Entrepreneur Elon Musk spotted wearing a Rolex

A photograph dated 2004 shows a noticeably younger Elon Musk — then already a post-PayPal billionaire and early into the SpaceX venture — wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust 36, reference 16200, on what appears to be an Oyster bracelet. It is, by all accounts, one of the last times the entrepreneur has been photographed wearing a watch at all, giving this image an unexpectedly documentary quality for collectors and observers alike.

The Rolex Datejust 36 ref. 16200 was produced from 1990 to 2005, making Musk's example entirely period-correct. It is powered by the calibre 3135, a self-winding movement with bidirectional rotor, Parachrom hairspring, and a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. Beating at 28,800 vph, the 3135 is widely regarded as one of the most reliable and technically accomplished movements in Rolex's catalogue. The 36mm Oyster case in 904L stainless steel pairs with a sapphire crystal and the signature magnified Cyclops lens over the date aperture at 3 o'clock.

The ref. 16200 occupies a specific and respected position in the Datejust lineage. It represented the mature, refined expression of the 36mm format before Rolex migrated to the ref. 116200 and subsequently the ref. 126200. Among collectors, the 16200 in steel with a simple dial — particularly silver or white — is considered the purest iteration of the classic Datejust: no excess, no complications, just a foundational sports-dress watch executed with precision.

Musk's choice in 2004 is consistent with his then-public image: a working technologist and entrepreneur who had not yet become the maximalist public figure he is today. The Datejust 36 was not a statement watch, it was a functional one — and that quiet pragmatism reads clearly in the photograph. Since that period, Musk has been conspicuously absent from the wrist-watch conversation, favoring no visible timepiece in the vast majority of public appearances.

On the secondary market, a clean stainless steel Rolex Datejust 36 ref. 16200 with original dial and bracelet typically trades between $4,500 and $7,000 depending on condition and dial variant. The reference has no official retail price today, having been discontinued, but its grey-market value has held steady — supported by strong demand for classic, no-date-adjacent Datejust references in 36mm.