Chef Burak Özdemir spotted wearing a Rolex

Turkish celebrity chef Burak Özdemir — famous for his oversized copper pans, roaring flames, and hundreds of millions of social media followers — was recently spotted wearing the now-discontinued Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 in yellow dial, reference 124300-0004. The sighting fits naturally: Özdemir built his brand on vivid spectacle, and this particular Rolex is anything but understated.

Rolex introduced the 124300 collection in 2020, replacing the 114300 and bringing the Oyster Perpetual 41 into the current-generation case architecture. The ref. 124300-0004 houses the calibre 3230 — Rolex's in-house self-winding movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, a paramagnetic nickel-phosphorus lever and escape wheel, and a 70-hour power reserve. The movement is chronometer-certified by COSC. The stainless steel Oyster case measures 41 mm, with a domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and the brand's signature Twinlock winding crown. The bright yellow sunray-brushed dial, paired with a matching yellow Oystersteel bracelet option or rubber strap, made this reference immediately iconic.

From a collector standpoint, the 124300-0004 'Lemon' became a cultural flashpoint. When Rolex unveiled the candy-colored Oyster Perpetual lineup in 2020 — Coral Red, Turquoise Blue, Yellow, and Candy Pink — the market reacted with rare enthusiasm for what is technically an entry-level Rolex. The yellow dial variant sold out immediately at authorized dealers, and grey-market premiums reached multiples of retail within months. Rolex's subsequent discontinuation of the boldest color references only reinforced their desirability among younger collectors who saw them as wearable modern art.

Özdemir, who has cooked for crowds of thousands and counts celebrities among his regulars, has cultivated an image of generous excess — giant portions, theatrical presentation, and undeniable charisma. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual 124300-0004 reflects that energy precisely: an officially entry-level tool watch that became, against all odds, one of the decade's most talked-about references.

With an original retail price well below $6,000 USD at launch, the 124300-0004 now trades on the secondary market at approximately $20,000 — a premium that underscores how powerfully color and timing can transform a straightforward three-hander into a collector's trophy. For a chef who turned cooking into content and content into a global empire, the choice reads as entirely deliberate.