Meet Jay-Z’s $4 Million Rolex Daytona

The ultra-rare Rolex, one of the priciest watches in the world, was originally made for the Sultan of Oman in the ’80s.

Jared Paul Stern

Aug 14, 2024

In his new track “It’s Up,” Drake boasts of having “143 Rolexes in my collection.” True or not, it’s safe to say that the Canadian chart-topper’s most precious Rollie can’t hold a candle to the one rival rap royal Jay-Z was seen wearing at a celebrity soiree in the Hamptons last month. At the annual White Party, hosted by billionaire e-commerce mogul Michael Rubin at his $50 million estate in Water Mill, Jay was joined by Beyonce, Drake, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, and Emily Ratajkowski at the ultra-exclusive event. The hip-hop legend turned heads even among that A-list crowd by sporting an ultra-rare Daytona ref. 6270, of which only a handful of examples are known to exist.

The price tag? A cool $4 million, which is how much one of these iconic watches sold for at auction in 2023. Perhaps the most expensive Daytona ever made by Rolex itself, in 18k gold with factory-set diamonds and sapphires, the watches are based on the iconic Ref. 6263 and was originally made for the Sultan of Oman over a couple of years from 1984-86.

One of the hyper-rare watches sold for around $1 million in 2014 at Christie’s before Phillips broke the record with the $4 million sale last year. It is not yet known which one of the watches made its way into Jay-Z’s collection, but we’re pretty sure it wasn’t a knockoff or replica. He also owns a vintage stainless steel “Paul Newman” Daytona, among other pieces.

Based on the iconic Ref. 6263, the solid gold Ref. 6270 is sized at 37mm chronograph and powered by a cal. 727 mechanical movement featuring a pavé diamond-set dial, sapphire-set numerals, gold baton hands, and a baguette-cut diamond-set bezel. Christie’s called it no less than a “masterpiece” and one of the most significant watches of its era.

Phillips said that only the Sultan of Oman, perhaps Rolex’s most important client ever, could have convinced the otherwise staid Swiss luxury watch brand to produce such a flashy watch, which was “beyond outlandish” for the time. “Now of course bejeweled Daytonas are all the rage, but 40 years ago it was unheard of,” notes Paul Altieri, Founder and CEO of high-end luxury timepiece retailer Bob’s Watches, who himself owns one of the world’s top Rolex collections. “With time however this piece has morphed into a true classic.”

Altieri says that, “For a diamond studded Daytona, the 6270 is relatively understated, and has cool vintage appeal, unlike the current “Rainbow” Daytona models. It is quite simply one of the most important Rolexes ever made, and is sure to only increase in value over time.” A highly wearable investment, in other words.