Watch Paparazzi

Designer Giuseppe Zanotti spotted wearing Rolex

Giuseppe Zanotti, the Emilian footwear designer whose platform boots and crystal-encrusted sandals have become red-carpet staples, was recently photographed wearing a Rolex Yacht-Master 40 reference 116655 — the full Everose gold iteration of Geneva's most nautically themed sports watch.

The Yacht-Master 40 ref. 116655 was introduced in 2015 and immediately stood apart from its stablemates. The 40mm case and bidirectional rotatable bezel are crafted entirely in 18k Everose gold, Rolex's in-house rose gold alloy that incorporates platinum to stabilize its warm hue over decades of wear. Rather than pairing that precious metal with an Oyster or Jubilee bracelet, Rolex fitted the 116655 with the Oysterflex — a black vulcanized rubber strap over a titanium and nickel alloy blade, with a folding clasp in Everose gold. It was one of the first times Rolex deployed the Oysterflex on a production model, and it remains one of the most convincing arguments for rubber on a precious-metal watch. The dial, in matte black Cerachrom, keeps the composition grounded. Power comes from the caliber 3135, a self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve and Rolex's Parachrom hairspring, certified as a Superlative Chronometer to ±2 seconds per day.

From a collector standpoint, the ref. 116655 occupies a specific niche: it draws buyers who want Daytona-level precious metal without the Daytona's waiting list mythology, and who appreciate the sportier, more wearable proposition of the Oysterflex. Its successor, the ref. 226655, arrived in 2022 with the updated caliber 3235 and a fresh Everose bezel treatment, which has kept the 116655 circulating actively on the secondary market rather than commanding a sharp premium.

For Zanotti, the watch reads as a deliberate aesthetic statement. His design language — tactile materials, bold silhouettes, luxury codes worn casually — maps directly onto what the Yacht-Master 40 ref. 116655 represents: a serious piece of Swiss horology that refuses to look overly formal.

At retail the 116655 carried a UK RRP of £15,950. On the grey market, pricing has softened modestly since the introduction of the 226655, making this one of the more accessible entry points into an all-gold Rolex sports reference for buyers with patience.