Is there any athlete in the world whose endurance and strength of character reflect the quality of a Rolex watch than seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong? A Rolex connoisseur with a preference for both the Rolex GMT Master II and the stainless steel Rolex Daytona, Armstrong has overcome testicular cancer not only to return to cycling, but also to embrace fatherhood again. Before Christmas, Armstrong happily announced to the press that his beautiful girlfriend Anna Hansen is pregnant. Armstrong told the Associated Press, “Anna and I are thrilled to confirm that we are expecting in June. We are very much looking forward to what 2009 brings on many fronts.� A Program Manager for First Descents, Anna Hansen loves nothing more than being outdoors on her mountain bike. As ideal as Armstrong’s connection is with Rolex watches, his relationship with Hansen appears to be an rare example of perfection.

After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996 that had spread to his lungs and brain, Lance Armstrong was given less than a 50% chance of survival by his doctors. Facing the challenge of his disease with the endurance and fortitude of a Rolex watch, Armstrong survived surgery and several brutal cycles of chemotherapy. Armstrong and his former wife Kristin had three children using in vitro fertilization with sperm he had banked before his chemotherapy. Amazingly, Armstrong returned to win the Tour De France seven straight times until he retired in 2005. Astounding the world once again, Armstrong announced in 2008 not only his return to competitive cycling, but also the coming arrival of a new child through the means of a natural conception. After relationships with Sheryl Crow and Kate Hudson, Armstrong has found happiness with Hansen. The question now is whether he can find the fortitude to win an eight Tour de France in 2009.

Although Armstrong often wears a stainless steel Rolex Daytona, his favorite Rolex watch always has been the Rolex GMT Master II.The 50th anniversary edition of the GMT Master II was revealed at BaselWorld 2006. This new model features a number of technical enhancements, such as Rolex’s patented Parachrom hairspring as well as a larger Triplock crown. The new model also has several cosmetic improvements such as larger hands and a new bezel made of an extremely hard ceramic material, which greatly resists damage and discoloration.

With his decision to enter the Giro d’Italia and return to competitive cycling, Lance Armstrong received a warm reception from the Italian cycling community. Perhaps nobody in Italy has a closer bond with Armstrong than Ivan Basso, who still recalls how the American took time away from the pursuit of his 2004 Tour de France victory to help Basso’s mother fight cancer. Rolex always has been a company that has shown a balance between technical genius and philanthropy. Lance Armstrong truly reflects the best of Rolex in both his personal and professional lives.

Singer-songwriter Mark McGrath of the hit band Sugar Ray is so passionate about his Rolex Submariner that he had the Rolex logo tattooed on his back. The former host of Extra TV from 2002 to 2008 and a guest judge on American Idol, Mark McGrath is a Hollywood party boy who truly enjoys the fruits of his fame. Whenever he is out on the town in Los Angeles, hitting the hottest clubs and the most exclusive parties, he is always wearing his Rolex Kermit. The Rolex Anniversary Submariner (16610LV) is known as the Rolex Kermit. In 2003, Rolex released the 50-year commemorative model with a unique green bezel and a redesigned dial. This popular model is the watch that Mark McGrath favors, although he also has been seen with a Rolex Datejust and a Rolex Explorer.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner is a line of watches manufactured by Rolex, designed for diving and known for their resistance to water. The first Submariner was introduced to the public in 1954 at the Swiss Watch Fair. Copied by other watchmakers, the Rolex Submariner is recognized as a classic, and one of the most widely recognized luxury products in the world. The luminous triangle at the 12 o’clock position on the Submariner was initially intended to be red, but red turns out to be the first wavelength to be lost underwater. As a result, the initial Rolex testers asked that it be made white instead. The codename for the Submariner while under development was Frogman. Thor Heyerdal, the Norwegian anthropologist, wore a Rolex Submariner in his 1970 Ra II sea expedition. Initially waterproof to 100 meters, the depth rating was increased to 200 meters in 1954, then to 300 meters in 1979. The first Submariner with a date complication was launched in 1969, along with the first gold model. In 1979, the Plexiglas crystal was replaced with the synthetic sapphire crystal still used today.

Still, no matter how impressive the Rolex Submariner is to both deep-sea divers and watch enthusiasts, Mark McGrath has taken his love of the Rolex Submariner to the next level. McGrath is very proud of his Irish heritage and displays it by sporting a four-leaf clover tattoo on his right wrist. Keeping with the Irish-green theme on his left wrist, is a Rolex “Kermit” Submariner. As a well-known celebrity tracker wrote about celebrities and luxury watches, “You devote the majority of your life creating some beautiful and mechanically significant piece of art - and then a public figure is photographed wearing your product. It has to make you feel good about your work. In the case of Mark McGrath, the lead signer of Sugar Ray, he is such a Patron of the Rolex brand that not only does he diligently wear his Rolex Kermit everywhere he goes - He had the brand logo tattooed on the side of his body…Talk about great advertising!â€� When it comes to Rolex watches and the dedication of Rolex enthusiasts, nothing really seems all that surprising.

There is no question that superstar actor Brad Pitt loves Rolex watches. He wears them in his movies, like the Ocean Trilogy and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and he wears Rolex watches in his private life. Brad Pitt, however, has a sexy secret, and it has nothing to do with Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston. For several years, Brad Pitt appeared in Rolex Advertisements in Japan for the luxury goods company, Evance. These print and video spots, splashed across billboards and constantly running on television in the Japanese market, are nothing like his American and European fans have ever seen before. Showing Brad Pitt lying in bed half-naked, gazing at his Rolex Explorer like a satisfied lover, the Rolex advertisements quite simply would blow his adoring female fans away. In the print ads, Pitt looks like a rugged playboy as he lies in bed, wearing only his Rolex Daytona. With the opening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Christmas day and his nomination for several top acting awards (still waiting on the Oscar nods in January), Pitt wants nothing more than to be taken seriously as an actor. And Brad Pitt is a serious actor, but his advertising work for Rolex reveals the inherent sex symbol lingering within.

Brad Pitt and Rolex watches intimately have been connected with each other for many years. The actor particularly has been known to be close, on both a professional and private level, with the Rolex Daytona. Commenting on the rarity of these ultra-popular Rolex watches, a South African newspaper pointed out: “Annual production of Rolexes is limited to an estimated 750,000 watches. The waiting list for the stainless steel Daytona runs up to five years. Demand for the prestigious Swiss timepieces - with the crown imprimatur - always exceeded the supply. Rolex cachet is such that during World War II, a German mountaineer pursued by British soldiers in India partially financed his escape by selling his watch to a remote Himalayan villager. That story is told in the Sony Pictures movie “Seven Years in Tibet,” starring Brad Pitt.â€�

Beyond this professional connection, Brad Pitt has been seen wearing a Rolex Daytona in his private life and recently he sold one of his Daytona’s online. On a major online auction site, the following posting ran with an embedded link in the article that revealed a picture of Brad Pitt: “The steel Daytona needs no introduction, if you are viewing this piece you know what you are looking for. This 2004-2005 piece is in pristine condition, featuring the white dial. We purchased this timepiece from a large Hollywood dealer who supplies watches to the top movie stars. While confidential in nature, it does come with the Rolex paperwork indicating the identity of such owner. These stars trade their watches in often for brand new models (why put it in your closet when you can just get a new one, right?)�

Brad Pitt is a huge movie star and a talented actor with a private life plagued by the paparazzi, particularly given his marriage to fellow superstar Angelina Jolie. Nothing is bigger in the Western popular culture bubble than Brangelina. Beyond this given reality, Brad Pitt is not only a major Rolex watch owner, but he sold the watches as a pitchman in Japan. And those advertisements reveal a truly sexy secret: the dashing and rugged Brad Pitt that every woman in this country has been longing to see.

In Stephen Sodebergh’s new film Che, Academy Award winning actor Benicio del Toro wears a Rolex to accurately portray Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che� Guevara. Over four hours in length, Che combines two films, Che Part 1: The Argentine and Che Part 2: Guerrilla, into one massive epic. Che wore a Rolex GMT Master, and the actor wears the same classic Rolex watch in the film. Previously, Benicio Del Toro and Stephen Sodebergh teamed up to make Traffic, and they both walked away with Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Best Director, respectively. As for the watch, Rolex launched the GMT Master in 1954 to aid pilots who travel through multiple time zones.

In the extreme left wing and somewhat revolutionary community online, the fact that Che wore a Rolex GMT Master continues to elicit vigorous debates on whether the revolutionary sold his soul for a Rolex watch. As an anonymous revolutionary writes in defense of Che on revleft.com: “Rolex was one of the only watches known for their ability to keep accurate time, with little worry of breakdown…. The fact that Che wore a Rolex (a GMT Master) merely indicates that he had a need for a quality watch that told accurate time.� Even a revolutionary understands that no watch in world compares to a Rolex when it comes to quality and precision. According to legend, Che received the watch as a present and eventually donated the gold band to charity. In pictures of Che, the jubilee bracelet on his Rolex GMT Master remains in place. It makes perfect sense that Che would wear a Rolex GMT Master while fighting in the jungles of South America. Such violent struggles demand nothing less than perfect timing for both attacks and secret gatherings.

Unfortunately, Ernesto “Cheâ€� Guevara’s struggle for victory in Bolivia came to a bitter end when he was captured and executed in 1967. Che allegedly said to his executioner, “I know you’ve come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man.” At the end, Che was interrogated and executed by Felix Rodriguez who cut off Che’s hands for proper identification for the CIA. Before performing this gruesome deed, Rodriguez took Che’s Rolex GMT Master and placed the watch on his own wrist. In ensuing years, the executioner proudly would show-off the Rolex watch to reporters and onlookers. Such a legendary Rolex should not have ended up as a souvenir of an assassin. Luckily, actor Benicio Del Toro and director Stephen Sodebergh in their new epic film, Che, revive Che’s memory and the true legacy of his Rolex GMT Master. Che’s stylized visage can now be seen on multiple t-shirts and posters around the world, as he has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol worldwide. In addition, everyone should remember that Che Guevara was smart enough to wear a Rolex GMT Master when his struggle and his life were on the line because even a Revolutionary knows the value of a Rolex.

Continuing the support it has given since 2003, Rolex underwrote the entire cost of the Rita Hayworth Gala for the Alzheimer’s Association, which took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Attendees at this year’s event included Dan Ackyroyd, Ivana Trump, Bryant Gumbel and Deborah Norville. Since 2008 marked the 25^th anniversary of the gala, which was started by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan to honor the memory of her mother, actress Rita Hayworth, the star-studded event was nothing less than inspiring in 2008. With no expense spared with the support of Rolex, the party raised millions of dollars. Since its inception, the Rita Hayworth Gala has succeeded in raising more than $50 million for the research and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Since Rolex has joined the team in 2003, the event has become one of the most profitable charitable nights of the calendar year.

Since the very beginning, Rolex has been known as a creator of luxury watches of the highest quality and precision, setting both endurance and performance records. Side by side with the very best watches, Rolex also has supported philanthropic causes since day one. In World War II, Hans Wilsdorf replaced the Rolex watches that had been stolen from British prisoners of war, allowing them to defer the cost until after the conflict. Wilsdorf had a entrepreneurial vision in both the business and the philanthropic worlds, believing his company could make the very best watches while helping to support charities and causes across the globe. Upon the death of his wife in 1944, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wildorf Foundation in which he left all of his Rolex shares. The establishment of the foundation would guarantee that a good percentage of the company’s future income would go to charity. The company is still owned by a private trust, and shares are not traded on any stock exchange. As a result, Rolex is a huge supporter of philanthropic events and charities.

The decision by Rolex to continue to underwrite the Rita Hayworth Gala in order to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association is a perfect example of Wilsdorf’s vision coming true. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan experienced the pain of the disease when her mother, one of the most celebrated stars of the 1940s, experienced an onset of Alzheimer’s disease extremely early in her life. Alzheimer’s Association-funded researchers have made great strides in diagnosis, treatment and interventions. If he were alive today, Hans Wildorf would be proud that Rolex is supporting such a worthy cause. Mind you, he also would be astounded by the continued innovation and quality of Rolex watches.

In an emailed statement on December 20, 2008, Rolex Group, the Swiss watchmaker, named Finance Director and respected ZKB baker Bruno Meier as head of management after Chief Executive Officer Patrick Heiniger resigned. As respected as the Rolex watches the company makes, the resignation of Patrick Heiniger came as a major surprise, ending almost half a century of leadership under the Heiniger family. Heiniger replaced his father Andre in 1992 who was the first executive to lead the company since the brand was created by Hans Wilsdorf in 1908. With Meier’s ascension to the top post, it will be the first time in the history of Rolex that the company has not been run by either Wilsdorf or a member of the Heiniger family.

Rolex invented the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof watch, and the company is renowned for its consistent history of quality and precision. The Rolex Group makes more than 170 models of the Oyster, including the Rolex Day-Date and the Rolex Datejust Presidential models, now and employs 8,000 people. Under the leadership of Patrick Heiniger, Rolex took over the entire manufacturing process of its watches, avoiding any reliance on third-party suppliers. Interbrand Chief Executive Officer Jez Frampton said Rolex has maintained a focus on making the very best in luxury watches, while other brands have ventured have introduced cheaper versions of their products to attract new clientele. “They’ve stuck to their knitting, “ Frampton said, “This is the key for a luxury brand: you can’t sell yourself cheap.�

Although 2008 will have been a record year, according to the Rolex Group, under Heiniger’s leadership, the departing CEO could not escape recent rumors that he had invested the company’s profits in the worldwide ponzi scheme of Bernard Madoff, the American asset manager charged with $50 billion dollar fraud. With a rumored loss of over a billion dollars, Heiniger, 58, stepped down for “personal reasons� to pursue “personal projects�. The company is privately owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, and, according to Interbrand, the Rolex brand is worth about $5 billion.

At ZKB (Swiss Bank Zürcher Kantonalbank), Bruno Meier was head of the Risk Management Unit, which seems appropriate given the risky times the luxury goods market is now entering. Here is the respected executives bio from the ZKB website: “Bruno Meier was appointed Head of the newly created Risk unit and a member of the executive board on 1 April 2008. He has served with ZKB since 1971, having performed a variety of key roles in distribution and risk management. From 2002 until the beginning of 2008, Bruno Meier was responsible for the credit office, where his remit covered credit analysis for the bank as a whole, specialist financing, as well as real estate valuation and consulting.�

Meier will be responsible for running the company along with the board of directors and management, Geneva-based Rolex said in an e-mailed statement today. This year will have been a “record� under Heiniger’s leadership, the watchmaker added that one of Meier’s first tasks will be to protect Rolex’s market share as the wealthy cut spending on luxury goods. The world’s richest people are likely to see the value of their assets shrink for the first time in at least 12 years in 2008, according to a report by Capgemini SA. Weaker spending may cause a drop of as much as 15 percent in Swiss watch exports next year, John Guy, an analyst at MF Global Securities, estimated. “The pain will be shared by all,� wrote Alessandro Migliorini, an analyst at Helvea SA in Geneva. “The shock wave from the financial crisis has finally hit all major markets.� With the end of the Heiniger era coinciding with the worldwide recession, Rolex enters new dangerous waters, which they believe can be navigated precisely by Meier as he raises the sails of continued quality and success at the legendary company.

 

 

Impresario Vince McMahon, the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment and the Czar of professional wrestling in America since the 1980s, presented champion wrestlers Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels with Rolex watches. As Wrestling 101 reported in April of 2008, “Vince McMahon gave Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels Rolex watches. Both watches were inscribed with “24,” with Flair’s saying “To Be the Man,” and HBK’s saying “You Gotta Beat the Man.” Classy move by Vince.â€� Giving the Rolex watches revealed that McMahon could overcome his past resentments and feuds. In November 2001, Ric Flair returned to WWF after an 8-year hiatus saying that he was the co-owner of the WWF. McMahon hated this and said that he was the only owner of the WWF. The two faced each other at Royal Rumble 2002 in a Street Fight, which Flair won. On the June 10, 2002 edition of Raw, McMahon defeated Flair to end the rivalry and become the sole owner of WWE. Moreover, McMahon’s feud with Vince Michaels is legendary, including betrayals, sneak attacks and dirty battles with his son Shawn McMahon. Showing his true pride and glory, McMahon transcended the violent and sordid past with a magnificent gift of two diamond-studded, jewel-encrusted Rolex watches to Flair and Michaels.

Beyond the realm of Vince McMahon, Rolex always has played a strange role in professional wrestling. A Rolex watch has often been a wrestler’s symbol of success and luxury. Naturally, such a symbol becomes a target for the wrestler’s opponent. In the Wrestling Booking Sheet, Michael Cole wrote, “Mankind said he was dominating The Undertaker’s gang when The Rock came in. The Rock said he broke his Rolex for Mankind.â€� Yes, wrestlers have been known to destroy a precious Rolex wristwatch on camera in order to intensify a feud with another wrestler. Would anything make you angrier than having your Rolex Day-Date President or your Rolex Oyster Datejust Jubilee crushed right in front of your very eyes?

Vince McMahon is not the only major executive in the wrestling world to wear a Rolex. The following excerpt is taken from the Los Angeles Times in 1999: “Eric Bischoff, Turner’s wrestling chief, ponders how to make chicken salad out of a crisis that beset his World Championship Wrestling’s pay-per-view the night before. . . “You know we wouldn’t do something that looks like some manipulative ratings ploy, now would we?” Bischoff asks. Then he takes off his Rolex, dons his leather jacket and prepares to go before a sold-out arena in Phoenix to assume his on-screen persona–of a smirking, scheming wrestling czar.â€� What is so intriguing is the story represents another side to the proverbial coin: Bischoff’s Rolex is his own watch that represents his real world success in his personal life. In order to enter the crazy world of professional wrestling, the top executive removes and protects his Rolex watch, as he morphs into the crazy character he becomes on television. Indeed, Rolex and professional wrestling make for a strange marriage, but they have walked down the aisle for quite some time and, most likely, will continue to do so for many years to come.

Yes, it is true. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, wears a Rolex watch, and he has worn a Rolex ever since he was a boy. The challenging question to answer is what kind of Rolex watch the Dalai Lama has worn and maintained for so many years. In the pictures of the Dalai Lama wearing the Rolex watch, only the back of the bracelet is evident.

According to the accepted tale, the American President Franklin Roosevelt gave the Rolex watch to the Dalai Lama. It is a known fact that Franklin Roosevelt wore a Rolex Day-Date. At the time, the Rolex Day-Date was not known as the Rolex Day-Date Presidential. The latter designation was assumed only after Rolex gave a Day-Date to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Before the Day-Date officially became presidential, Franklin Roosevelt wore the Rolex watch in the White House. Putting two and two together, it makes sense that the President would give the young Dalai Lama a Rolex Day-Date. Since Roosevelt died in 1945 and the Dalai Lama was born in 1935, the Rolex watch was given to a mere boy. The Dalai Lama has maintained the Rolex watch in excellent condition for over half a century. How has he been able to perform such a remarkable feat?

As historian Ron Gluckman writes: “Since childhood, the Dalai Lama has been an incorrigible tinkerer. He still has a Rolex watch given to him by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt — a credit to his do-it-yourself skills.â€� Being a lover of fine machinery, the Dalai Lama naturally fell in love with his Rolex watch. Since the beginning, Rolex has been at the forefront of watchmaking in terms of artistry and precision. Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf recognized two major requirements for watches: 1) To keep accurate time, and 2) To be reliable for which Rolex has been recognized for almost as long as watches have been worn. Such quality clearly was recognized by the Dalai Lama at a young age when he already showed signs of the spiritual leader he would become.

In 1990, Teresa Watanabe observed in the Los Angeles Times, “The Dalai Lama is motivated by kindness and love, and his broad appeal hardly seems more complex than that. He seems caring, people say. He seems genuine. He lives simply, wearing a maroon and saffron robe every day. His one apparent luxury, a Rolex watch, was a gift from Franklin Roosevelt. He actually seems to practice what he preaches, the rare leader who has managed to stay untarnished by any hint of personal scandal.� Like how the Rolex watches, which he loves, have come to represent the very best in luxury watches, the Dalai Lama has come to represent the very best in humanity. In a strange way, it makes perfect sense that such a man would choose to wear a Rolex watch. Still, we wish to know without any question or doubt, what model of Rolex is on the wrist of the Dalai Lama? Is his watch a Rolex Day-Date, or is it another one of the stunning Rolex watch models?

Realizing the unique connection between Rolex and Royalty, Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II of England, has signed a contract to be the new face of Rolex watches. The Rolex watch chosen for Zara Phillips to endorse is the classic Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust. An elite equestrian who attained the title of Eventing World Champion in 2006, Phillips will receive £100,000 pounds and three free watches to appear in advertising for the Swiss watchmakers. The first Rolex advertisement-featuring Phillips appeared in Vanity Fair, which is a further display of the great value placed by Rolex in the acquisition of such a high profile representative in the United Kingdom and beyond. The advertisement shows Zara Phillips with her horse Toytown who carried her to victory in the Eventing World Championships.

In order to illuminate the Rolex watches that Phillips has been chosen to endorse, here is a more in-depth examination. A description of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust is as follows: Stainless steel case and bracelet. White dial. Date displays at 3 o’clock position. 18kt white gold bezel. Synthetic sapphire crystal. Hidden deployment clasp. Case diameter 26mm. 31-jewel chronometer automatic movement. Water resistant at 30 meters (100 feet). A description of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady Datejust Pearlmaster is as follows: Stainless steel case. 18kt yellow gold and stainless steel bracelet. Gold dial. Date displays at 3 o’clock position. 18kt yellow gold bezel. Synthetic sapphire crystal. Hidden deployment clasp. 31 jewel chronometer automatic movement.

Rolex has supported excellence in human endeavors for over eighty years, and many of their spokespeople have been champions in their respective sports. Zara Phillips provides a unique combination of Royal blood and athletic excellence to the Rolex stable. Zara was voted 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year by the British viewing public. What is truly fascinating in the story line is that Zara’s mother, Princess Anne, was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1971. Clearly, like the lineage of one great Rolex watch design to the next, Zara Phillips follows in her mother’s footsteps of athletic excellence. Zara was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2007 New Years Honours List for her services to equestrianism. Married to England rugby player Mike Tindall, Phillips has expanded her commercial activity since becoming a professional eventer to help meet the £500,000-a-year cost of maintaining seven horses. She receives no money from the civil list, but her mother, Princess Anne, gives her free accommodation. Imagine how proud the Queen must be to have her Granddaughter chosen to be the new face of Rolex watches.

Rolex is the new champion in the auction house, certifying the watch company’s legendary position as the creator of the highest quality wristwatches. On April 23, 2008, an ultra-rare 1971 “Albino� Rolex Daytona, formerly owned by rock n’ roll legend Eric Clapton, sold at Sotheby’s “Important Watches Auction� for $505,000 including buyer’s premium. Although it was expected to fetch $100,000-$150,000 by watch experts, the Rolex Daytona broke all records when it sold for over half a million dollars once the dust had settled.

Created by Rolex in 1971, the watch is nicknamed the “Albinoâ€� Daytona because the background and subsidiary dials are a monochrome silver color, in stark contrast to the normally contrasting dials of more common Rolex Daytonas. . It was a design that was not too popular, as the contrasting outlined sub-dials make for better visibility. If you look at the Rolex Daytona models today, they have no “Albino’s”. Basically, the watch was an unpopular variant of a popular model. Before the auction, the Rolex Daytona was not even expected to be in the top three of most expensive watches sold on that day. At this auction, the 6th most expensive watch sold was a “James Bondâ€� Rolex Submariner from 1959, which brought in $211,000. The 2nd through 5th most expensive watches sold at this auction belonged to Pate Philippe and ranged from $217,000 to $445,000. At the Antiquorum’s recent $8.5 million Rolex auction, the top-priced timepiece sold for $248,000.

For years, Eric Clapton has been recognized as a major Rolex watch collector. The guitar legend’s personal collection is quite extensive, and Clapton even named his record collection of greatest hits, Timepieces. Still, nothing in Clapton’s collection compares in price to the 1971 Rolex “Albino� Daytona, which will now go down in history as the Rolex that shocked the refined world of high-priced auctions.