Seem to be a typo: "...there isn't a watch repair shop on top of the Matterhorn." This would've worked as well: "...there aren't any watch repair shops on top of the Matternhorn."
We can start with the title. "Any" is a plural form, so at a minimum I would say: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there aren't any watch repair shops on top of the Matterhorn.", or alternatively: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there is no watch repair shop on top of the Matterhorn." (Or "isn't a" for a shop, or any other single countable noun.)
Then it continues with a rather simplistic vocabulary. "This is the watch we engineer for the lonely places." What does it mean if a place is lonely or not? Were they trying to convey the meaning of "remote"?
The next sentence is supposed to mean that the watch case is seamlessly machined from a single billet of Swedish steel, and so on, such as "15 days and 15 nights" when "15 days and nights" would suffice.
It feels like this was possibly translated into English.
We can start with the title. "Any" is a plural form, so at a minimum I would say: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there aren't any watch repair shops on top of the Matterhorn.", or alternatively: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there is no watch repair shop on top of the Matterhorn." (Or "isn't a" for a shop, or any other single countable noun.)
Then it continues with a rather simplistic vocabulary. "This is the watch we engineer for the lonely places." What does it mean if a place is lonely or not? Were they trying to convey the meaning of "remote"?
The next sentence is supposed to mean that the watch case is seamlessly machined from a single billet of Swedish steel, and so on, such as "15 days and 15 nights" when "15 days and nights" would suffice.
It feels like this was possibly translated into English.
Translation might be the reason, but I can see other reasons for the word choices.
The use of "isn't any" in the title is likely a translation thing, but it could be an intentional use of "working class" bad grammar. It's supposed to be a tool watch after all, so they aren't trying to sell to the posh of society. Back then, as with today, many middle managers would have been proud of their working class roots.
The use of "lonely places" is very much an intentional use of lonely to evoke an emotional response. To the aspiring explorer "lonely places" sounds romantic, and adventurous, whereas "remote" sounds clinical. They are selling to office bound weekend warriors, not actual explorers.
The use of "15 day and 15 nights" seems like a deliberate allusion to "40 days and 40 nights" from the story of Noah. Most adults back then would have attended church at least as children, so a subtle reference to the biblical story with regards to adventure would work quite well.
Edit: Also, "15 days and 15 nights" sounds better to my ear than "15 days and nights", so it really could have just come down to that.
Translation might be the reason, but I can see other reasons for the word choices.
The use of "isn't any" in the title is likely a translation thing, but it could be an intentional use of "working class" bad grammar. It's supposed to be a tool watch after all, so they aren't trying to sell to the posh of society. Back then, as with today, many middle managers would have been proud of their working class roots.
The use of "lonely places" is very much an intentional use of lonely to evoke an emotional response. To the aspiring explorer "lonely places" sounds romantic, and adventurous, whereas "remote" sounds clinical. They are selling to office bound weekend warriors, not actual explorers.
The use of "15 day and 15 nights" seems like a deliberate allusion to "40 days and 40 nights" from the story of Noah. Most adults back then would have attended church at least as children, so a subtle reference to the biblical story with regards to adventure would work quite well.
Edit: Also, "15 days and 15 nights" sounds better to my ear than "15 days and nights", so it really could have just come down to that.
To me "lonely" sounds rather negative, and is more of a feeling. Maybe "far away" places would be a better term, but I can understand that somebody might have picked that term intentionally for dramatic effect, similar to the "15 days and 15 nights", even though it is almost humorous. (That watch simply ran for 15 days, and couldn't care less if it was day or night.)
Other parts are however sloppy from my point of view. The term "we have an official Swiss Institute for Chronometer Tests" is needlessly generic, similar to the "gives it a certificate" and "exceptionally good results". That is just clunky, compared to stating that XYZ accuracy has been independently certified by XYZ institute. The relatively short sentence structure is also odd. My money is still on a translation.
The same type of language is not present in another historic Explorer advertisement. ("self-winding, officially certified chronometer movement.") That text is very much in line with what I would expect an advert to convey.
The advert is a bit unbelievable. No one is going to climb the Matterhorn or any other mountain for that matter with their overpriced watch banging and scrapping against the rocks. The utter stupidity of that ad just makes me want an Omega.
Then Rolex didn't pay its copy editors enough back in the day.
Seem to be a typo: "...there isn't a watch repair shop on top of the Matterhorn."
This would've worked as well: "...there aren't any watch repair shops on top of the Matternhorn."
Still, it's a cool photo.
We can start with the title. "Any" is a plural form, so at a minimum I would say: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there aren't any watch repair shops on top of the Matterhorn.", or alternatively: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there is no watch repair shop on top of the Matterhorn." (Or "isn't a" for a shop, or any other single countable noun.)
Then it continues with a rather simplistic vocabulary. "This is the watch we engineer for the lonely places." What does it mean if a place is lonely or not? Were they trying to convey the meaning of "remote"?
The next sentence is supposed to mean that the watch case is seamlessly machined from a single billet of Swedish steel, and so on, such as "15 days and 15 nights" when "15 days and nights" would suffice.
It feels like this was possibly translated into English.
We can start with the title. "Any" is a plural form, so at a minimum I would say: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there aren't any watch repair shops on top of the Matterhorn.", or alternatively: "We built the Rolex Explorer because there is no watch repair shop on top of the Matterhorn." (Or "isn't a" for a shop, or any other single countable noun.)
Then it continues with a rather simplistic vocabulary. "This is the watch we engineer for the lonely places." What does it mean if a place is lonely or not? Were they trying to convey the meaning of "remote"?
The next sentence is supposed to mean that the watch case is seamlessly machined from a single billet of Swedish steel, and so on, such as "15 days and 15 nights" when "15 days and nights" would suffice.
It feels like this was possibly translated into English.
Translation might be the reason, but I can see other reasons for the word choices.
The use of "isn't any" in the title is likely a translation thing, but it could be an intentional use of "working class" bad grammar. It's supposed to be a tool watch after all, so they aren't trying to sell to the posh of society. Back then, as with today, many middle managers would have been proud of their working class roots.
The use of "lonely places" is very much an intentional use of lonely to evoke an emotional response. To the aspiring explorer "lonely places" sounds romantic, and adventurous, whereas "remote" sounds clinical. They are selling to office bound weekend warriors, not actual explorers.
The use of "15 day and 15 nights" seems like a deliberate allusion to "40 days and 40 nights" from the story of Noah. Most adults back then would have attended church at least as children, so a subtle reference to the biblical story with regards to adventure would work quite well.
Edit: Also, "15 days and 15 nights" sounds better to my ear than "15 days and nights", so it really could have just come down to that.
Translation might be the reason, but I can see other reasons for the word choices.
The use of "isn't any" in the title is likely a translation thing, but it could be an intentional use of "working class" bad grammar. It's supposed to be a tool watch after all, so they aren't trying to sell to the posh of society. Back then, as with today, many middle managers would have been proud of their working class roots.
The use of "lonely places" is very much an intentional use of lonely to evoke an emotional response. To the aspiring explorer "lonely places" sounds romantic, and adventurous, whereas "remote" sounds clinical. They are selling to office bound weekend warriors, not actual explorers.
The use of "15 day and 15 nights" seems like a deliberate allusion to "40 days and 40 nights" from the story of Noah. Most adults back then would have attended church at least as children, so a subtle reference to the biblical story with regards to adventure would work quite well.
Edit: Also, "15 days and 15 nights" sounds better to my ear than "15 days and nights", so it really could have just come down to that.
To me "lonely" sounds rather negative, and is more of a feeling. Maybe "far away" places would be a better term, but I can understand that somebody might have picked that term intentionally for dramatic effect, similar to the "15 days and 15 nights", even though it is almost humorous. (That watch simply ran for 15 days, and couldn't care less if it was day or night.)
Other parts are however sloppy from my point of view. The term "we have an official Swiss Institute for Chronometer Tests" is needlessly generic, similar to the "gives it a certificate" and "exceptionally good results". That is just clunky, compared to stating that XYZ accuracy has been independently certified by XYZ institute. The relatively short sentence structure is also odd. My money is still on a translation.
The same type of language is not present in another historic Explorer advertisement. ("self-winding, officially certified chronometer movement.") That text is very much in line with what I would expect an advert to convey.
The picture is great and really hits the mark.
The English ain't proper like what I was learned by the teach in my London school. Her majesty Betty England Two don't speak like that neither.....
The advert is a bit unbelievable. No one is going to climb the Matterhorn or any other mountain for that matter with their overpriced watch banging and scrapping against the rocks. The utter stupidity of that ad just makes me want an Omega.
I raise you IWC...