Watch Paparazzi

Film director Martin Scorsese spotted wearing Rolex

Martin Scorsese was recently spotted wearing a white gold Rolex Day-Date 40 with a blue dial, reference 228239 — a watch that sits comfortably at the apex of Rolex's presidential hierarchy and suits the director's reputation for impeccable, unfussy taste.

The Day-Date 40 Ref. 228239 is powered by the in-house Calibre 3255, one of Rolex's most accomplished movements to date. Introduced in 2015, the 3255 features a Chronergy escapement — a nickel-phosphorus lever and escape wheel that improves efficiency by roughly 15 percent over its predecessor — along with a 70-hour power reserve and a Paraflex shock-absorption system. The movement operates at 28,800 vph and is certified as a Superlative Chronometer, meaning it is tested to within -2/+2 seconds per day, well beyond COSC standards. The 40mm Oyster case in 18-karat white gold is paired with a President bracelet in matching metal, and the sunburst blue dial — available in several configurations including diamond-set variants — gives the watch a quiet authority that distinguishes it from the more commonly seen yellow gold versions.

The Day-Date has carried the informal title of "President's watch" since Dwight D. Eisenhower received one in 1956, and the line's exclusive use of gold and platinum has never wavered. Reference 228239 represents the current-generation 40mm interpretation, updated from the long-running 36mm Ref. 118239 and offering a larger canvas without sacrificing proportion. Among collectors, white gold Day-Dates with blue dials are considered one of the cleaner, more versatile executions of the reference — less flashy than yellow gold, more distinctive than platinum.

Martin Scorsese needs little introduction. The director of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman is one of cinema's defining voices, with an Academy Award, multiple Palme d'Or nominations, and a filmography that spans more than 50 years. His watch choice reflects a man comfortable with earned luxury — no tourbillon theatrics, just one of the world's most respected dress watches worn without ceremony.

At retail, the Rolex Day-Date 40 Ref. 228239 in white gold with a blue dial lists in the mid-to-upper thirty-thousand-dollar range. On the grey market, demand for precious-metal Day-Dates remains firm, with clean examples regularly commanding premiums above list price, driven by restricted authorized dealer availability and consistent collector appetite.