Watch Paparazzi

Actor Sylvester Stallone spotted wearing Rolex

Sylvester Stallone was recently photographed wearing a vintage Rolex Day-Date reference 18038 featuring one of the watch world's most coveted dial configurations — a Stella turquoise lacquer dial mounted on an 18ct yellow gold case with a Jubilee bracelet. For serious Rolex collectors, this sighting is anything but casual.

The Rolex Day-Date ref. 18038 entered production in 1978 as a direct evolution of the earlier ref. 1803, introducing a new case architecture with a sapphire crystal replacing the earlier acrylic. The 36mm case in 18ct yellow gold houses the calibre 3055 movement — a self-winding manufacture movement featuring a day-of-week disc and instantaneous date change, beating at 19,800 vph with a 48-hour power reserve. The reference remained in production until approximately 1990, placing it firmly in the golden era of Rolex exotic dial production.

The so-called Stella dials — named after the Stella paint company whose lacquers Rolex reportedly sourced for these vivid finishes — were offered across a spectrum of colors including coral, turquoise, green, chocolate, and lemon. Turquoise ranks among the most desirable. These dials were not catalogued with standard reference numbers by Rolex, making provenance and condition everything. Original gloss, sharp printing, and absence of crazing dramatically affect desirability and value. A genuine turquoise Stella on a ref. 18038 in strong condition is a legitimate trophy piece.

Sylvester Stallone's relationship with haute horology is well documented — he has appeared in campaigns for Panerai and has long favored bold, architecturally significant watches that project presence. The Day-Date in this specific configuration, however, signals something beyond pure wrist real estate: it demonstrates an appreciation for the nuanced, almost accidental artistry of a dial that Rolex itself has never officially replicated in modern production.

On the current grey market, turquoise Stella dial examples of the Rolex Day-Date ref. 18038 have been trading near and above the $100,000 mark, a figure that would have seemed extraordinary even five years ago. Auction results at Phillips, Christie's, and Sotheby's have repeatedly confirmed collector appetite for Stella variants shows no meaningful signs of cooling. For a watch that retailed at a fraction of this price decades ago, the ref. 18038 in turquoise Stella configuration stands as one of vintage Rolex collecting's clearest success stories.