Original vintage 1966 Rolex advertisement for the Rolex Datejust, Submariner, and Cosmograph watch models - "When a man has the world's in his hands, you expect to find a Rolex on his wrist"
Dimensions: 10 inches wide by 13.50 inches high.
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust is a self-winding chronometer manufactured by Rolex. Launched in 1945, the Datejust was the first self-winding chronometer wristwatch to indicate the date in a window on the dial. Today, it is available in a variety of sizes from 28mm to 41mm, in stainless steel, two-tone gold, and solid gold versions.
Rolex introduced the original Datejust (Ref. 4467) in 1945 to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary. It was available only in 18 karat yellow gold and had a small bubble back winder with a domed back, and also featured the company's waterproof Oyster case (first introduced in 1926), a fluted bezel, and the new Jubilee bracelet (so named for the occasion).
Over the years, the Datejust saw an expansion of its design options as well as improvements to its movement, from a gradual date change shortly before midnight in the earliest versions to an instantaneous change beginning in 1955. The same date change mechanics and 'Datejust' naming was also used in the Rolex Oysterquartz range.
The Datejust is offered with two Rolex bracelets: the Jubilee and the Oyster. The original Datejust was launched with a case size of 36mm, and subsequently, various sizes including ladies' and mid-sized versions were made available.
The Turn-O-Graph model was introduced in 1955 as an award given to U.S. Air Force pilots returning from combat missions, and featured a rotating bezel marked to 60 minutes, which can be used to measure time intervals. Datejust watches of this type have been nicknamed "Thunderbirds." This watch would form the basis for the Rolex Explorer (designed for Sir Edmund Hillary's Mount Everest expedition), the Rolex Submariner, and the Rolex Sea-Dweller.
And the Rolex Submariner? Do we really need to discuss this legendary dive watch? Well, maybe we will for a second - the Submariner is a line of sports watches designed for diving and manufactured by Rolex. The first Submariner was introduced to the public in 1954 at the Basel Watch Fair, and was the first watch to be waterproof up to 100 metres (330 ft).
The Rolex Submariner is considered "a classic among wristwatches," manufactured by one of the world's most widely recognized luxury brands. Due to its immense popularity, there are numerous homage watches by well-established watchmakers, as well as illegal counterfeits.
Today, the Submariner models are equipped with Rolex Calibres 3230 and 3235, respectively, and feature luminescent hour markers, a unidirectional rotatable bezel with Cerachrom ceramic insert, and a solid-link Oyster bracelet. Also upgraded with time, since the mid-1950s? Contemporary Submariner models underwater diving depth rating is 300 metres (1,000 ft). Impressive, to say the very least.
Of note, in the book version of “American Psycho,” Patrick Bateman owns an unspecified Rolex; however, in the 1991 film adaptation, Bateman (played by Christian Bale) wears a two-tone Seiko 5 that resembles a Rolex Datejust, as Rolex did not want to be associated with the character.