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President´s Choice

First day at the office! Mr. President Joe Biden spotted wearing a Rolex. Joe Biden is apparently a man who has good taste in timepieces. He is also seen with brands like Omega and Vulcain Cricket, also known as “The President´s Watch”. On casual occasions, even an Apple watch is a practical companion indeed.

Photo: AP/Evan Vucci

As translated from this Swedish advertisement from 1956: “Men who control the fate of the world wear Rolex watches”

1956 Swedish Rolex advertisement

On photo below we can now identify Joe´s Rolex as a Datejust 41 ref. 126300, a steel model with smooth bezel, a Jubilee bracelet and a blue dial with applied baton markers.

Photo: Getty, Alex Wong
Close up on President´s Rolex Photo: Getty, Alex Wong
Rolex Datejust 41 ref. 126300, a steel model with smooth bezel, a Jubilee bracelet and a blue dial

I would love to have Joe Biden on “People & Time” section here. Well that will probably never happen.

Photo: Reuters. Joe wearing an Apple watch

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Futurematic

I got my hands on this beautiful piece of watch history. Jaeger-LeCoultre E501 Futurematic with the calibre 497. The 50s were for sure significant times of the mechanical watch innovation and development. All times before the quartz revolution that overflowed the world.

On the left side the power indicator is seen
Magazine ad from 1957
The automatic rotor requires motion

Calibre 497 automatic system features a rotor that swings bidirectionally through an angle of about 19 degrees and reversed forth and back in a bumper. Therefore the watch requires more kind of sideway motion to be wounded. From inside it sounds like something is loose but fully normal and understandable. Actually I tested it on my watch “carousel” Bergeon 5511 cyclotest but with bad result. So don’t be scared of my shaking of the Futurematic.

A view of the Futurematic 497
The slide setting button

In a very future matic manner, at these days the watch didn’t had a traditional winding- through the crown- system. Also the setting of the hands function was designed by a sliding button on the back.

37 mm comfortable classic

Yes it is easy indeed to get in love with this beautiful Jaeger-LeCoultre Futurematic. Well unfortunately it has to be returned to the owner after a minor adjustment of the setting mechanism.