59-Caddy-and-Rolex-Datejust

 

Huh, go and figure – yet another “cars are like watches” post from me on the weekends.  Perhaps it’s just my own inclinations, or simply the publications I follow, but it’s hard to escape the automobile and wrist watch parallels once you’ve spent some time down in the details of this obsession.

Rolex-Datejust-Two-Tone
This latest writeup (over at aBlogtoWatch) I’ve found comes from Richard Paige (you remember our review of his Wrocket, right?) where he starts off with two quintessential luxury brands – Cadillac and Rolex.  Paige starts off back in the 50’s, where we have one of the famous finned (and, in this case, pink) Cadillacs from 1959.  Paired to it, he has the 1960’s Rolex two-tone Datejust.
68-Caddy-and-Rolex-Datejust

As he goes through some leaps in the models years (to ’62, then ’68, ’74, ’80 and so on, up to modern day), one thing remains unchanged – the Rolex Datejust.  His premise is that while the auto companies change their lineups and designs over time, watch brands have a tendency to rest on their laurels (or, if you prefer, continue to champion a proven and popular design).  While it’s not precisely an exact pairing of watch to car, it’s a pairing of luxury to luxury (save the snide remarks – as someone who calls Detroit home, I still view a Caddy as a luxury car).

2013-Caddy-and-Rolex-Datejust

While the Datejust isn’t the Rolex that I would personally buy myself, it does carry a sort of timeless feel to it – the design doesn’t necessarily feel out of date, or something that came from another decade (even though it quite honestly did).  While we often look to what the latest and greatest is (and we watch writers fall victim to that same bug), it is worthwhile to reference what can truly be called classic designs, and see how they still work well for us today.

2010-Caddy-and-Rolex-Datejust
All images courtesy of aBlogtoWatch

Categorized in:

Historical Horology,

Last Update: September 11, 2013