Royal Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim spotted wearing a Rolex

Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Prince of Johor and a figure known across Southeast Asia for his outspoken public presence and sharp personal style, was recently photographed wearing one of the most talked-about steel sports watches of the past five years: the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 in stainless steel with a turquoise 'Tiffany' blue dial, reference 124300.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 124300 was unveiled as part of a sweeping dial colour refresh at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2020, and the turquoise option stopped collectors in their tracks. The 41mm Oystersteel case houses the calibre 3230 — Rolex's in-house automatic movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, Parachrom hairspring, and a 70-hour power reserve. The movement is COSC-certified and beats at 28,800 vph. The lacquered turquoise dial is applied with hour markers and Rolex's signature Mercedes hands in Oystersteel, all protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and the brand's signature Twinlock winding crown. Water resistance stands at 100 metres.

Of all the Oyster Perpetual dial colours released in recent years — coral red, yellow, olive — the turquoise 'Tiffany' tone achieved its own cultural moment. Collectors immediately drew comparisons to the iconic Tiffany & Co. colour that had already driven prices on vintage and limited-edition Patek Philippe and independent-brand references to extraordinary levels. The 124300 in turquoise became a benchmark for how a relatively accessible Rolex — no complication, no precious metal — could generate disproportionate desire. Its list price of approximately $6,500 makes it one of the entry points into the Rolex catalogue, yet authorised dealers have maintained near-zero availability since launch.

Tunku Ismail, known informally as TMJ, is a prominent collector and has been photographed wearing an eclectic range of timepieces over the years. His choice of the 124300 — understated in complication but visually arresting — reflects a collector sensibility that values character over complexity.

On the grey market, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 ref. 124300 in turquoise currently trades at approximately $18,000, representing a premium of nearly 180 percent over its retail price of $6,500. That spread underscores just how effectively this dial colour captured collector imagination — and shows no meaningful sign of correcting.