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Artist Daniel Arsham spotted wearing Rolex

Daniel Arsham's latest social media post offered more than a glimpse into his studio practice — eagle-eyed followers clocked the two-tone Rolex GMT-Master II 'Rootbeer' ref. 126711CHNR on his wrist, a pairing that feels almost too deliberate for an artist whose signature medium is the deliberate erosion of iconic objects.

Introduced at Baselworld 2018, the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126711CHNR is built on the brand's in-house caliber 3285, a movement that represented a significant step forward at its debut. The cal. 3285 offers a 70-hour power reserve, operates at 28,800 vph, and incorporates the Chronergy escapement — a nickel-phosphorus lever and escape wheel assembly that improves efficiency by roughly 15 percent over its predecessor. The Oyster case measures 40mm in Oystersteel and 18k Everose gold, and the bidirectional rotatable bezel carries a 24-hour graduated Cerachrom insert in a proprietary chocolate-and-black ceramic combination that Rolex developed specifically for this reference.

The 'Rootbeer' nickname has a loyal following among vintage collectors, originally attached to the GMT-Master ref. 16753, which featured a root beer-toned dial and a gold-and-brown bezel — a combination that aged into warm, caramel patinas beloved by enthusiasts. Rolex did not replicate that dial color in the 126711CHNR, opting instead for a lacquered black dial with applied hour markers in 18k gold. The result reads as a contemporary interpretation rather than a straight revival, which has divided purists while winning over a broad new audience.

Arsham, whose New York and Los Angeles-based practice frequently deconstructs culturally resonant objects — from Pokémon figures to sports equipment — into fossilized, eroded sculptures, has demonstrated consistent interest in objects that carry deep cultural memory. A Rolex GMT-Master II with a vintage-coded nickname fits squarely within that visual and conceptual vocabulary.

On the secondary market, the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126711CHNR commands a meaningful premium over retail. Grey-market prices have stabilized from their 2021-2022 peaks but remain well above list, reflecting both the reference's broad desirability and the enduring strength of two-tone Rolex demand among collectors globally.