Watch Paparazzi

Royal Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim spotted wearing Rolex

Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Prince of Johor and a figure whose watch collection is closely followed across Southeast Asian collector circles, was recently spotted wearing the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116576TBR — a reference that sits at the absolute apex of the Daytona family. The sighting adds another significant entry to a wrist portfolio that reflects both royal stature and genuine horological discernment.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116576TBR is built on the brand's in-house Caliber 4130, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch and a 72-hour power reserve, introduced in 2000 and widely regarded as one of the most reliable and precise chronograph movements in series production. The case measures 40mm and is crafted entirely in 950 platinum — an alloy that is 95% pure, the finest material Rolex deploys across its catalog. The ice blue dial is not a stylistic coincidence: Rolex reserves this specific dial color exclusively for its platinum references, making it an immediate visual identifier of the metal. Framing that dial are 36 baguette-cut diamonds set into the bezel, a configuration that demands extraordinary precision in gem-setting and places this reference firmly in high jewelry chronograph territory.

From a collector standpoint, the Daytona 116576TBR occupies rare ground. Platinum Daytonas are produced in far smaller numbers than their steel or gold counterparts, and the baguette diamond bezel variant represents the most complex and costly configuration available. It is a reference that rarely surfaces on the secondary market, and when it does, the gap between retail and grey-market pricing tells its own story about demand.

Tunku Ismail, known publicly as TMJ, has built a following well beyond royal protocol — his social media presence and outspoken personality have made him one of the most recognizable royals in the region. His watch choices tend toward the exceptional rather than the ostentatious, and the 116576TBR fits that profile precisely: it is not loud, but it is unambiguous.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116576TBR retails at $115,750, but the grey market tells a sharply different story. Current secondary prices sit around $425,000 — a premium of roughly 267% over list — reflecting both extreme scarcity and the sustained global appetite for platinum Daytona references at the top of the complication ladder.