Designer Victoria Beckham spotted wearing a Rolex

Victoria Beckham has long been documented as a serious watch collector, but this archival photograph — resurfaced to mark International Women's Day — offers a particularly striking glimpse into her collection: a vintage Rolex Day-Date reference 1802 in 18-karat yellow gold, configured with one of the watch world's most mythologized dials, the green Stella.

The Rolex Day-Date reference 1802 was produced from approximately 1959 through the mid-1970s and represented the full expression of Rolex's flagship dress watch at the time. Cased in 18k gold — yellow, white, or Everose were never the point here; yellow gold was the canonical choice — the ref. 1802 housed the caliber 1555 self-winding movement, a 26-jewel automatic with Rolex's signature Glucydur beryllium balance wheel and Microstella regulation. The smooth, or 'liscia,' bezel that Beckham's example wears forgoes the more common fluted variant, lending the watch a cleaner, more architectural profile. The riveted Oyster bracelet, identifiable by its visible rivet links rather than the later solid-link construction, pins the piece chronologically and adds significant originality points for collectors.

The Stella dial — named after the Stern Frères company that supplied Rolex with these lacquer-finish, enamel-like surfaces in the 1970s — is the detail that transforms this Day-Date from a desirable vintage piece into a genuine rarity. Produced in roughly 40 colors, including this vivid green, the dials were applied in a process that made them inherently fragile and prone to chipping or crazing. Survivors in clean condition are exceptionally scarce. A green Stella Day-Date in yellow gold with an original, unrestored dial regularly commands between $150,000 and $300,000 at auction, with exceptional examples crossing higher.

Victoria Beckham's relationship with luxury watches is well established — she has been photographed with Patek Philippe, AP, and multiple Rolexes over the years. Her choice of a piece this specific, this historically grounded, signals genuine collector knowledge rather than trophy acquisition. This is not a watch you buy because it is expensive; it is a watch you seek out because you understand what it means.

On the grey market, a Rolex Day-Date ref. 1802 with a confirmed green Stella dial, smooth bezel, and riveted Oyster bracelet in honest condition represents one of the strongest value propositions in vintage Rolex — and one of the hardest configurations to source. Retail is not applicable for a vintage reference of this age; secondary market estimates for this specific dial-bezel-bracelet combination start well above $150,000 and scale sharply with dial condition and provenance documentation.