Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo spotted wearing a Rolex

In the 1980 French-Italian comedy Le Guignolo, sharp-eyed viewers can catch a gleam of yellow gold on Jean-Paul Belmondo's wrist — a Rolex Day-Date, worn with the same natural authority the actor brought to every role. The sighting is historically significant: Belmondo is almost universally associated with his Paul Newman Daytona, making this Day-Date appearance a rare and underreported chapter of his personal watch story.

The watch visible on screen presents all the hallmarks of the Rolex Day-Date reference 18038, produced from 1978 onwards as the successor to the original 1803. The case is 36mm, crafted in 18k yellow gold, fitted with the signature fluted bezel — one of the most recognisable design signatures in watchmaking. The white silvered baton dial with applied gold hour markers and the characteristic President bracelet in solid 18k yellow gold are clearly visible. The Day-Date 18038 housed the Calibre 3055 movement, a self-winding manufacture movement featuring a day-display mechanism with an instantaneous jump and a quickset date — a technical milestone for its era.

From a collector standpoint, the Day-Date 18038 occupies a fascinating space. It is not the most sought-after reference among purists — that honour typically goes to the earlier 1803 or exotic-dial examples — but it represents the model at peak refinement before quartz-era concessions. Yellow gold examples with clean white dials are considered highly wearable and remain in consistent demand on the secondary market. Condition of the President bracelet, notorious for stretching, is the primary value driver.

Jean-Paul Belmondo, who passed away in September 2021 at the age of 88, was one of the defining faces of French cinema — from À bout de souffle to his celebrated action roles. His watch taste mirrored his persona: direct, masculine, unaffected by trend. The Day-Date in Le Guignolo tells us he was equally at home with Geneva's most establishment timepiece as with the Daytona beloved by racing culture.

On today's grey market, a clean Rolex Day-Date 18038 in yellow gold commands between $18,000 and $26,000 depending on dial condition and bracelet integrity. Original box and papers push examples toward the upper range. As a celebrity-provenance adjacent piece connected to one of France's greatest actors, the model gains quiet cultural resonance.