Watch Paparazzi

Singer Steven Tyler spotted wearing Rolex

Steven Tyler, the flamboyant lead vocalist of Boston rock institution Aerosmith, was recently photographed wearing one of the most visually arresting watches in the modern Rolex catalogue — the Daytona 'Leopard' reference 116598SACO. For a performer whose personal style has always operated several decibels above the norm, the choice is entirely on-brand.

The Rolex Daytona 116598SACO is built on the marque's standard 40mm Cosmograph Daytona case in 18k yellow gold, housing the in-house calibre 4130 automatic chronograph movement — a column-wheel, vertical-clutch mechanism offering 72 hours of power reserve and COSC chronometer certification. What separates this reference from the broader Daytona family is its dial, which Rolex's gem-setting workshops have covered entirely in baguette-cut tsavorite garnets and orange sapphires arranged to evoke the coat of a leopard. The bezel is set with 36 baguette diamonds. No two examples are gem-for-gem identical, adding an element of uniqueness to every piece.

The 116598SACO debuted in the mid-2000s as part of Rolex's high-jewellery 'Exotic Dial' Daytona series, a lineage that traces back to legendary Paul Newman-era dials and continues through animal-motif references that now command serious collector attention. The leopard dial, alongside the zebra and other exotic variants, has graduated from novelty curiosity to legitimate grail territory. Its combination of high-complication manufacture movement and couture-level gem-setting represents one of the few areas where Rolex operates squarely in haute joaillerie.

Steven Tyler's affinity for maximalist jewellery and statement accessories is well documented — scarves, rings, custom boots — and the Daytona Leopard reads as a natural extension of that aesthetic rather than a calculated watch-collector acquisition. That said, owning a 116598SACO signals genuine access to the upper tier of Rolex's catalogue, a piece that was never widely distributed and rarely appears at retail.

On the secondary market, the Rolex Daytona 'Leopard' 116598SACO commands a substantial premium over its already elevated retail position. Grey-market prices reflect both its scarcity and its crossover appeal to jewellery buyers and watch collectors alike, with demand consistently outpacing supply for clean, complete examples.