Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Luchè spotted wearing Rolex

Luchè showed up to the Radio DeeJay studios for the launch of his album 'Dove Volano le Aquile' wearing a watch that required no introduction: the Rolex Day-Date 36 in 18k yellow gold with a white dial, reference 118238. The setting — a major Italian radio house, a career milestone release — was a fitting backdrop for a timepiece that has historically signaled arrival rather than ambition.

The Rolex Day-Date 118238 runs on the calibre 3155, a self-winding movement beating at 28,800 vph with a 48-hour power reserve, featuring a instantaneous day disc and a Rolex Parachrom hairspring for enhanced shock and magnetic resistance. The 36mm case in 18k yellow gold is fitted with a fluted bezel and rides on a President bracelet — the three-link design Rolex introduced specifically for the Day-Date in 1956 and which remains exclusive to this model. The white dial on the 118238 is lacquered, offering a clean, almost porcelain-like surface that reflects light differently from the brand's more elaborate dials, making it a quietly sophisticated choice within a reference that also comes in meteorite, onyx, and diamond-set configurations.

The Day-Date debuted in 1956 as the first wristwatch to display the full day of the week spelled out in full, alongside the date — a genuinely functional complication at the time, and a technical statement. Its association with heads of state, business leaders, and cultural figures earned it the unofficial title 'The President's Watch,' a nickname the President bracelet quietly reinforces to this day. Reference 118238 represents the modern 36mm iteration before Rolex updated the line with the 118238 successor references in recent years.

Luchè, one of the most respected voices in Italian hip-hop, has built a catalog defined by lyrical precision and cultural rootedness in Naples. The choice of a yellow gold Day-Date with a white dial — restrained by Day-Date standards, yet unambiguously luxurious — reflects a sensibility consistent with his artistic persona: substance over spectacle.

On the grey market, the Rolex Day-Date 118238 in yellow gold with a white dial trades at a premium over retail, reflecting sustained collector demand for the 36mm format and the enduring appeal of the classic lacquered white dial. It remains one of the most liquid references in the Rolex ecosystem.