Felix Hernandez Gifts Rolex Submariner to John Jaso

Baseball season has kicked off with a bang this spring. Across the nation families, couples, and die-hard baseball fanatics alike filled stadiums and sports bars to watch their favorite teams. On the west coast, the Seattle Mariners took on the Oakland A’s for their season opener, and once again, star pitcher Felix Hernandez stole the headlines in his first starting game since signing a contract for $175 million in the off season. It would be tough, to say the least, to rival the buzz around King Felix’s perfectly pitched game over the Tampa Bay Rays in August 2012, a first for the Seattle Mariners and only the 23^rd in the history of baseball. However, Hernandez managed to capture the spotlight yet again by gifting a Rolex Submariner to his former battery mate, catcher John Jaso.

Image from ESPN.com.

Jaso, who now plays for the Oakland A’s, went head to head with his former teammate for the first time in last night’s game. Just when it looked like King Felix might be on his way to another record breaking perfectly pitched game after retiring the first 10 batters, Jaso stepped up to the plate and broke the no-hitter by making the first hit of the game.

Hernandez first dropped hints of the mysterious gift during a workout day on Sunday, and the Rolex Submariner was delivered to the Oakland clubhouse a couple hours before the first pitch of the game. Jaso graciously and modestly commented on accepting the gift following the game in saying, “It is pretty heavy. It’s got to be real. The watch I own, I think it’s a Timex, so this is a bit of an upgrade. I think there’s a bit of tradition with the Rolex. I knew he was going to come through” (reported by ESPN). Hernandez also personalized the watch with a sentimental engraving on the case back reading “perfect game” along with the game date, “8/15/12.”

While these sportsmen are remarkable, we are equally impressed with sizing up the stats on this recently gifted Rolex Submariner 116613. The Rolex Submariner 116613 has some slightly tweaked, new and improved attributes from its predecessor, the Rolex Submariner 16613. While the 116613 still features a 40mm case, its bigger lugs and crown guards in combination with its thicker hands and larger markers lend the 116613 to the category of bulkier watches that are growing in popularity. One of the most notable enhancements to the 116613 is the ceramic bezel, which differs from the aluminum bezel of the 16613 in that it is more lustrous, has better scratch resistance, and features engraved markings as opposed to printed ones. In addition to these distinguished aesthetic improvements to the Submariner, the functionality has been brought up to date with the latest version of the Rolex Caliber 3135 with the new Parachrom Bleu hairspring. All of these attributes make the Rolex Submariner 116613 the perfect sports watch for one MLB player to give to another.

Rolex 16613 with Aluminum Bezel

Rolex 116610 with Ceramic Bezel