Credits: Article and images by Felix Scholz @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/a-crown-fit-for-a-queen/
She says, “I had a Rolex given to me as an aquanaut in 1970 [as part of the Tektite II project that Rolex equipped], which had been my favorite dive buddy, as a watch. It was an instrument that enabled me to say how long I’d been down, how much longer I had to go; it was my lifesaving piece of equipment. But, about 10 years later, I saw my best friend, a diver, who was wearing this watch [a Lady-Datejust] underwater, and I was shocked when I saw it. We were down at 50 feet in the Florida Keys, and I looked at it and thought, ‘Ah, she’s forgotten to take off her watch.’ She gave me a smile like a Cheshire cat, implying, ‘It’s okay.’ And then I saw it was a Rolex. When I saw this beautiful instrument that could not only go out on dive trips and be rugged and reliable but was quite okay to take to a black-tie party, I was smitten. Not only did I get one of these beautiful instruments that keeps me alive when I go diving, but I acquired one for my mother, daughters and grandchildren. We’re a Rolex family! My Rolex watch is part of me. I just never take it off, whether it’s in the shower, the submarine or in the ocean directly. It is an extension of me.”
The fundamentals of the Lady-Datejust have been set for decades; the classic style, the instantaneous date and cyclops, the precision caliber, small size and strong water resistance. However, over the years, the watch kept evolving and improving in step with technical advancements, for example, with the addition of Paraflex shock absorbers and Syloxi silicon hairsprings.
Things changed on the outside too. While the overall feel of the model has remained the same, the Lady-Datejust has proven to be versatile and mutable over the years. Mother-of-pearl dials add a soft shimmer, while diamond and other stone-setting add a more definite sparkle to the situation.
Credits: Article and images by Felix Scholz @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/a-crown-fit-for-a-queen/