Watch Paparazzi

Musician DJ Khaled spotted wearing Rolex

DJ Khaled rang in the holiday season with a wrist flex that would stop any serious collector in their tracks. Photographed at what appears to be a family gathering — dressed in a Prada leather jacket, his son nearby — the Miami-based record executive and DJ casually revealed a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 'Eye of the Tiger' in 18k yellow gold on his wrist. The close-up shot leaves little doubt: this is one of Rolex's most elaborate and labour-intensive special editions.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116588 TBR 'Eye of the Tiger' was introduced as a high-jewellery interpretation of the iconic chronograph platform. The 40mm yellow gold case houses Rolex's in-house Calibre 4130, a column-wheel COSC-certified movement offering 72 hours of power reserve and arguably the finest chronograph mechanism Rolex has ever produced. The bezel is set with 38 baguette-cut diamonds in a channel setting, while the open-worked dial — the defining feature of this reference — is interlaced with brilliant-cut diamonds and finished with black lacquer accents, giving the piece its distinctive tiger-eye optical effect. A black Oysterflex-style rubber strap completes the specification, an understated counterpoint to the gold and diamond case.

From a collector standpoint, the 'Eye of the Tiger' occupies rarefied territory. Rolex produces jewellery Daytonas in extremely limited numbers, and this particular execution — skeletonized, diamond-paved, yellow gold — rarely surfaces at retail. When it does appear at auction, it consistently trades at a significant premium to list, a function of constrained supply and crossover demand from both watch collectors and jewellery buyers.

DJ Khaled has built a watch collection that functions almost as a personal archive of hip-hop luxury culture. His rotation includes multiple Paul Newman Daytonas, Patek Philippe complications, and heavily iced custom pieces. The 'Eye of the Tiger' Daytona sits at the intersection of those two worlds: it is simultaneously a legitimate Rolex horological statement and an unambiguous luxury object.

At a retail price of approximately $105,000 USD, the 116588 TBR is already inaccessible to most. On the secondary market, however, demand has pushed values toward $250,000 USD — more than doubling its list price and placing it firmly in the realm of collectible trophy watches. For Khaled, it is a characteristically bold addition.