Watch Paparazzi

Singer Elton John spotted wearing Rolex

At the 2021 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party — better known as the EJAF Oscars viewing party — Sir Elton John took to the stage wearing a watch that competes with his legendary stage costumes for sheer visual impact: the Rolex Day-Date 40 in 18K white gold, reference 228349RBR, loaded with factory diamonds and baguette-cut sapphires.

The 228349RBR sits at the extreme apex of the Day-Date 40 family, which Rolex introduced in 2015 as an evolution of the original 1956 Day-Date — the first wristwatch to display both the date and the full day of the week. The 40mm Oyster case in 950 platinum-grade 18K white gold houses Rolex's in-house Calibre 3255, a manufacture movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, a paramagnetic nickel-phosphorus lever and escape wheel, and a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. The movement is certified to Rolex's own Superlative Chronometer standard, holding accuracy to ±2 seconds per day — well beyond COSC requirements.

What makes this particular reference extraordinary is the dial configuration. The pavé dial is set entirely in brilliant-cut diamonds, while eight baguette-cut diamonds serve as hour markers at the remaining positions, and baguette-cut blue sapphires occupy the 6 and 9 o'clock indices. The President bracelet — a design exclusive to the Day-Date line since 1956 — is itself set with diamonds across its three-link structure, making this one of the most gem-intensive configurations Rolex offers from the factory. Stone selection, grading, and setting are all carried out at Rolex's in-house gem-setting ateliers in Geneva.

For collectors, factory-gem Day-Date references occupy a category entirely separate from aftermarket diamond dials. Rolex's in-house setting work carries a provenance and resale legitimacy that third-party modifications cannot match, and pieces like the 228349RBR are catalogued as legitimate references rather than customs — a distinction that matters enormously at auction.

Elton John's relationship with extravagant horology is long-established. The 228349RBR, worn at one of Hollywood's most high-profile charity evenings, is precisely the kind of piece that suits his public persona — bold, museum-quality, and unapologetically opulent. At a UK list price of £68,500, this is a watch priced well beyond the grey market premium of most steel sports Rolex references, yet it remains quietly sought after by high-jewellery collectors.