Hello!
I begin this new journey hand in hand withSpecial Watcheswith the main objective of increasing the dissemination of the worldRolexin the language of Cervantes; a language that many of us speak, but in which there is little original material from this Swiss watchmaking manufacture.
I make this first installment in one of my favorite formats, that of history. And to get off to a good start, I start with the watch that is perhaps the most loved by Spanish enthusiasts of the brand, of course, theRolex Submariner. Let's get to it.
José Luis had always wanted to be an actor. From humble origins, he had to make his way through a lot of effort. His great dedication and a natural talent for comedy opened the doors of that tough art and craft for him.
Our protagonist wanted to celebrate one of his most successful films, the one that perhaps definitively opened the doors to fame, by buying himself a treat. He had always liked watches, but he had not had any “special” ones. He went to a central jewelry store in Madrid and asked for a watch that combined the qualities of simplicity, resistance to everything and the best running reliability. The year was 1957.
That day the owner of the jewelry store attended him. José Luis was already a well-known actor and made Don Gregorio, a member of a lineage of Madrid jewelers, smile. “Are you José Luis, the actor?”; “That's right, server.”
In a few minutes they had started a pleasant conversation and Gregorio, aware of the importance of the order, had placed several watches from leading Swiss brands on the counter. “Dear José Luis, a person like you has to take the most exclusive watch of the moment, the new Day Date fromRolex, it turns out that we have a piece right here that just arrived. It is a true gem, solid gold with the best finishes and the most robust machine on the market. Also, it says the day and date.”
"Thank you," José Luis replied, "the watch is beautiful, but I'm looking for something simpler, something that doesn't attract so much attention but is infallible. Something like that black watch over there."
RolexIt was the revelation brand of the moment. His Datejust was the most accurate watch on the market and one of the most desired. Just a year beforeRolexhad launched the Day Date, its new flagship watch. There were other brands with more roots, but this Geneva watch brand was doing things very well, so much so that it was the leader even then in the production of watches with chronometer certification.
Rolex made other watches, including one that it had launched just 4 years ago and presented three years ago, in 1954. It was the now ultra-iconic and hyper-recognizedRolex Submariner.
Don Gregorio took out that solid-looking and somewhat unusual watch from the display. Its sphere was black. Very legible and a good size, which was further accentuated by a rotating disc that allowed time lapses to be counted. Its bracelet was made of finely brushed steel, simple but very resistant. Furthermore, it had a legend on the dial indicating that it withstood the incredible depth of 100 meters! The Datejust and Day Date were also watertight, but they did not put anything on the dial, “it must be for a reason” imagined José Luis.
Without hesitation he said, “I'll take this watch!” And he left the store very happy with it on. This piece was to accompany him until the end of his career and his days.
As fate would have it, José Luis had a productive, successful and happy life with his wife and three children. Unfortunately, an illness took him away at the young age of 45, in 1968.
When he died, his brother Antonio took charge of some of José Luis's belongings, including his preciousRolex Submariner.
Years passed and José Luis's children, Adriana, Mariano and Pelayo, grew up and developed their own careers.
One day came when, organizing his things, Antonio found a box of memories of José Luis and decided to distribute them among his children. Fate made Mariano receive that splendid Submariner. On any given day, Antonio approached Mariano's house and unexpectedly gave him that watch, the existence of which José Luis's son had no idea about. “But what is this, man?” he asked. “It was your father's and from now on it is yours, wear it with pride.”
Mariano would give it the best use in the world, precisely measuring every moment of his life since then, as well as the television programs he would have to produce at work.
Do you want to know what this one had?Rolex Submarinerfor José Luis to choose him? What made José Luis prefer it over other apparently more valued models from the Swiss watch manufacture?
Well, as good things come to wait, that is something that we will show you in Part II of this article... Don't worry, it will only be a few hours of uncertainty!
