this mix, they used a brown and gold bezel insert, giving the watch its rootbeer hue. In the ’80s, Rolex launched the GMT-Master II 16753 which also used the rootbeer bezel.
Rolex first used the black and red bezel combination on the first GMT-Master II model. The watch quickly became known as the “Coke” in reference to the soda brand’s colors and in keeping with the GMT-Master II’s soda nickname theme.
BATMAN : GMT-Master II ref. 116710Perhaps the most popular GMT-Master II model offered today, the Batman features a black and blue combination on the Cerachrome ceramic bezel. What makes it special is that when Rolex first introduced the ceramic bezel, it was deemed impossible to produce it in two tones, but they were eventually able to overcome that with the Batman.
HULK : GMT-Master II ref. 116610LV
The Hulk refers to the Green-dial, green-Cerachrom-bezel Submariner launched in 2010, obviously named after the green Marvel Comics fictional hero. It marks the first time that Rolex used any other color other than black and blue on a bezel.
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SEE MORE OF THE WATCHES IN OUR VIDEO:
![Rolex GMT-Master's Many Names | SwissWatchExpo [Rolex Watches]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gojI7mQIYj4/sddefault.jpg)
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PHOTO CREDITS: James Bond “Sub_2s” by Blake Buettner is licensed by CC BY 2.0 / Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona – 6241 by Charlie J is licensed by CC BY 2.0