Basketball player Chris Paul spotted wearing a Rolex

Chris Paul arrived at a Phoenix Suns game wearing what has become one of the most discussed Rolex references of the last decade: the Oyster Perpetual 41 ref. 124300 in stainless steel, fitted with the iconic coral red lacquer dial. The sighting is notable not only for the watch's streetwear-level recognizability but for what it represents in Rolex collecting culture — a so-called entry-level reference that outperforms many of the brand's complications on the secondary market.

Rolex introduced the ref. 124300 in 2020, updating the Oyster Perpetual line with a larger 41mm Oystersteel case, a redesigned bezel, and — most critically — a palette of five bold lacquer dial colors: turquoise blue, candy pink, yellow, coral red, and green. The move was a deliberate nod to the storied Stella dials produced for the Day-Date in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which used enamel and lacquer finishes in vivid, unconventional tones. Inside the 124300 sits the caliber 3230, Rolex's in-house automatic movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, a 70-hour power reserve, and the Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing accuracy to +/-2 seconds per day.

From a collector standpoint, the 124300 coral red occupies a paradoxical position: it is Rolex's most affordable current steel sports-adjacent reference at an official retail price of $6,150, yet it commands prices on the grey market that approach or exceed $25,000 — a premium driven entirely by scarcity and the dial's visual impact. Authorized dealers allocate the colored-dial variants sparingly, making walk-in purchases essentially impossible for most buyers.

Chris Paul has cultivated a consistent reputation as one of the NBA's more thoughtful watch collectors, with documented sightings spanning Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks to complicated Pateks. Choosing the ref. 124300 signals an appreciation for design history and market savvy in equal measure — this is not a casual, throwaway piece despite its entry-level positioning within the Rolex catalog.

On the secondary market, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 124300 coral red currently trades around $25,000, representing a roughly 4x premium over retail. That gap has compressed slightly from its 2021 peak but remains substantial, reflecting enduring demand from both collectors and enthusiasts priced out of more complex Rolex references.