Watch Paparazzi

Singer AP Dhillon spotted wearing Rolex

AP Dhillon, the Indo-Canadian singer and record producer who has become one of the defining voices of global Punjabi pop, was recently photographed wearing one of the most coveted wristwatches in existence: the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Rainbow in Everose gold, reference 116595RBOW. The sighting adds another chapter to a growing tradition of South Asian artists reaching for the upper tier of Swiss horology as a cultural statement.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116595RBOW is built around an 18k Everose gold case measuring 40mm, housing Rolex's proprietary calibre 4130 automatic chronograph movement. Introduced around 2018 as the rose-gold counterpart to the white-gold 116599RBOW, the watch features a dial set with pavé diamonds and a trio of subsidiary counters rimmed in coloured sapphires. Its most striking element is the bezel: 36 baguette-cut sapphires arranged in a carefully graduated spectral sequence from deep violet through green, yellow, orange and red. The gem-setting alone represents hundreds of hours of atelierwork by Rolex's in-house lapidaries in Geneva.

Among collectors, the Rainbow Daytona occupies a singular position. It is simultaneously a serious mechanical chronograph — the calibre 4130 is widely regarded as one of the most reliable and serviceably elegant column-wheel movements in production — and an objectively flamboyant jewellery piece. That duality makes it difficult to source and virtually impossible to obtain at retail. Rolex allocates units with extreme scarcity, and authorised dealers rarely see stock. The official list price sits at $96,900, a figure that has little bearing on reality.

AP Dhillon's profile has risen sharply across both South Asian and Western markets following collaborations with mainstream artists and a Netflix documentary series. His aesthetic consistently references luxury without appearing performative, and the 116595RBOW fits that register precisely — it is not a watch that announces itself to casual observers, only to those who know.

On the secondary market, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Rainbow ref. 116595RBOW trades at a substantial premium. Current grey-market estimates place transaction prices around $500,000, reflecting sustained demand from collectors, investors and high-profile buyers who cannot access the piece through conventional retail channels. That multiple — roughly five times retail — underlines why the Rainbow Daytona remains one of the most closely watched references in the entire Rolex catalogue.