Try GOLD - Free
FUNNY FACE
Road & Track
|June - July 2024
THE CURIOUS CASE OF CALIFORNIA-DIAL WATCHES.
NOBODY GETS TO choose their own nickname. Think George Ruth called himself “Babe”? Certainly not. Similarly, Rolex never used the term “California dial” to describe the watch faces it designed almost a century ago with a combination of Arabic and Roman numerals. But that’s what everyone in the watch game calls them.
In 1934, Rolex started making experimental versions of its Oyster Perpetual “Bubbleback” watch, with numbers 10 through 2 along the top in Roman numerals and 4 through 8 below in Arabic numerals. Its large, luminous indicators were more legible underwater and in the dark than basic stick-style markers. Rolex chose the Roman and Arabic numerals so that each is optimized for legibility, with the top and bottom halves of the watch being clearly divided. This the company creatively dubbed the “error-proof” dial. Boring!
This story is from the June - July 2024 edition of Road & Track.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Road & Track
Road & Track
MYTH BUSTING
Judging by past speculatory magazine articles, a mic-engine Corvette had been in the works nearly as long as the car has had a V-8. Road & Track’s role in this fantastical vision goes back to at least 1967. Inside GM, though, not so much.
1 min
June - July 2025
Road & Track
RIDE HEIGHT
“YOU CAN SEE FROM MILES AWAY that it’s a Bentley,” says Jai Bolar, the automaker’s head of design strategy and innovation.
1 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
WINGMAN ONE MAN'S QUEST TO REUNITE A 300SL WITH ITS PAST AT THE 12 HOURS OF SEBRING.
GOOSE BUMPS. “I couldn’t believe I was sitting in this seat, in this car, about to throttle onto the track at Sebring,” says Juan J. Escalante.
4 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
END OF THE ROAD
TO SKIRT THE TEDIUM OF THE L.A.-TO-VEGAS SLOG, LEAVE THE PAVEMENT BEHIND.
8 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
Magical Realism
Singer conjures up a fantastical take on the 911 Turbo.
6 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
OUT OF REACH - THE MOST ASPIRATIONAL WATCH IS ONE YOU CAN'T HAVE.
THE BUCKET-LIST WATCH is a dangerous game. It’s good to have a motivating goal, no doubt. But the problem is what happens when you reach that goal. Years, months, or even days later, you need a new holy grail to chase—bigger, pricier, and harder to get than the one you just got.
1 min
June - July 2025
Road & Track
FAST PARADE - EXCESSIVE SPEEDING IN SERVICE TO THE NATION.
“ARE YOU FREE ON SATURDAY?” my friend Larry asked on the phone. “We need drivers for the motorcade.”
3 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
GRAND TOUR
THERE'S NO QUICKER WAY TO FULFILL ITALIAN DREAMS THAN IN A V-12 FERRARI.
8 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
LEARNING TO FLY COMING DOWN IS THE HARDEST THING.
SEPARATING A CAR from the ground is simple physics. Drive over an incline at a high-enough velocity, and momentum will briefly relieve your tires of their primary function. The higher the velocity or ramp angle, the higher or longer the flight.
4 mins
June - July 2025
Road & Track
THE KIMI SPECIAL
A NIGHT CAROUSING WITH THE ICEMAN REMAINS MEMORABLE, DESPITE THE COPIOUS AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL.
3 mins
June - July 2025