Bill Cosby is one of the biggest Rolex fans on earth and he has a huge collection of Rolex Day-Dates [a.k.a., The Rolex President]. Bill has been wearing Rolex watches for at least 45 years since he acted on the TV show, I Spy. Both Robert Culp and Bill Cosby both wore Pepsi GMTs on I Spy. If you want to learn much more about Bill Cosby and Rolex, you can on Jake's Rolex World.
On the Bill Cosby comedy album cover pictured above from 1965 named Why is there air? it shows Bill Cosby wearing his Rolex GMT 45 years ago. So this means he has been wearing Rolex for at least 45 years. This next shot is from I Spy, and shows Bill sporting his trademark Pepsi GMT Master.
In the next 2 photos below we see Bill Cosby during the Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids years, wearing a Yellow Gold Mocha GMT Master.
In this last image, we see Bill Cosby During the Cosby Show years, wearing a platinum Rolex Day-Date.
Robert Culp who costarred on I Spy with Bill Cosby now belongs to the ages. Robert Culp was 79 years old and died unexpectedly this week after falling near his Hollywood Hills home.
I Spy ran on TV for three seasons from 1965 to 1968 and both Robert Culp's character Kelly Robinson and Bill Cosby's character Alexander Scott but wore Pepsi GMT-Master watches on the show.
To the best of my knowledge, the only character on a TV show before them that wore a Rolex was Lloyd Bridges on SEA-HUNT.
I Spy was groundbreaking in the world of TV as it was the first have an African American actor in a lead role.
If you have been reading Jake's Rolex World for a long time, you know we used to have I Spy Saturday as a feature where I started with the first episode of I Spy and each Saturday we would watch an episode on order and I would do screen grabs of Robert Kulp and Bill Cosby sporing their trademark Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master watches.
I stopped I Spy Saturday because I did not have time to do all the historic research for Jake's Rolex World and do I Spy Saturday, but as soon as I get the chance I will bring back Flipper Friday, I Spy Saturday and Miami Vice Monday.
Of course, my goal is to document every screen shot from I Spy that had a Rolex GMT and I left off on Season 1, Episode 15, but here are some really cool shots. One of my favorite things from watching I Spy is how elegant and stylish Robert Culp and Bill Cosby were–very much like Steve McQueen from the same era!!!
I decided I would republish I Spy Saturday from Season 1, Episode 2 which was a gold mine of cool Rolex shots:
I Spy Saturday
Season 1 [Episode 2 : A Cup of Kindness]
Original Air Date: September 22, 1965
Welcome to the second I Spy Saturday on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. Well it looks like we hit the jackpot in episode 2!!!! There is a tremendous amount of Rolex GMT Master exposure. So the way this works is I watch the episode first, do screen grabs of all the cool Rolex shots and then you can watch the episode if you like.
I was kind of shocked because in this episode we see 3 distinct timecheck wrist shots and they are all pretty clear. They almost appear to be a Rolex commercial, which is much better than the opposite–meaning, a fruitless search. The first two wrist shots are of Kelly's (Robert Culp) wrist and there is another one of Scotty's (Bill Cosby) later in this story.
It dawned on me yesterday when I was watching Flipper that the reason both Bill Cosby and Robert Culp's characters wear GMTs is because they are international travelers and since the GMT Master can keep track in two different time zones they must be keeping time in Hong Kong, where this episode is shot, as well as Pentagon time in Washington D.C.
There are two seemingly similar wrist shots above of Robert Culp's GMT because he looks at it in two completely different scenes.
I added this shot below because we can see that Robert Culp is wearing Vans slip-on style shoes which are really stylish today.
I think the fashion from I Spy was really cool. We see Bill Cosby wearing a high, mock T-Shirt like Tiger Woods always wears today–which is a really cool, mod look. We also see Kelly wearing a La Coste (Alligator shirt, not shown) as well as an ascot, and Scotty also wears a high-button-placement three piece suit. All great style if you ask me.
In this next shot we see Bill Cosby under the bed wearing his GMT Master.
In the next three photos we see wrist shots of Bill Cosby wearing his GMT Master.
In this last photo we see a close up screen shot of Bill Cosby's wrist sporting his GMT Master. I believe that Bill Cosby and Robert Culp's GMT Master models are identical and I think they are both wearing Rolex GMT Master [Reference 1675]. If I am wrong about the reference, please correct me.
If you want to watch this episode full screen on you computer screen hit the play button and one I Spy starts playing click the button in the upper right hand corner of the video window to make it go full screen. Enjoy!!!
Rest In Peace Robert Culp. You were one cool, funny, inspiring, charismatic, actor!!!
Wow!!! I can't believe we are already on Episode 15 and we just left 1965 and moved into 1966.
Bill Cosby Comedian
Did you ever notice Bill Cosby's name sounds like Bing Crosby. Actually, I think that is one of the reasons Microsoft named their new search engine Bing–is because older people would already have the memory hook.
One of the most amazing things about watching the episodes of I SPY is to know that Bill Cosby would go on to become one of the most successful comedians in history. I think Bill Cosby was one of the first physical comedians since he is so expressive. Remember the Jello commercials? In the two following videos we see Bill performing live on stage in the 1970s. Amazing!!!
Today's episode of I Spy takes place in Tokyo Japan and there are some great shots of Tokyo. Kelly is also really cool looking with the Lacoste Shirt, Pepsi Rolex GMT Master and Ray Ban Wayfarers.
Season 1 [Episode 12 : Three Hours On A Sunday Night]
Original Air Date: December 8, 1965
Today's episode of I Spy takes place in Tokyo Japan and we got a superb wrist shot. I mean this wrist shot looks like it was taken today!!! I am so stunned by the wrist shot from this episode of I Spy it makes me wonder if this is the first Rolex wrist shot it history. I mean, the whole composition is perfect, with the Mercedes steering wheel in the background behind the Pepsi GMT Master!!!
Also, Robert Culp and Bill Cosby's style is unmistakably cool!!! I mean, I have never seen two cats that look cooler!!! From the slip on Vans with the pegged khaki tan jeans in the opening scene to the ascot and shades in the pic below!!! Super coolness!!!!
This episode of I Spy was just o.k. Not nearly as good as last week although there are some decent Rolex shots. In the beginning, Bill Cosby does his what is now trademark Bill Cosby riffing which is neat, since we now take it for granted.
Also, the episode was shot live in Japan which gives it a different vibe.
Last week I skipped over Episode 8 by mistake, so here it is. This one takes place in Tokyo and there are some beautiful Japanese scenes in this episode. I really enjoyed this episode for some reason. Robert Culp and Bill Cosby's report is great and in this episode you really start to see it congeal.
I don't know what it is about I Spy, but when I watch the episodes, it almost seems like I am hanging out with them...Almost like I went back in time to 1965 in a time machine and am invisible and just observing...and yes, our spies are wearing their trusted, trademark GMT Pepsi Rolex watches...
Season 1 [Episode 9 : No Exchange On Damaged Merchandise]
Original Air Date: November 10, 1965
I skipped over episode 8 by mistake so I will check it out next week. In this episode we start to see a little more character development. Especially with Bill Cosby.
The bantering back and forth between Culp and Cosby is funny at times and for the first time we see Cosby really coming into his own as Cosby.
You can watch the episode of I Spy below, and you can watch it full-screen by clicking the button in the upper right hand corner.
There is a great difference between knowledge and understanding. You can know a lot about something without understanding it. –Charles Kettering
So, here is the deal: I stopped publishing I Spy Saturday, a few weeks ago because I thought some of the episodes were so bad, that they were unwatchable and I did not want to subject, you (my readers) to them.
Just out of curiosity and for historical sake–to make certain I leave no stone unturned–I still watch them on Saturday anyway, hoping the show will get better, hoping for some cool Rolex screen captures and hoping to gain more historical insight.
I decided to bring I Spy back because this episode is alright and there are some cool Rolex shots. Also, Bill Cosby is pretty funny–plus I kinda missed our favorite Rolex Spies. I mean, two cool, mod dudes, both wearing vintage GMT Pepsi watches!!!
I know I Spy is kind or campy, kitchy and stupid, kind of like the original Batman TV series, but for some reason I like it...I am hoping as they move away from Hong Kong and get more familiar with their roles that they get better...Let's keep our fingers crossed...
I started a new feature which I thought would be fun where I would post a new episode of I Spy every Saturday and I ran into a challenge. The challenge is the writing on the show was so bad and the plot lines are so thin that it is hard to watch. I think my evaluation of Episode 2, Season 1, which you can see by clicking here, yielded the positive Rolex GMT Master identification I was seeking.
In the future, I plan to watch all the episodes on my own and if I find any cool Rolex shots or a cool episode I will share them with you.
Season 1 [Episode 3 : Carry Me Back to Old Tsing-Tao]
Original Air Date: September 29, 1965
Welcome to the third I Spy Saturday on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. One of the reasons I am doing I Spy Saturday is so I can analyze the episodes to learn about and document the Rolex watches used on the show. For instance, I did not know until two weeks ago, when I first watched Episode 1, that Bill Cosby and Robert Culp both wore Pepsi GMTs from the inception of the show.
In episode 3 [Season 1] we see both characters wearing their trademark Pepsi GMT Master watches, which you can see on Bill Cosby in the photo above and below. This episode, like episodes 1 & 2 were shot on-location in Hong Kong.
Bill Cosby's character, Scotty is interesting and I find Bill Cosby to be more entertaining and interesting to watch. That being said, this episode was kind of stupid with a thin plot at best.
Sometimes when something is so bad, it ends up being good, but I give this episode a thumbs down, so I don't recommend you watch it unless you want to. I still plan to watch the rest of the episodes and do screen captures.
This episode was kitchy and campy with lots of really fake fight scenes and it is amazing to examine how spy shows have evolved up to the present with shows like 24 that practically give you a heart-attack each time you watch them.
In my mind, Robert Culp's character, Kelly Robinson seems to be based on Cary Grant and Bill Cosby's character seems to be based on Bill Cosby. That was not a typo. Bill Cosby plays Bill Cosby and you see how talented and charismatic he was.
If you do decide to watch the episode, it is interesting to note that Kelly takes off his Rolex to fight a guy, which is really weird–I guess the writers did not realize how sturdy his GMT Master was!?! Unless Kelly's figure was an overly protective watch safe queen (double entendre, inside-out joke).
If you want to watch the episode full screen, please hit the play button, then when the show starts, hit the full-screen button in the upper right hand corner.
Welcome to the second I Spy Saturday on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog. Well it looks like we hit the jackpot in episode 2!!!! There is a tremendous amount of Rolex GMT Master exposure. So the way this works is I watch the episode first, do screen grabs of all the cool Rolex shots and then you can watch the episode if you like.
I was kind of shocked because in this episode we see 3 distinct timecheck wrist shots and they are all pretty clear. They almost appear to be a Rolex commercial, which is much better than the opposite–meaning, a fruitless search. The first two wrist shots are of Kelly's (Robert Culp) wrist and there is another one of Scotty's (Bill Cosby) later in this story.
It dawned on me yesterday when I was watching Flipper that the reason both Bill Cosby and Robert Culp's characters wear GMTs is because they are international travelers and since the GMT Master can keep track in two different time zones they must be keeping time in Hong Kong, where this episode is shot, as well as Pentagon time in Washington D.C.
There are two seemingly similar wrist shots above of Robert Culp's GMT because he looks at it in two completely different scenes.
I added this shot below because we can see that Robert Culp is wearing Vans slip-on style shoes which are really stylish today.
I think the fashion from I Spy was really cool. We see Bill Cosby wearing a high, mock T-Shirt like Tiger Woods always wears today–which is a really cool, mod look. We also see Kelly wearing a La Coste (Alligator shirt, not shown) as well as an ascot, and Scotty also wears a high-button-placement three piece suit. All great style if you ask me.
In this next shot we see Bill Cosby under the bed wearing his GMT Master.
In the next three photos we see wrist shots of Bill Cosby wearing his GMT Master.
In this last photo we see a close up screen shot of Bill Cosby's wrist sporting his GMT Master. I believe that Bill Cosby and Robert Culp's GMT Master models are identical and I think they are both wearing Rolex GMT Master [Reference 1675]. If I am wrong about the reference, please correct me.
If you want to watch this episode full screen on you computer screen hit the play button and one I Spy starts playing click the button in the upper right hand corner of the video window to make it go full screen. Enjoy!!!
I am introducing a cool new project on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog today named "I Spy Saturday." My objective is to analyze every episode of I Spy from the first episode to the last and get all the best screen captures. I hope to publish a new episode every Saturday until we get through all of them.
Why would I ever commit to such a project? Because it is really cool!!! Why do I think it is really cool? For a zillion different reasons. I was not even born when I Spy debuted on prime time TV and I have only seen a few episodes in my life. This way you and I can watch all the episodes together and comment on them.
If you are not familiar with I Spy, it was a TV show starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp who were both secret agents for the U.S. Government. Wikipedia perfectly sums it up:
"I Spy was an American television secret agent adventure series. It ran for three seasons on NBC from 1965 to 1968 and teamed Robert Culp as international tennis player Kelly Robinson, and Bill Cosby as his trainer Alexander Scott. In reality, they were both top agents for the Pentagon and, while ostensibly traveling as "tennis bums" (a talented amateur who plays tennis with rich people in return for food and lodging), they were usually busy chasing villains, spies, and beautiful women."
Bill Cosby was amazing and I Spy was the first prime time TV show to star with an African American in a leading role. Throughout the TV show, the color of his skin or the fact that he was of African American decent was never mentioned. So I Spy was really a groundbreaking show.
In this first shot we see Bill Cosby and Robert Culp both wearing Rolex GMT Master watches with Pepsi bezels. In this first episode from the first season there is a young Chinese boy from Hong Kong who seems like he was the archetype for theShort Round character in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom movie which starred Harrison Ford.
I can't think of another TV show in history where both the stars wore the same Rolex watch–pretty cool. I Spy was also revolutionary in the sense it was always shot on location, all over the world. This first episode was shot on location in Hong Kong. We also learn from watching this very first episode from the first season, that both characters wore GMT Master watches from the very beginning–also pretty cool.
The are several references to 007 including a few mentions of Goldfinger. I remember when I was younger, I always thought it was tacky to wear a sport Rolex watch like a GMT or Submariner with a suit and tie, but I must admit that I now think it looks really cool.
Both Robert Culp and Bill Cosby were nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three times each, from 1966 to 1968 and Bill Cosby who had never acted before won all three times.
I invite you to watch along with me as we go through the episodes in chronological order, and feel free to comment in the comment section. I hope to analyze a new episode every week–hopefully every Saturday.
I realize in many ways, I Spy is dated and campy and kitchy, but that is what makes it kind of cool and fun. The mod fashions are pretty cool and I think studying the social mores and historical context should be fascinating an fun. I also look forward to doing a podcast with Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in the future...
Note: If you wish to watch I Spy full-screen on your computer, just hit the play button and once the episode starts, if you put your cursor over the video window, you will notice a little square in the upper right hand corner, which will play the episode full screen on your computer.
Speaking of I Spy, Bill Cosby and Robert Culp both wore Pepsi Rolex GMTs on the show as you can see below. In case you are not familiar with I Spy, it was an American TV show about the adventures of two American Secret Agents named Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott.
I Spy ran for three seasons from 1965 to 1968 and completed a total of 82 Episodes, and was about international espionage agents and the dangerous missions they went on all over the world.
I Spy was unusual in the sense the show was always shot on location at exotic locales all over earth, which set a new standard for television dramas.
Kelly Robinson played by Robert Culp poses as a tennis player who lives an extravagant playboy lifestyle, and Alexander Scott played by Bill Cosby poses undercover as his tennis trainer. As they travel the globe while exhibiting exceptional savoir-faire, and everlasting coolness, they are constantly matching wits with one another.
Robert Culp's figure of Kelly Robinson always wore ascots which I have always thought was a great, elegant look. Very, very Cary Grant–Once again, homage to Cary Grant being the real James Bond in "To Catch A thief" shot in 1955.
I spy was the first American TV series to feature an African American actor in the lead role. The fact that Bill Cosby's character was of African American heritage was never mentioned in the show. Bill Cosby won 3 Emmy Awards (1966,1967, and 1968).
I must admit that since I have been wearing Rolex watches, for more than a quarter century I always thought that wearing a stainless steel Rolex Submariner or GMT Master was not correct, but after checking out I Spy and the Gary Seven Star Trek episode it has changed my mind. I know think it is a kinda off cool look.
I also really enjoyed watching the episodes of I Spy. They have a kind of campy, kitschy, fun, Grooovy Baby–Yeah!!! Austin Power's–Man Of International Mystery vibe. I think I like watching this old stuff for the same reason I appreciate other older shows like Star Trek and Jacques Cousteau Odyssey.
Watching the episodes of I Spy, left me wanting more. So I plan to purchase all the DVD episodes and watch them all and hopefully I can get some higher quality screen captures of Rolex shots.
Bill Cosby and Robert Culp also made a movie named I Spy returns in 1994.
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
