Watch Paparazzi

Actor Gad Elmaleh spotted wearing Rolex

Gad Elmaleh, the French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic, was recently spotted sporting one of the most electrically charged pieces in vintage watch collecting: a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 'Big Red,' most likely reference 6263, on a rivetted Oyster bracelet.

The watch visible in the image presents all the hallmarks of a late-production manual-wind Daytona. The dial follows the classic 'panda' layout — silver background, black subsidiary dials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock — anchored by the red 'DAYTONA' legend that gives this family its collector nickname. The black acrylic bezel with white tachymeter scale is consistent with ref. 6263, the screw-pushers variant produced between approximately 1969 and 1988. Powering these watches was the Valjoux 727 ebauche, heavily modified by Rolex, beating at 18,000 vph with a 45-minute elapsed-time register and a 12-hour counter.

The 'Big Red' designation emerged as Rolex introduced the red 'DAYTONA' text to distinguish the chronograph from other Oyster models and to capitalize on the brand's association with the Daytona International Speedway. Paradoxically, these watches sold poorly at retail for much of their production life, sitting in dealer showcases at modest prices. Collectors who recognized their mechanical integrity and aesthetic coherence in the 1990s are now sitting on extraordinary appreciation.

Elmaleh has long demonstrated an appreciation for understated, intellectually serious objects — a sensibility that aligns perfectly with the Daytona's deceptive plainness. The watch requires no introduction among cognoscenti, yet reads as a simple steel chronograph to the uninitiated. That kind of quiet authority suits the actor's persona well.

On the current market, original-dial ref. 6263 examples in honest condition regularly trade between $80,000 and $140,000 at major auction houses and reputable dealers, with exceptional examples — particularly those with tropical dials or original bracelets — clearing $200,000. The 'Big Red' is no longer a sleeper; it is a cornerstone of any serious vintage Rolex collection, and Elmaleh's choice signals genuine horological literacy.