Genuine Vintage Rolex GMT Master ad removed from an old magazine and expertly framed. This one tells a story of Tom Sheppards Expedition across the Sahara Desert, text below: In 1975, Tom Sheppard, leading a Joint Services Expedition, crossed the Sahara Desert from west to east. It was the first-ever crossing of the Sahara through the Mauritanian Empty Quarter, a barren region of which no maps had ever been made. In a place where, at the best of times, one sand dune looks much like another, the Empty Quarter posed an extraordinary challenge to the Expedition's skills in navigation. To avoid the risk of being stranded by the failure of their complicated equipment, Tom Sheppard relied on more consistent guides to plot his course -the sun, the stars, and Rolex watches. And it is a tribute to the efficiency of all three that the Expedition scarcely took a wrong turn from start to finish. In fact, their progress was so efficient that Tom Sheppard was able to make a complete film documentary at the same time. It was no chance decision that made Sheppard rely on Rolex throughout the historic Sahara crossing. Since 1967 he had used them in all six of his major desert expeditions. The unique Oyster case alone takes longer to make than most watches. When complete, it is impervious to water, dust, shock and, of course, sand. The Joint Services Expedition took 100 days to cover a distance of 7,500 miles. And although the journey was accomplished without any major setback, it was still a welcome relief when they finally reached the Red Sea. As one member of the team remarked, it had been a long, long way to come, just for a paddle. Due to the layout and printing of magazines it is sometimes hard to cut out the Vintage Ads in good alignment, therefore some framed ads may not be perfectly centered inside of the frames. These Ads are often over 20 years old so will show general signs of wear such as light creases or blemishes We try our best to display this in the photos of the products provided, however if you would like to see some more pictures or ask any questions we will be happy to help.
