Wrong Time

These two ads for Rolex caught my eye because of the visuals. Rudi Gernreich, check, cut outs, check. round sunglasses, check.

1968 Rolex Ad

Then there is this one from 2009. Again, love the look but sorry the text just doesn't support this ad. It reads "1927 The swimming of the English Channel. Rolex, for lifes defining moments."

Huh? First the whole swimsuit styling is out of context. Trudy Ederle was the first woman who conquered swimming the English Channel in a scandalous silk swimsuit with rubber swim cap and goggles. She was covered in sheep grease by her trainer Bill Burgess to help her skim through the water.



These were her goggles, now on display at the Smithsonian Institute. So somehow the Rolex ads, while visually appealing, just have it all wrong.