Basketball player Joel Embiid spotted wearing a Rolex

When James Harden handed Joel Embiid a rose gold Rolex Day-Date 40 to mark his 2023 NBA MVP title, he chose a watch with a meaning that goes far beyond its price tag. The Day-Date has historically been associated with heads of state, Nobel laureates, and world leaders — making it, symbolically, the correct choice for a player who had just been voted the best in the most competitive basketball league on earth.

The reference 228235 is the 40mm iteration of the Day-Date lineage, introduced in 2015 to replace the long-running 118235. The case and bracelet are rendered entirely in Rolex's proprietary Everose gold — a platinum-alloyed 18k rose gold formula the brand developed to resist fading and discoloration over decades of wear. The characteristic President bracelet, semi-circular three-piece links and all, is included as standard, and the fluted bezel in matching Everose gold reinforces the watch's thoroughly dressy character. Dials are available across a wide range of configurations, from meteorite to diamond-set, with the champagne and chocolate tones proving perennially popular.

Powering the 228235 is the calibre 3255, Rolex's flagship movement introduced in 2015 and representing over a decade of in-house development. It beats at 28,800 vph, offers a 70-hour power reserve — roughly double the previous generation — and incorporates Rolex's Chronergy escapement, which improves efficiency by approximately 15 percent over a traditional lever escapement. COSC chronometer certification is a baseline; Rolex's own Superlative Chronometer standard pushes accuracy to ±2 seconds per day.

For collectors, the Day-Date 40 in Everose gold occupies the pinnacle of Rolex's current catalogue. It is not a sports watch, not a tool watch — it is the brand's unambiguous statement piece, and the 228235 reference has built a solid secondary market precisely because demand from aspirational buyers consistently outpaces boutique allocation.

Embiid joins a long tradition of NBA champions gravitating toward the Day-Date as a celebratory gesture. The Cameroonian-born center's 2023 MVP season — averaging 33.1 points per game — was historic enough to warrant the gesture, and Harden's choice of reference reads as considered rather than incidental.