Fans of Rolex replica watches are familiar with the plethora of nicknames on some models. Some are fitting, like the “Paul Newman” while others are rather unlucky, like the “Smurf. So, “whatever you think about Rolex nicknames, they’ve been around for a long time and don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Rolex’s chief executive has been a nickname for decades, and the watch’s official name is Rolex Day-Date. But did you know that Rolex’s iconic precious metal dress watch is also known as Texas Timex?
Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson acted as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. In Rolex collecting communities, he was also famous as the first U.S. President to wear the Rolex Day-Date watch publicly and it is presumed that he is the reason that the replica watch picked up the “Rolex President” nickname. Actually, Rolex released an advertisement in 1966 proclaiming that the Day-Date was “The President’s Watch,” no doubt alluding to President LBJ’s timepiece choice.
Fellow Texans became so addicted to the solid 18k yellow gold Rolex status watch that local jewelers couldn’t keep up with demand and waitlists for the Day-Date began forming. Oil-producing Texas was flush with cash and the state’s mantra of “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” was just the right environment for Rolex’s flashiest watch to become the essential timepiece.
By the mid-1980s, more and more fake Rolex watches were sold in Texas than in any other state in the country. In 1983, a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date started at $7,950 at retail. Yet in spite of the hefty price tag, the replica watch became so popular in certain circles that it was taken as the Texas Timex. This is surely in reference to the cheap and common watch brand. The “Texas Timex” name soon expanded to refer to any solid yellow gold Rolex watch.
The appeal of Rolex is still powerful in Texas. Apart from being home to one of Rolex’s own Service Centers, the brand’s official website lists 33 authorized retailers in the Lone Star State, including a stand-alone boutique in Houston. Only California surpasses it with 40 authorized retail locations present in the state.
