Watch Paparazzi

Royal Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi spotted wearing Rolex

Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Ajman, was photographed wearing the Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126719BLRO, the white gold Pepsi variant that caused considerable excitement when Rolex unveiled it at Baselworld 2019. The sighting is consistent with the Crown Prince's reputation as an engaged watch collector rather than a passive accumulator of luxury goods.

The 126719BLRO represents the pinnacle of the current GMT-Master II lineup. Its 40mm Oyster case is crafted entirely in 18kt white gold, a material Rolex machines to extremely tight tolerances before hand-finishing. The bidirectional rotatable bezel carries the red-and-blue 'Pepsi' insert in Rolex's proprietary Cerachrom ceramic, a combination previously reserved for stainless steel references — its appearance in white gold was a genuine surprise. Inside sits the calibre 3285, Rolex's in-house movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, a 70-hour power reserve, and an independently adjustable GMT hand that allows the wearer to track a second time zone without disrupting the local time setting. The movement carries a Superlative Chronometer certification, meaning each watch is tested to ±2 seconds per day after casing.

The defining feature of this particular reference, however, is the dial. Rolex sources the material from the Gibeon meteorite, an iron-nickel mass of extraterrestrial origin that impacted what is now Namibia. Sliced, acid-etched, and polished, each dial reveals the distinctive Widmanstätten crystalline pattern formed over billions of years of slow cooling in space. No two dials are identical. Applied white gold hour markers and hands sit above this cosmic backdrop, the contrast both legible and dramatic.

Among collectors, the 126719BLRO occupies a specific position: it is the dressed-up, unapologetically precious version of one of watchmaking's most iconic tool-watch designs. Waiting lists at authorised dealers remain significant, and the piece is rarely discounted in grey-market channels given its combination of precious metal, complicated movement, and genuinely rare dial material.

For a royal with deep roots in the Arabian Gulf, where white gold sports watches sit comfortably alongside both formal and casual dress, the choice reads as considered rather than ostentatious. The 126719BLRO retails at approximately $41,500 USD, with grey-market premiums routinely pushing transaction prices above $55,000.