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!
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Esta historia es de la edición June - July 2024 de Road & Track.
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TURD ON THE RUN
IN THE LATE SIXTIES, THE ROLLING STONES BUILT A MOBILE RECORDING STUDIO ON THE BACK OF A FARM TRUCK AND CHANGED MUSIC FOREVER.
I Got a Guy..
There exist people with very particular sets of skills. Skills acquired over long careers. Skills that make them a godsend for people like us. They are the specialists.
RADIAL FLYER
A MEYERS MANX WITH AN AIRPLANE ENGINE IS A WEIRD FIX FOR SPEED ADDICTION.
RESIDENT ALIEN
THE CZINGER 21C LOOKS LIKE IT ARRIVED FROM A DISTANT PLANET. INSTEAD, IT COMES FROM CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS KIND OF THE SAME THING.
FUNNY FACE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF CALIFORNIA-DIAL WATCHES.
THE PROBLEM WITH ROBERT WILLIAMS
TOWARD THE END of our third interview, Robert Williams gives me some advice about overcoming creative blocks. “Phrase it as a problem,” he says. “
Quiet Riot
In the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai makes the case that an EV can tamp down racetrack noise without sacrificing capability.
The Sound and the Fury
A legal feud over booming decibels put California's most historic roadracing circuit in jeopardy.
THE COURSE OF HISTORY
The West Coast tracks where modern racing was born.
TANK WARFARE
WHAT IF THE WHOLE CAR WERE A GAS TANK?
