Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Adam Mosseri spotted wearing Rolex

Adam Mosseri, the entrepreneur best known as the head of Instagram and a former senior executive at Meta's Facebook, was recently spotted wearing one of the most compelling pieces a vintage Rolex collector can own: a ref. 1675 GMT-Master in 18k yellow gold, configured in the coveted 'Root Beer' colorway, mounted on a jubilee bracelet.

The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 was introduced in 1959 as the successor to the ref. 6542 and remained in production through the late 1970s. Designed in collaboration with Pan American World Airways for long-haul flight crews, the GMT-Master offered a fourth hand and a bidirectional 24-hour bezel to simultaneously track two time zones. The yellow gold variant of the ref. 1675 — designated 1675/8 in period catalogues — was produced in comparatively low numbers alongside the more common stainless steel versions, making solid gold examples genuinely rare on the secondary market today.

What elevates Mosseri's specific example further is the dial and bezel condition. The brown tritium 'nipple' dial — so named for the raised dot indices — is one of the most desirable original configurations on the ref. 1675, and its survival with intact tritium plots and honest patina is never guaranteed on watches of this age. The accompanying faded brown bezel insert, sun-bleached from its original chocolate tone, is precisely the kind of unrestored aging that sends serious collectors into a bidding frenzy. Pairing the case with a jubilee bracelet rather than the oyster adds a period-correct elegance that suits the gold case perfectly.

Mosseri's taste in watches reflects a quiet but well-informed collector sensibility. Rather than reaching for modern trophy pieces, he gravitates toward historically significant references with genuine provenance and wearable character — a hallmark of collectors who understand watches rather than simply acquire them.

On the grey market, a ref. 1675 in yellow gold with an original nipple dial and faded 'Root Beer' bezel commands serious money. The $50,000 USD estimate attached to this example is consistent with recent auction and dealer results for comparable pieces in honest, unpolished condition — a figure that reflects both the rarity of the gold case and the premium the market now assigns to untouched, original dials.