Watch Paparazzi

Rapper French Montana spotted wearing Rolex

French Montana was recently photographed wearing one of the most distinctive Rolex Cosmograph Daytona customizations currently circulating among serious collectors: 'The French Montana,' a commission executed by French specialist atelier Skeleton Concept. The piece appears on his wrist in a black-and-white portrait session, its skeletonized dial and green bezel just legible against his layered chain jewelry and Prada knitwear — a deliberate contrast between old-world craft and street-level style.

Skeleton Concept begins with an authentic Rolex Cosmograph Daytona base — almost certainly a steel reference 116500LN or its successor 126500LN — and performs surgical dial removal, replacing the factory lacquered surface with a skeletonized sapphire plate that reveals the Cal. 4130 or Cal. 4131 column-wheel chronograph movement beneath. The anthracite-gray sub-registers at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock retain legibility while the red accent hands and markers introduce a palette that mirrors the Moroccan flag. The custom tachymetric scale on the emerald-green translucent bezel is machined to Skeleton Concept's specification, not sourced from Rolex's parts bin, making the piece entirely non-factory in its finishing.

The Arabic numerals on the 12-hour register are the piece's most personal detail — a direct cultural reference to French Montana's Moroccan roots and his native Arabic language. It is the kind of micro-narrative that separates a thoughtful commission from a purely aesthetic modification. Skeleton Concept, based in Paris and known for working with both private clients and celebrity figures, has built a reputation for maintaining mechanical integrity while pushing visual boundaries on donor Rolex references.

French Montana — born Karim Kharbouch in Casablanca before relocating to the Bronx — has cultivated one of hip-hop's more discerning watch wardrobes, with documented Patek Philippe, AP, and Richard Mille pieces in rotation. The 'French Montana' Daytona sits at the intersection of his two identities: Bronx rapper and Moroccan émigré, rendered in green, red, and open steel.

Customized Rolex Daytonas occupying this tier of atelier work — genuine movement exposure, bespoke bezel fabrication, named commissions — typically command a significant premium over standard grey-market Daytona pricing. A base steel 126500LN currently trades around $28,000–$32,000 on the secondary market; a named Skeleton Concept commission of this specification would realistically price between $45,000 and $65,000 depending on provenance and documentation.