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Our Rolex history

Rolex and Fourtané History

John & Sandy Bonifas were high school sweethearts born and raised in Monroe, Michigan. At 16 years old, John landed his first job working at a jewelry store in 1965. His duties included emptying the ashtrays and sweeping the floor. As time went on, he learned to resize bracelets, then rings. Eventually he was promoted to sales associate. After earning a college degree and getting married, John & Sandy opened small jewelry shops in Monroe, Toledo, St. Louis, Denver and La Jolla.
Our Rolex History

A Legacy Begins

In 1987 when Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel, John and Sandy Bonifas sold everything in order to purchase Fourtané Jewelers in Carmel-by-the-Sea from Loyola Fourtané, who had established the shop in 1950 after relocating from her well-known art community of Sausalito. Loyola’s designs were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and Fourtané soon became known as a destination for one-of-a-kind antique and estate jewelry pieces.

Our Rolex History

The Rolex Crown

In 1996, John & Sandy’s son, Josh, moved by his passion for vintage timepieces and for Rolex and its history specifically, created a watch department at Fourtané. After growing both the watch and jewelry businesses, Fourtané became an authorized Rolex agent in 2002. This was the same year Rolex began sponsoring the historic automotive races at Laguna Seca, now known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. With aspirations to grow our/their partnership with Rolex, our/their dreams were fully realized in 2018 with the opening of the Fourtané Rolex Boutique in San Diego. The boutique in many ways circled the Bonifas family back to their beginnings: not only did they once have a shop in the San Diego area, but the boutique itself celebrates the rich history of the Rolex brand, one which inspired Josh to pursue his interest in vintage Rolex watches as a career.

Our Rolex History

The Rolex Boutique

In 2024, the boutique expanded into a brand-new, Rolex custom-designed 3,000-square-foot space with refined banquets and tables, elegant lighting and private spaces for clients to enjoy learning about different models with the assistance of dedicated staff. The boutique also features an immersive experience of James Cameron’s dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench and the Deepsea model that accompanied his expedition. The boutique was designed with nautical elements that reflect Rolex’s connection to the ocean and pays homage to the San Diego area.
We invite you to visit our newly renovated Rolex Boutique located at the Fashion Valley Mall to experience a welcoming atmosphere and find the Rolex watch that best suits your unique story.

Our Rolex History
Rolex
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