Drake’s New Rolex Is a True Blue Holy Grail

Welcome to Clock of the weekwhere we’ll track the rarest, wildest and most coveted watches spotted on celebrities.

Perhaps no one attacks watch collecting more voraciously than Drake, who seems ready to delve into every nook and cranny of the watch world. He will wear a Patek Philippe custom made by Virgil Abloh one dayone another Richard Mille hornand keep you on your toes by quoting Queen Elizabeth II was the inspiration to wear a rare version of the Patek Philippe Ellipse. Last weekend, he wore a watch with a less complicated design: Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman,” renowned as one of the most important components of the watch world. For a guy who has done a lot of watch bends, this might be his most impressive bend yet.

For the uninitiated, the watch got its name because Paul Newman wore this Daytona style. Simple enough! But the actor’s endorsement is a big deal: before photos of Newman wearing this watch went viral, the model wasn’t loved by most collectors. And then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t. The watch comes with some fun features, such as a “weird” dial with a deep sunken bezel that is a different color from the center and funky numerals on the sub-dials. These details used to frighten collectors—but they are also the details that make this watch one of the holy grails of watchmaking in 2023.

The “Paul Newman” Daytona is an interesting choice for Drake, who has broken a lot of the usual rules when it comes to watch collecting. He let Abloh wrap his Nautilus in diamonds, and regularly exchange standard bracelets on Rolex watches with bracelets from Chrome Hearts, disregarding the conventional wisdom that it is taboo to change anything on a watch after it leaves the factory. On the other hand, Daytona “Paul Newman” is the cup of a true nerd. It is a watch that requires the buyer to understand the details that make it so special. (If you want to be skeptical, you could argue that Drake is simply buying into the enormous hype surrounding this piece. Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” Daytona sells for $17.8 millionquickly set the record for the most expensive wristwatch ever in the fall of 2017, while most were priced around $TK.)

Drake’s new Daytona may not belong to Newman, but it has a special connection to the rapper. Adam Golden of Menta Watch, who provided this piece, explained in an Instagram comment that “this comes straight from the original owner from Toronto.” I don’t know if he ever mentioned this, but Drake is actually from Toronto. Quite an interesting coincidence.

Vacheron Constantin 222 by Jeremy Allen White

It turns out that Jeremy Allen White and I have a lot in common. He plays a tortured chef on Bear, a perfect program with perfect white t-shirt. I am also extremely passionate about both food and t-shirts. He dined at Langer’s, the home of the pastrami killer in Los Angeles, last year; me too. (Technically, this is because we were there at the same time, to do an interview for GQ’s Men of the Year magazine, but I suppose it’s also because we both love pastrami. He’s very interesting, in case you’re wondering.) Now, at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards (where critics get to choose!), he presents himself as a watch lover. What’s more: His VC 222, the revival of the brand’s sport watch from the ’70s, is near the top of my list of favorite 2022 releases. I feel like this inside scene Step brother: “Did we just become best friends?” “You then.”

Steph Curry’s Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller Watch

Sports watches have become the dominant category when it comes to watch collection. These sturdy stainless steel pieces are now acceptable for romantic date nights, red carpets and business meetings. On the other hand, ocean-exploring watches like the Curry’s Deepsea haven’t quite caught the eye of celebrities yet. But hey—when celebrating an NBA championship at the White House, you can wear whatever you want.

Tag Heuer Carrera by Frances Tiafoe

No one looks cooler in the Australian Open than Frances Tiafoe, the rising American. His swirly technicolor controversial, but it shouldn’t – it’s regulated. Tiafoe also recently wore a great watch to the premiere of Netflix’s new tennis documentary series break point. This special edition of the Tag Heuer Carrera is framed so that the wearer can see the inside of the watch, like break point designed to let viewers see inside the world of tennis. I’m sure this is the parallelogram Tiafoe is trying to draw.

Cartier Santos Dumont by Tyler James Williams

Abbott Elementary School‘s Williams wore Cartier jewelry worth a safe deposit box for the Critics’ Choice Awards: a nail tie clip, a gold necklace, the famous Panthère rings of the brand, the brand’s even more famous Love bracelet and even a Love bracelet for good measure. But, of course, the pièce de résistance is Williams’ gold Santos Dumont. The combination of white dial and yellow gold watch is unbeatable.