Last year I wrote all about a record breaking dive With James Cameron and National Geographic and a record breaking watch from Rolex, if you get a minute you can read it here. This year there are some excititng announcements on that historic dive. At 10,908 meters (nearly 36,000 feet) The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean on earth. On March 26th, 2012 filmmaker and explorer James Cameron in partnership with National Geographic made the first solo dive to and scientific exploration of the Mariana Trench. Making this kind of a dive was no small feat, and to commemorate Cameron’s expedition as well as the documentary of said expedition called Deepsea Challenge 3D, Rolex has released a new edition of a great watch. Personally I was hoping for the actual Deep Sea Challange model to be publicly released,. However, what they did introduce is still rather exceptional. They have delivered a new version of the Deepsea Sea-Dweller with a gradient “D-Blue” dial that fades from deep blue to black. The coloring is intended to invoke images the ocean’s depths, diving lower and lower until you reach a point completely void of light. Continue reading
Author Archives: howtobeswell
Restoring Elvis Presley’s BMW 507 roadster
This article has been in the news a few places in the last couple of days. It is about my all time favorite car and a musician who is fairly swell in his own rite. Elvis Presley, the ring of Rock and Roll once owned this beautiful BMW 507 Roadster, it is about to be restored by the BMW factory in Germany, I re posted the article here for your reading and viewing pleasure
Elvis Presley’s BMW is getting the rock star treatment all over again. This rare BMW was the King’s personal ride while serving in the Army between 1958 and 1960.
BMW Classic, the automaker’s official restoration arm, is bringing the King’s 507 roadster back to showroom quality. The red roadster, one of just 254 built between 1955 and 1959, was actually Presley’s second 507, or by some accounts, the same car painted red after adoring women wrote their names and numbers all over the original white body in lipstick.
In either case, Presley was stationed in Germany in the late 1950s as a private in the U.S. Army, but aside from operating a tank and standing guard (where he was again mobbed by hundreds of German fans), the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was no ordinary GI. In between his many overseas girlfriends and ability to skirt Army rules as a celebrity, Presley bought one of the most expensive cars at that time (about $450,000 in today’s dollars). He spotted the 507 in a local dealer after the Porsche 550 Spyder, the other great sports car in which heartthrob actor James Dean famously died, wasn’t available.
For a $3,750 lease — for a used model raced by Hans Stuck — Elvis cruised around Germany in one of the most beautiful and rarest BMWs ever made until his Army tour was up in 1960. From there, the story gets murkier. The 507 was shipped to the U.S., except its original 150-horsepower V8 engine was swapped for a small-block Chevy somewhere in Alabama and was drag-raced. Later in 1968, an engineer named Jack Castor bought the car in Arizona and then let it sit in a warehouse for decades. Only recently has Castor shipped the car to BMW to let the experts restore Presley’s car.
Currently, the car is on display in its original condition at the factory BMW Museum through Aug. 10. Presley also bought a BMW Isetta — the funny microcar that had its single door up front — even before leaving for Germany. Discounting every other car Elvis bought in his lifetime, it was sure good to be the King with keys to a 507.
[Source: Road & Track via BMW Classic; Photos by BMW, Elvis Australia]
Hodinkee’s “Talking Watches” with Jean-Claude Biver
As a blogger myself, I frequent a number of other watch blogs and websites, one of my favorites is Hodinkee. They have a beautiful site (check it out), and do an excellent job of covering the watch industry as a whole, from top to bottom and everything in between. They have a reoccurring feature that I really enjoy called “Talking Watches”, where they interview some famous collectors and see their collections. I typically view, enjoy and move on, but this episode really caught my attention. It featured a titan in the watch industry, one Mr. Jean-Claude Biver. Continue reading
Top Ten Big & Small Screen Cars of my Generation
I always have fun with top ten lists. I think it is human nature to prioritize and categorize things. We all Like when things have their place. I am sure my readers have their top 5 songs or artists, their favorite watches, people they would be stuck on a desert island with. Well I was thinking the other day about all of the great cars I’ve seen in TV and movies, and what stuff inspired me growing up. Now there is no particular order, and not all of these were even made during my lifetime, but in some way on the screen had a big impact. I am giving away my age some here too, but its all in good fun. What great fodder for a top ten list huh? So here are my top ten- ish favorite cars of my generation, and every one of them is totally swell.
The Swell Things About Being a Dad
There is a certain wonderment about being a dad. I have two young boys, and they are the greatest thing in my life. I am not young anymore, and my friends and I are constantly reminding each other of our age. We use reference points such as “do you remember such and such car, or tv show growing up?” It all dates us easily, but I don’t feel old. You see, I spend a quite a bit of time with these two young men in my house. You would think that the bottomless fountain of energy thy have would not allow me to keep up. On the contrary, my favorite place to be is on the floor with them.
Omega “bullhead” Chronograph
This is an absolutely swell watch re issued from omega this year. Its a great funky looking watch with one of their new coaxial movements in. I love the vintage look of many of these watches being issued lately, but this one is one of the most interesting to look at, I especially like the red stitching and lettering and the racing strap. Re blogged from Hodinkee:
The late 60s were an exciting time for Omega. The Constellation line was in full stride, the Speedmaster was heading into space, and the Seamaster Bullhead was finding love in a growing sea of sporty chronograph fans. More than 40 years later, the Speedmaster is still on top of its game and the Constellation is… well it’s still here (though a far cry from the 561s of the 60s). The Bullhead however, was been but a faint memory, only discussed within the nerdiest of WIS “watch idiot savant” circles (you know who you are). That’s about to change though, thanks to a faithful re-issue of the 1969 Bullhead Chronograph unveiled in Basel this year.
Michael Jackson Xscape Featuring Justin Timberlake
I love music, all kinds of music. I have a few favorite genres and artists. I know what 10 albums I would bring with me to a deserted island, and all of that. There are however a few artists that transcend every classification and are just phenomenal, that I can always appreciate, and never tire of. Pink Floyd, Queen, U2, Sublime, and Eric Clapton are a few of mine. The King of pop is certainly on this list as well. Continue reading
Record setting Rolex sells for 1.2 Million
I was reading some watch news this week and stumbled across this Gem, normally I wouldn’t post this, but I couldn’t help but be enamored with this beautiful watch. Sold at Christie’s which is renowned for some high dollar watches and jewelry sales, this Rolex has set the record at 1.2 million. It is a 1949 Oyster Perpetual Rolex made by Marguerite Koch with a cloisonné’ dial featuring a ship at sea, and it is totally swell. Continue reading
The Omega Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial
It seems as though everyone making watches these days, especially the ones on the cutting edge of technology, are looking to the past for design inspiration, and I like it! Vintage-inspired pieces were all the rage at this year’s Baselworld, and from one of my favorite watchmakers came the remake of an absolutely iconic divers watch. Omega introduced the new Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial, based on the original Seamaster 300 from 1957. It has a 41mm case, sapphire crystal and exhibition back, and the distinctive broad-arrow hour hand. It is also water-resistant to 300m, hence the name. Continue reading
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner- The Original Bond Watch
Even though I have written a lot about Rolex, I have been putting this post off for a long while. Writing about the Submariner can be a bit of a cliché, being that nearly everyone has written something about it. Now, it isn’t that it’s worth writing about, but I want to avoid adding to the noise and write something worthy of a great watch. So being the swell blogger I am, it is my duty -when I finally broach the subject- to do it justice. Continue reading
How to be Swell 