Every Rolex Tells a Story: Yundi

Yundi became the first Chinese person - and the first person in fifteen years - to be given the gold medal in the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in 2002. After that, he decided it was time for a well earned gift, so he made his first Rolex purchase.

The watch he chose was the sporty, black dial stainless steel Rolex Daytona 116500LN - an interesting choice considering that he is a classical pianist. However, the watchmaker intended for this watch to measure speed as well as time, so Yundi surely puts it to use when his fingers match the speed Mozart intended for his eleventh sonata.

The Daytona went on to accompany Yundi as he traveled the world, appearing in front of cheering crowds of piano-lovers. Some would argue that wearing a watch while playing the piano is too distracting, but it’s also important to note that Yundi sees this watch not as an accessory but as a witness. For many Rolex owners, their watches represent significant accomplishment and remind them of what they are capable of.

When it came time to give his father a birthday present, Yundi gave him a Rolex watch of his own and now they share in that success together. To learn more about Yundi’s contribution to the ongoing “Every Rolex Tells a Story” series, visit the watchmaker’s official website at rolex.com.

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Academy Award Winner and Rolex Mentor Alejandro González Iñárritu

Rolex has recently become the sponsor of the Greenroom at the 89th Academy Awards, but their ties to the Oscars go further than sponsorships. Their Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative has coupled Oscar-winning directors with protégés in the film industry since 2004, when the program began to include film as a discipline. Alejandro González Iñárritu, the first Mexican director to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director, participated in the 2014-2015 initiative.

Iñárritu's most recent films, The Revenant and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), won several accolades that included Academy Awards. The Revenant's Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for Best Actor for the film, a newsworthy accomplishment given the actor's multiple nominations in past years that never resulted in a win. Birdman, Iñárritu's first foray into comedy, won Best Picture in 2015 and high acclaim from critics.

The prolific Mexican director takes from life when creating his cinematic masterpieces. He traveled through Africa and Europe as a youth and later used the cultures he encountered in films such as Babel, his 2006 film. He began his career as a radio host in Mexico while studying at the Universidad Iberoamericana. He ascended the ranks to station director and made his station one of the most listened to in Mexico at the time. He later began his own production company, Zeta Films, to work on television spots and short films.

His first feature film, Amores Perros, was nominated for an Oscar as a Foreign Film entry and Iñárritu's directorial career took off after that. His films explore the intensity of the human condition in dire circumstances with vivid realism. His exceptional work made him an ideal mentor for Rolex's prestigious mentorship program. His protégé for the Rolex Arts Initiative was Israeli filmmaker and screenwriter Tom Shoval. For more information on the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, including the current participants, visit rolexmentorprotege.com.

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88th Oscars Greenroom, 2016

For the second consecutive year, Rolex will be the Exclusive Sponsor of the Oscars Greenroom. This sponsorship fits nicely in the branding model of the watchmaker, focusing on centers of influence that exemplify excellence. In the world of cinema, nothing represents excellence in filmmaking like the Academy Awards, airing on ABC Sunday, February 26, 2017.

The watchmaker will tap into their Geneva-based design team to create a new design concept for this year's event. Last year their concept was to recreate a modern Hollywood Hills home, complete with a wall decal featuring the Los Angeles skyline. Framed photos of Hollywood legends also adorned the room, some wearing Rolex timepieces. Rolex wall clocks were also featured, allowing presenters to keep track of time while waiting to head to the stage.

This partnership with the Oscars comes just weeks before their presentation at Baselworld 2017 and after their splash at the Australian Open. Rolex's ties to cinema go beyond the award show, with filmmakers like Alfonso Cuarón and Martin Scorsese participating in their Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. James Cameron is also a part of the Rolex family as a Testimonee and inspiration for the D-Blue Deepsea model.

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The opera legend speaks of being proud of his relationship with Rolex in the video above, discussing the reach of his work with the watchmaker. He mentions their support of Operalia and of opera houses around the world, like La Scala and The Met. Below, he discusses the twenty year anniversary of the singing competition and its effect on the world of opera at an international level. He emphasizes the importance of opening doors to talented voices in places like China and Sri Lanka, connecting them to the people who can help them elevate their careers.


"My purpose in Operalia is to help identify not only the best voices, but also to discover those singers whose personalities, characters and powers of interpretation show that they have the potential to become complete artists. Individuals such as these become tomorrow’s stars," says Domingo of the competition. Check out the promotional video for Operalia on their official website to learn more about the competition. For more about Plácido Domingo, visit his official website at placidodomingo.com.

The 2016 competition took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in July and awarded the first prize to South Korean tenor Keon-Woo Kim for the male division and French soprano Elsa Dreisig for the female division. The videos embedded below show the winners performing at Teatro Degollado on July 25, 2016. Click here for a list of all of this year's participants and finalists.

Rolex Testimonee Yuja Wang (photo: Rolex/Hugo Glendinning)

Wang's musical education began at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music. In 1999 she moved to Canada to participate in the Morningside Music summer program at Calgary’s Mount Royal College. After that she enrolled as the youngest ever student at Mount Royal Conservatory. In 2001 she was appointed as a Steinway Artist and the following year when she was offered a place at Philadelphia’s prestigious Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Gary Graffman. She graduated from there in May of 2008 after already achieving success after her debut a few years earlier with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. 

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel (photo: Rolex/Monika Rittershaus)

A Rolex Arts Testimonee since 2008, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel began his career young, making his conducting debut at age 12. He has remained busy since then, serving as musical director for several orchestras before turning thirty years old. Most recently he conducted the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra at the 2016 Salzburg Festival in collaboration with Testimonee Cecilia Bartoli on a new production of the broadway musical West Side Story.

In addition to serving as the musical director for the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, he has fulfilled the same role for the El Sistema project of Venezuela, a program that brings classical music to the country's youth. He has also directed the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the US. He has also been a favorite at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He has an extensive discography that goes back a decade and has won Grammy and Classic Brit awards for his work.

More recently, the young musical talent conducted the opening and ending credits of the latest film from the Star Wars franchise. In the YouTube video embedded below, Dudamel conducts the Star Wars theme for the film's famed composter John Williams. For more information on Gustavo Dudamel's schedule, bio and recordings, visit his official website at gustavodudamel.com.

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A student of music since her childhood in Bulgaria, Yoncheva received degrees in piano and voice in her home country, studying under Nelly Koitcheva. She later obtained a mater's in voice at the Conservatory of Geneva under the tutelage of Danielle Borst. After receiving her formal training, the opera singer applied her vocal talent to singing competitions. Most notably, she won top prize and the special CultureArte prize at Operalia in 2010. The video embedded below shows the singer performing "E strano...Sempre Libera..." from 'La Traviata' in a concert in 2012.

Rolex Lady Datejust (photo: Rolex)

Rolex Arts Testimonee Yo-Yo Ma (photo: Rolex/Marco Grob)

Ma became a Rolex Arts Testimonee in 1998, the same year that he began Silkroad, a non-profit organization with the goal of facilitating the intersection of the arts, business and education by developing  new music, education programs, cultural partnerships and other contributions to the world through music. Rolex is exclusive partner of Silkroad and the organization works with Harvard University to assist in music education training for arts educators.

The Silkroad Ensemble, formed by Yo-Yo Ma in 2000, is a critically acclaimed ensemble of musicians from all over the world. The group has recorded six albums together, creative innovative sounds that cross cultural boundaries and bridge ancient rhythms with modern instrumentation. Their latest recording, Sing Me Home, was released earlier this year as the companion album for The Music of Strangers, a documentary film directed by Oscar winner Morgan Neville. The film puts together performance footage, interviews and archival films to tell the story of the ensemble. Following the performers around the world, it provides a glimpse at the personal journeys of the ensemble's musicians. I have embedded the trailer for the documentary below.

In the photo above, Ma is wearing a classic yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, a perfect match for the accomplished musical artist and philanthropist. The cellist has performed for 8 US Presidents, giving the President't Watch a new interpretation. For more information on the Rolex Day-Date, check out my post on the singular model here. Visit Yo-Yo Ma's official website for a schedule of performances, multimedia and music. Check out silkroadproject.org for more information on the organization.

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Codex: Ashes and Snow by Gregory Colbert (photo: Gregory Colbert Facebook)

Photographer Ben Pogue (photo: wschupfer.com)

In the fifth edition of The Rolex Magazine, they feature an interesting photo spread entitled 'Carte Blanche' featuring a series of minimalist photographs of a deconstructed Yacht-Master II by artist Ben Pogue. This edition is dedicated almost entirely to the skipper's watch, with several articles covering sailing, yachting and the watch itself. However, perhaps the most interesting visuals in the magazine come from Pogue's unique photographs.

Born in rural Australia, Pogue first developed his eye for photography by picking up back issues of Interview and other publications at garage sales. He eventually studied the craft at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology before traveling to America to work as a photographer's assistant. Since then, he has become a noted photographer in his own right, working with clients like Chanel, Jil Sander, Nike and Reebok. His work has also appeared in US Vogue, Esquire and V Magazine.

The photo below is one of a few examples of the work Pogue did with the Yacht-Master II for the magazine pictorial. By deconstructing the parts of the watch and arranging them in a minimalist manner, he is able to create an abstract representation of the timepiece that takes on a life of its own. In addition to this image, there are photos that feature large red, blue and black triangular shapes with details and texture created by lining up the hour markers, hands and bezel in geometric patterns. The use of primary colors and commercial products gives the work a pop art feel while also honoring the design aesthetic that sets the Yacht-Master II apart from other nautical watches.

To check out the rest of the brilliant photos, pick up The Rolex Magazine Edition 5. For more of Ben Pogue's work, check out his portfolio on wschupfer.com.

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Photo from 'Carte Blanche' spread in The Rolex Magazine, Edition 05 by Ben Pogue

Plácido Domingo in Simon Boccanegra, at The Royal Opera House in 2010 (photo: Rolex/Catherine Ashmore)

Teatro alla Scala has been one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world for over 200 years, setting the stage for memorable performances from some of the most gifted operatic talents of all time. It has hosted the premier of many famous operas in its lifetime, including Verdi's Otella and Falsta, Bellini's Norma and Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Plácido Domingo gave a memorable Otello performance there and Cecilia Bartoli has also graced the stage of La Scala.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, New Year's Concert (photo: Alamy images)

Other notable arts testimonees include tenor Juan Diego Flóres, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and Rolando Villazón. Rolex is also Main Sponsor of the Salzburg Festival, featuring 180 classical and contemporary performances that include opera and drama. The festival is known for introducing new works onto the international music scene. I have embedded the trailer for the 2016 festival, which is currently under way. For more information on Rolex and its ties to the arts, visit the arts and culture section of rolex.com.

Yellow Gold Rolex Day-Date (photo: Rolex)

In-Between Spaces of Rolex Office Building in Dallas (design: Kengo Kuma)

Teatro Alla Scala, Milan (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)

Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta was the first performance in La Scala, which has hosted 'la prima' of many famous operas in its lifetime, including Verdi's Otella and Falsta, Bellini's Norma and Puccini's Madama Butterfly. The audience at this venue is known as one of the most vocal and critical in the world.

Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo's Otello made for one of the greatest seasons in the opera's history. Gustavo Dudamel conducted his first Don Giovanni here and Cecilia Bartoli returned to La Scala after many years absence. Rolex became their official timepiece in 2006.