Original vintage mid-1980s Rolex advertisement for the Rolex 1675 GMT-Master watch model, featuring legendary Olympic Gold Medal winner in skiing, Jean-Claude Killy.
Dimensions: Roughly 8 inches wide by 10.75 inches high.
Olympic Skier Jean-Claude Killy
Jean-Claude Killy (born 30 August 1943) is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer, who dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there. He also won the first two World Cup titles, in 1967 and 1968.
Known for his extraordinary style, fearless approach, and great technical ability on the alpine race circuit, Jean-Claude Killy remains a legend to this day. He developed a unique and innovative skiing style focusing on acceleration in carving turns, which continues to influence ski race technique decades later.
Few skiers have left the same legacy on the world of skiing as Jean-Claude Killy. His prowess on the slopes is mirrored in his passion and ability to inspire others off the slopes. Handsome, charismatic, confident - he became an icon of ski style, renowned for looking good in everything from form-fitting lycra, to roll neck jumpers, shearling jackets, and classic 70s mirror-coated sunglasses. Killy defined effortless class.
Killy was born in Saint-Cloud, a suburb of Paris, during the German occupation of World War II, but was brought up in Val-d'Isère in the Alps, where his family had relocated in 1945 following the war. His father, Robert, was a former Spitfire pilot for the Free French, and opened a ski shop in the Savoie village, and would later operate a hotel.
Killy was the first World Cup champion in 1967, winning 12 of 17 races to easily take the overall title. He also won the season standings in each of the three "classic" alpine disciplines; he won all five of the downhill races and four of the five giant slalom races. The following year, Killy won the triple crown of alpine skiing with a sweep of all three Olympic gold medals (downhill, giant slalom, and slalom) at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. By finishing first in all races, he also captured the FIS world championship title in the combined event.
With the Olympic events included (for the only time) in the World Cup standings, Killy easily defended his title in 1968 as the overall champion, placing first in the giant slalom and second in the downhill and slalom season standings. He retired following the 1968 season, and moved to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1969.
“100% always, on everything, yes.”
That was the response to a question during an interview with CNN in 2015. The interviewer wondered why one of the world’s most famous skiers had not been on the slopes since 1988, speculating that perhaps Jean-Claude Killy was either going to be great at what he did, or not do it all.
“It’s very difficult for a skier like me to go up and ski, just nicely, and not seeing my skiing what I would want it to be. I’m 100% always, on everything, yes.”
The Rolex 1675 GMT-Master
As told masterfully by Charlie Dunne, "There’s no other watch like the Rolex GMT-Master reference 1675. 1675s are incomparable to any other watch as the variety of dials and beautiful bezels can be profoundly different across years of production and manner in which they have aged over time. No other Rolex has the distinguishable bezel like a “Pepsi”, and the 1675 has the longest production duration for any Rolex GMT-Master."
"Rolex introduced the GMT-Master in circa 1959 and the reference remained in production until circa 1980. This two-decade period represents a significant portion of the Rolex’s history and is recognized by most watch collectors as the golden era of vintage-sports watches from any manufacturer."
"The story for the GMT-Master begins when Pan American Airways (Pan Am) and another world-renowned aviation company purportedly commissioned Rolex to create a wristwatch suitable for their pilots: one that allowed them to efficiently tell two time zones simultaneously. Pan Am cites their President Juan Trippe had approached Rolex to create a watch for the airline pilots which resulted in the reference 6542."
"Throughout the 1950s to 1970s, Pan Am was regarded as a preeminent airline and became one of the largest international air carriers. T he company took pride in equipping their pilots with the best amenities - the GMT-Master being one of them! Rolex was thrilled to highlight this relationship with Pan Am in marketing materials. It is akin to the way Rolex highlights their relationships with events such as the PGA Championship, Wimbledon, and the Academy Awards. As you can see later in the article, the manufacturer showcased this relationship within advertisements and catalogs for many years."
Tom Sheppard is a legendary icon of overlanding and one of the most accomplished desert explorers in history. With overland projects and many solo, remote region, off-tracks Sahara expeditions to his name, he also led the eight-man, first coast-to-coast Sahara crossing and gravity survey, later recognized by a Royal Geographical Society award.
Sheppard is an exceptional practitioner of the craft, and authored numerous volumes on the subject, including the preeminent reference manual of overlanding, the “Vehicle Dependent Expedition Guide.” Find a great podcast 2023 interview of Shepard, “Expedition Portal: Episode 157 - Tom Sheppard on the Nobility of Wilderness, Crossing the Sahara, and Overlanding the Deserts,” on his 90th birthday, here.