Watch Paparazzi

Royal Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim spotted wearing Rolex

Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Prince of Johor and a figure well known in regional royal circles for his forthright public persona and keen interest in fine watches, was recently photographed wearing one of the most talked-about Rolex references of the past decade: the GMT-Master II 'Sprite' in stainless steel with Jubilee bracelet, reference 126720VTNR.

Debuted at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR introduced two structural changes that broke with decades of GMT-Master convention. Most significantly, Rolex repositioned the screw-down crown and date window from the traditional 3 o'clock position to 9 o'clock — a left-hand configuration that had not appeared on a GMT-Master since the brand discontinued the 6542 series in the late 1950s. The move improves wrist comfort considerably for pilots and frequent travelers resting their wrist on a surface. Powering the 40mm Oystersteel case is the in-house calibre 3285, offering a 70-hour power reserve, Chronergy escapement, and Rolex's Parachrom hairspring for improved shock and magnetic resistance.

The watch's Cerachrom bezel insert is, technically speaking, unprecedented. The two-tone green-and-black combination — green for the GMT hand's home time, black for the local time — had never been executed in Rolex's ceramic compound before. Collectors immediately christened it 'Sprite' after the iconic soft drink's color palette, a naming tradition consistent with the 'Pepsi,' 'Batman,' and 'Root Beer' monikers that have defined GMT-Master collecting culture for generations. Paired with the five-link Jubilee bracelet in Oystersteel, the 126720VTNR presents a dresser, more refined aesthetic than the Oyster bracelet variants.

Tunku Ismail, known publicly as TMJ, is no casual watch wearer. He has appeared publicly in a range of serious horological pieces and is regarded as one of the more watch-literate royals in the ASEAN region. His choice of the 126720VTNR signals genuine collector instinct rather than simple brand recognition.

At an official retail price of $11,050 USD, the Rolex GMT-Master II 'Sprite' ref. 126720VTNR is effectively unobtainable at list from authorized dealers, with grey-market prices currently hovering around $52,500 — a premium of nearly 375 percent that underscores just how aggressively the market values this particular configuration.