Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Aitch spotted wearing Rolex

Aitch, the Manchester-born rapper who has firmly established himself as one of the UK's most commercially successful hip-hop artists, was recently spotted on the wrist with a Rolex Yacht-Master 40 in Oystersteel and platinum, reference 126622, fitted with its signature blue sunray dial.

The Yacht-Master 126622 sits in a quietly elite position within the Rolex lineup. While it shares its 40mm Oystercase diameter with the Submariner, the 126622 is powered by the in-house Calibre 3235 — a movement that brought Rolex's patented Chronergy escapement, a 70-hour power reserve, and a Paraflex shock absorber to the Yacht-Master family when the reference was introduced in 2019, replacing the outgoing 116622. The case and bracelet are crafted in 904L Oystersteel, but the bidirectional rotatable bezel — engraved with the characteristic raised lettering and minute scale — is machined entirely from 950 platinum, giving the watch a cool, two-tone lustre that no PVD or ceramic coating can replicate.

Among collectors, the 126622 occupies an underappreciated corner of the Rolex sports catalogue. It lacks the cult waiting-list theatre of the steel Daytona or the GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', which paradoxically makes it more accessible at retail while rewarding buyers who actually understand the specification. A platinum bezel on a steel watch is genuinely unusual in Swiss watchmaking at this price point, and the electric blue lacquered dial — matched to the steel and platinum tones — gives it a coastal, almost Mediterranean character that wears well in both casual and dressed-down contexts.

For Aitch, whose public image blends North of England directness with a growing international profile, the Yacht-Master 126622 reads as a considered choice. It is recognisably Rolex to a mainstream audience, yet sidesteps the more obvious trophy references favoured across UK rap circles. It suggests a collector who has done his research.

At UK list price, the Yacht-Master 126622 retails at £9,550. On the grey market, demand remains steady without the extreme premiums attached to steel sport references in short supply, making this one of the more honestly priced Rolex sports watches available to buyers today.