Watch Paparazzi

Actor Shah Rukh Khan spotted wearing Rolex

Shah Rukh Khan, one of the highest-grossing actors in global cinema history, was recently spotted on the wrist of the Rolex Day-Date 40 in 18ct white gold, reference 228239 — a timepiece that carries one of the most loaded legacies in watchmaking. The sighting aligns naturally with Khan's carefully cultivated public image: powerful, precise, and never gratuitously showy.

The Day-Date 40, introduced in 2015 as an evolution of the original 1956 Day-Date, brings a 40mm Oyster case to what had historically been a 36mm format. Reference 228239 is distinguished by its 18ct white gold construction throughout — case, fluted bezel, and the three-piece-link President bracelet that remains exclusive to Day-Date and Lady-Datejust models. The dial on Khan's piece presents in white, with applied Roman numeral hour markers and a sunburst finish that reads crisp against the cool tone of the white gold. The day window sits at 12 o'clock; the date at 3. Inside beats the Calibre 3255, Rolex's own manufacture movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, a 70-hour power reserve, and a Syloxi silicon hairspring — arguably the most refined movement in Rolex's current production lineup.

Among collectors, the Day-Date 40 white gold on President bracelet occupies a specific psychological territory: it is the reference that executives, heads of state, and entertainers have historically reached for when the occasion demands both gravitas and discretion. The reference 228239 specifically, with its white dial and Roman numerals, is considered one of the cleaner, more enduring configurations — resisting the trend toward exotic dial materials while remaining unmistakably grand.

Shah Rukh Khan's watch collection is documented to include several high-complication and prestige pieces, but the Day-Date 40 is a notably coherent choice for a man who has built a global brand around his own identity. In Bollywood's visual economy, the President bracelet reads as a cultural marker of arrival.

At retail, reference 228239 lists at approximately $33,600 USD — a price that has risen steadily through recent catalogue updates. On the secondary market, white gold Day-Date 40 references in clean condition tend to trade at or modestly above list, reflecting stable but not speculative demand. For collectors, this is a fundamentally sound acquisition.