Instead of the usual Friday interview, this week's Horological Minute tells the story about the "John S. Coleman" Datejust from deep within the 10 Past Ten vault. We all love finding watches that have a history, and this one surely fits the bill. Who was John S. Coleman? What's special about this watch? Here's the scoop.

The Watch

The watch itself is a Ref. 6105 Datejust in 18k gold. It features a cream colored dial with Datejust in red, and a red colored date wheel. I purchased this watch several years ago from an estate buyer in southern California. What really impressed me was the condition of it- literally like a time capsule. Aside from some very minor surface wear, the watch was essentially like new. The bracelet and clasp were tight, and the gold had an incredible patina to it.

The Engraving

One detail I really loved about the watch was the engraving on the case back. Hand engraved neatly, it reads, "Leaders of Industry Know the Value of Time." with the name John S. Coleman underneath. I recognized the engraving as a slogan that Rolex used in advertisements in the 1950's. But the question remained, who was John S. Coleman, and why was this engraved on the case back?

Watch Details

The watch has aged beautifully over the last 60+ years. A rich patina has developed all over the case, and the dial shows signs of radium burn, a result of the hands not being moved for many many years. Its as if time stood still.

Who was John S. Coleman?

After some research and help from my good friend Eric Wind, I found out who Coleman was. John S. Coleman was a savvy business executive who eventually became the president of the US Chamber of Commerce during the Eisenhower years. Coleman began his career at the Burroughs Adding Machine Company after graduating from Georgetown, and rose to become the CEO. In that position, he was instrumental in successfully diversifying operations from making adding machines to pioneering early computers.

So, why the engraving?

Digging deeper, Eric Wind helped me locate an original Rolex advertisement from a 1954 issue of the New Yorker. It used the slogan "Leaders of Industry Know the Value of Time". Not only did the advertisement have that slogan, but it also featured none other than Mr. John S. Coleman! Wow!!

The significance?

I'd veture to guess that this watch was a gift to Mr. Coleman from Rolex in exchange for participating in their advertisement campaign. To this date, no other examples with this engraving have been known to the collectors community, but the advertisement campaign did feature a multitude of other business leaders of the time. In fact, Rolex continues to use this slogan to this very day! You can find it in a beautiful new Rolex video that you can see here.