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modelSpotted December 2022

Model Emily Ratajkowski spotted wearing a Rolex

model Emily Ratajkowski spotted wearing a Rolex
Who & what: Rolex Day-Date 18238 Yellow Gold Onyx Dial President Bracelet – Celebrity Sighting

Photographed during a relaxed walk with model and actress Emily Ratajkowski, filmmaker and producer Sebastian Bear-McClard wears what appears to be a Rolex Day-Date in 18-karat yellow gold, fitted with a factory onyx dial — one of the most visually striking and collectible configurations the Geneva manufacturer has ever offered on its flagship dress watch. The setting is deliberately low-key, which makes the President bracelet glinting at his wrist all the more conspicuous.

The reference in question is almost certainly the 18238, the 36mm Day-Date that Rolex produced from 1989 through the early 2000s before transitioning to the 118238. The 18238 houses the calibre 3155 automatic movement, a high-beat manufacture ebauche offering a full instantaneous day display, date, and Rolex's Parachrom hairspring in later examples. The fluted 18-karat gold bezel, the day aperture at 12 o'clock and date window at 3 o'clock are all clearly legible in this sighting, consistent with the 18238 specification sheet.

The onyx dial elevates this particular example well above a standard gold Day-Date. Rolex sources its stone dials from natural mineral slabs, meaning no two are identical and production quantities are inherently limited. The deep, glassy black of polished onyx against yellow gold indices and hands creates a contrast that lacquer or enamel simply cannot replicate. Collectors actively seek stone-dial Day-Dates — onyx, meteorite, and aventurine command meaningful premiums on the secondary market.

For Bear-McClard, the choice reads as considered rather than ostentatious — the Day-Date is a watch with genuine horological and cultural heritage, worn here in its most classic configuration. The President bracelet, exclusive to the Day-Date family, was famously adopted by heads of state and entertainment industry figures throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a lineage that adds narrative weight to the piece.

On the grey market, a clean 18238 in yellow gold with an onyx dial typically trades between $28,000 and $38,000 depending on condition, box and papers. Examples with original unpolished cases and full documentation push toward the upper end of that range and are genuinely difficult to source. Official retail for the current 118238 successor sits above $36,000, making a well-preserved vintage example competitive on price while offering considerably more character.

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