Rolex Air King "Dominos Pizza" ref.14000 from 1999
Rolex Air King "Dominos Pizza" ref.14000 from 1999
The history behind the Domino's watch is as fascinating as the watch itself. According to Domino's founder Tom Monaghan, the Domino's Rolex was part of an informal incentive program that began in 1977. When a franchisee saw Monaghan wearing a unique Bulova watch with the Domino's logo on the dial, he asked the founder what it would take to get the watch. Monaghan responded easily: "Deliver a week's worth of twenty-thousand-dollar sales." Of course, the franchisee did just that and a new incentive program began.
Monaghan realized the motivating power of watches. $10,000 in sales would earn him a Hermès tie, and $20,000 in sales in a week would earn him a new Rolex Air-King with the Domino's logo. The challenge became known as the Rolex Challenge, and many franchisees did not hesitate to go for the grand prize.
Years later, Domino's changed the goal to $25,000 in sales instead of $20,000, and they have to do it for four consecutive weeks. After all, Rolex watches cost more today than they did 40 years ago. It's definitely a daunting task considering that the average cost of a Domino's pizza ranges from $6 to $18 per slice. Even at its highest price point, a franchise would need to sell at least 1300 pizzas to make the cut. At the lowest price of $6 per pizza, a franchise would need to sell around 4,000 pizzas to win the Rolex Challenge.
The Domino's Pizza Rolex is undoubtedly a rare watch and very difficult to obtain today, as most of these pieces remain with their original owners for personal reasons. Since the Rolex Challenge began in the early 1980s, there have been variations of these watches and the logo that Rolex puts on the dial. The 14000M reference with the "Tilted Dominos" logo is the most sought after variation due to the properties of the watch and the aesthetics of the logo.
Brand: Rolex
Model: Air King
Reference: 14000M
Year of Manufacture: 2000
Serial Number: A264xxx
Material: Steel
Dimensions: 34mm
Crystal Material: Sapphire
Luminescent Material: Superluminova
Caliber: 3130
Type of Machinery: Automatic
Extensible Measurement: 19mm
Bracelet: Oyster 78350 end-links 557B
Box/Papers: No
Mechanical Functioning Guarantee: 6 Months
Comments: Watch in immaculate condition. Watch in excellent mechanical condition recently serviced and watertested. 100% original watch, original Domino's Pizza "Tilted Logo" dial.