Rapper TakeOff spotted wearing a Rolex

TakeOff, the Atlanta-born rapper and core member of Migos, was photographed wearing one of Rolex's most coveted and technically complex creations: the 18K yellow gold Daytona Rainbow, reference 116599RBOW. The sighting underscored the late artist's well-documented appreciation for serious horology beyond the genre's usual iced-out staples — this is a watch that demands respect on horological, not just monetary, grounds.

The Rolex Daytona 116599RBOW is built around the Calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house column-wheel chronograph movement introduced in 2000 to replace the Zenith El Primero base. The 4130 offers a 72-hour power reserve, a vertical clutch mechanism for cleaner chronograph engagement, and an impressive 28,800 vph beat rate — all housed in a 40mm case of solid 18K yellow gold. The dial carries eight diamond hour markers and a trio of subdials in contrasting tones, maintaining the Daytona's classic motorsport readability beneath the spectacle of its gem work.

The defining feature of the 116599RBOW is its bezel: 36 baguette-cut sapphires arranged in a precise chromatic gradient running from violet through blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Each stone is individually sourced and matched for colour saturation and cut consistency by Rolex's certified gemologists in Geneva. The process is extraordinarily labour-intensive, which is precisely why the reference was kept in limited production for years before being discontinued — a decision that immediately elevated its desirability among collectors.

TakeOff demonstrated a collector's eye in gravitating toward the 116599RBOW. Within hip-hop culture, rainbow Daytonas have functioned as the ultimate status signifier for over a decade, but the yellow gold variant carries particular weight — it is simultaneously the most traditional and the most flamboyant execution of the concept, avoiding the cooler restraint of the white gold 116599RBOW iterations.

On the grey market, discontinued rainbow Daytonas in yellow gold command significant premiums over their already substantial retail list price of approximately £85,000. Secondary market transactions for the 116599RBOW regularly surface between $250,000 and $350,000 USD depending on condition and provenance, reflecting both the reference's scarcity and its enduring cultural cachet.