Rapper Kanye West spotted wearing a Rolex

Seated front row at what appears to be a New York Fashion Week show, Kanye West — musician, designer, and one of the most closely watched wrists in celebrity culture — is seen wearing a Rolex Yacht-Master II in 18ct yellow gold. The watch commands attention even at rest, its 44mm case and ceramic blue bezel unmistakable against the subdued palette of the event.

The reference in question is the 116688, introduced by Rolex in 2007 alongside the stainless steel and Rolesor variants. It houses the manufacture Calibre 4161, a 72-component movement purpose-built to drive the Yacht-Master II's defining feature: a mechanical, programmable regatta countdown timer with a synchronized ring-command bezel. The system allows sailors to set countdowns between one and ten minutes by rotating the bezel, with the crown-controlled reset mechanism synchronizing the regatta start sequence in real time. It is among the most mechanically sophisticated movements in Rolex's current catalogue.

The dial is classically laid out — white lacquer with applied yellow gold hour markers, Arabic numerals in yellow gold at the cardinal positions, and the signature red countdown hand sweeping across a sub-register at six o'clock. The blue Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert carries minute graduations in yellow gold PVD, highly resistant to UV fade and scratching. Case and bracelet are rendered entirely in 18ct yellow gold, with the Oysterlock-secured Oyster bracelet featuring Rolex's Easylink comfort extension.

For collectors, the 116688 occupies a polarising but respected position. The Yacht-Master II's regatta complication is genuinely useful and mechanically impressive, yet the model has historically sat in the shadow of the Daytona and sports models in terms of secondary market heat. That is changing incrementally as the yellow gold variant ages into a more defined collector category.

Kanye West has long used watches as deliberate style instruments rather than status signals — his collection has included Jacob & Co. pieces, AP Royal Oaks, and Pateks. The Rolex Yacht-Master II 116688, retailing in the UK at approximately £30,000, represents a more understated choice by his standards, which may itself be the point.