Singer J Balvin spotted wearing a Rolex

J Balvin was recently spotted with one of the most visually arresting references in the modern Rolex catalog locked onto his wrist: the Cosmograph Daytona 116599RBOW in 18K white gold, known universally in collector circles as the Rainbow Daytona. For an artist whose entire aesthetic brand is built on color — from his album artwork to his sneaker collaborations — the choice reads less as a flex and more as a coherent personal statement.

The Rolex Daytona 116599RBOW is a technical and gemological achievement wrapped in a sports chronograph case. The 40mm white gold case houses the in-house Calibre 4130, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch and a 72-hour power reserve, beating at 28,800 vph. The bezel is set with 36 baguette-cut sapphires graduating through the full visible spectrum — violet through red — while the dial itself is pavé-set with round brilliant diamonds. The multicolored hour markers are individually set baguette sapphires, and the crown and pushers are additionally diamond-set. Total stone count runs into the hundreds. Rolex introduced the Rainbow Daytona in yellow gold in 2012, adding the white gold variant shortly after, with the 116599RBOW becoming a fixture in the brand's high jewellery sporting line.

From a collector standpoint, the Rainbow Daytona occupies a category of its own. It is simultaneously a serious chronograph — built on one of the most respected in-house movements Rolex produces — and an object of haute joaillerie. That duality is rare. Waiting lists at authorized dealers have historically stretched years, and the secondary market has never been kind to buyers hoping for a discount.

J Balvin is one of the most decorated Latin music artists of his generation, with multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy wins to his name. His public persona leans heavily into color, art, and high fashion, making the 116599RBOW a natural extension rather than an anomaly in his wardrobe.

On the grey market, the Rolex Rainbow Daytona 116599RBOW commands a significant premium over its already substantial retail price, driven by chronic scarcity at the authorized dealer level. Collectors and flippers alike treat it as a blue-chip asset, and recent auction results support that valuation with no sign of softening.