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Boxer Amir Khan spotted wearing Rolex

Amir Khan has long signalled his affinity for bold, statement-making watches, and his latest sighting does nothing to undermine that reputation. The former WBA light-welterweight world champion was spotted on the wrist of the 40mm Rolex Day-Date ref. 228238, one of the most prestigious configurations in the current Rolex catalogue — solid 18-karat yellow gold from case to bracelet, finished with a factory-set baguette diamond dial that few manufacturers can match at this price point.

The Day-Date lineage dates to 1956, when Rolex introduced the first wristwatch to display both the date and the spelled-out day of the week. The 40mm generation — the 228238 — arrived in 2015, replacing the long-running 36mm ref. 118238, and brought with it a meaningful upgrade in movement technology. At its heart sits the Calibre 3255, a proprietary automatic with 70 hours of power reserve, Rolex's Chronergy escapement offering roughly 15 percent greater energy efficiency than a conventional lever escapement, and a Parachrom hairspring. The movement holds a Master Chronometer-level precision rating of -2/+2 seconds per day, certified by Rolex's own COSC-exceeding standards.

The specific appeal of the baguette-set variant lies in the factory provenance. Rolex cuts, sets, and certifies every diamond in-house, a claim few houses making watches at this volume can legitimately make. Ten baguette-cut diamonds replace the applied gold hour markers of the standard model, adding a layer of dress-watch drama without crossing into ostentation — at least by Day-Date standards. The 228238 on an integrated President bracelet, in yellow gold, remains the quintessential 'President's watch' configuration, connecting back to the model's decades-long association with heads of state and cultural heavyweights.

Khan, who held multiple world titles across his professional career and represented Great Britain at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has consistently invested in high-horology. A Rolex Day-Date in full yellow gold and diamonds fits the aesthetic vocabulary he has built both inside and outside the ring — aspirational, unapologetically successful, classically grounded.

On the market, the ref. 228238 in this baguette configuration carries a UK list price of £33,550 (approximately $43,840 USD). Grey-market premiums are substantial: current secondary values are tracking around £47,000, or roughly $61,000 USD — a premium of nearly 40 percent over retail, reflecting the persistent demand for gold Day-Date references in a supply-constrained market.