How Rolex Became the Watch of Presidents
In December 1957 — three years before John F. Kennedy was even elected — a Rolex ad in an Italian newspaper already called the bracelet "President." Nobody in that ad was a president.
The Day-Date arrived in 1956 as Rolex's flagship: gold or platinum only, with the day of the week spelled out in full. The word "President" was already in the catalogue before any president was known to wear one. Lyndon Johnson made it stick — but he didn't name it, and he didn't start a line of succession. The 1966 "presidents' watch" advertisement, the auction catalogues, the book titles and the newspaper shorthand did the rest.
This is the story of a nickname that became the name — and of the myths that grew around it.
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Chapters
- 0:00The Story We Tell
- 0:44The Object
- 2:05A Name in Print
- 2:52The World It Entered
- 3:22Johnson
- 4:54The Advertisement
- 5:37The Myths
- 7:03Repetition
- 8:17The Official Story
- 8:43The Name Came First
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