Influencer Jassem Al-Zeraei spotted wearing a Rolex

Kuwaiti watch influencer and collector Jassem Al-Zeraei, better known to the watch community as @patekaholic, was recently spotted wearing what is arguably the most culturally specific reference in the entire Rolex catalogue: the Day-Date 40 in platinum with an ice blue dial featuring Arabic-Indic numerals and a full baguette diamond bezel. The sighting underlines that Al-Zeraei's horological passion is anything but narrow — the man who built a global following around Patek Philippe clearly has room in his collection for Geneva's other crown jewel.

The watch in question is the Rolex Day-Date 40, reference 228396TBR, cased entirely in 950 platinum — a material Rolex reserves exclusively for Day-Date models. At 40 mm, the case houses the in-house Calibre 3255, a manufacture movement featuring a Chronergy escapement, 70-hour power reserve, and a Parachrom hairspring. The signature President bracelet in platinum and the distinctive semi-circular day window at 12 o'clock remain unchanged, but everything else here is dialled up to the extreme. The ice blue dial — a colour that only platinum can achieve in Rolex's repertoire — is printed with deep blue Arabic-Indic numerals and matched with blue-lacquered hands, creating a graphic, high-contrast aesthetic that reads as deliberately bold.

The bezel is set with 32 baguette-cut diamonds in a channel setting, a configuration Rolex calls the "TB" bezel, adding an estimated 3+ carats of stones that catch light from every angle. This specific Arabic numeral variant was produced in limited distribution for the Middle East market, making it a genuine regional exclusive. Rolex subsequently released a companion version with a green dial, reinforcing that this line is a deliberate and sustained cultural gesture rather than a one-off.

For collectors, the platinum Arabic Day-Date occupies a unique space: it combines the prestige metal, the most jewelled bezel option, a regionally exclusive dial, and the Day-Date's unassailable status as the original presidential watch since 1956. Secondary market demand for platinum Day-Date references with diamond bezels consistently outpaces supply, particularly in the Gulf region.

At a retail price of $110,000 USD, this is the upper tier of Rolex's own catalogue. Grey-market premiums on this specific configuration — platinum, baguette bezel, Arabic dial — routinely push the transactional price significantly higher, reflecting both scarcity and demand from collectors who understand exactly what they are acquiring.