GQ USA - 11.2019

(Jacob Rumans) #1

VERYBODY KNOWS WHAT a Rolex looks like, and most
people know that given the scarcity of certain models,
plenty of them can be unbearably di∞cult to buy—even
if you have the money. What you’re looking at here is the
most rarefied tier of timepieces available from The Crown, a class of
watch so unique that many people don’t even know it exists: gem-set
Rolexes. It’s like if Ferrari made a faster, more exclusive Ferrari and
then covered it in diamonds.
Diamond-encrusted watches are almost ubiquitous these
days, thanks to jewelry-obsessed celebrities. But most iced-out
watches you see are actually the result of aftermarket adornment,


E run-of-the-mill timepieces that have been “busted-down” by jewel-
ers. Far more special and unique are the watches built by Rolex’s
in-house gemologists and gem-setters—a team skilled in the fine art
of high jewelry. Just look at the completely seamless gradient on the
rainbow-bezel Daytonas, or the diamond-and-ruby pavé dial on the
“Presidential” Day-Date. Absolutely nothing out there compares to
the quality and clarity of a gem-set Rolex.
Which is why people will pay $100,000 more for a diamond-pavé
Sub. On the wrist, these things are utterly mesmerizing. Just don’t

42 GQ.COM NOVEMBER 2019 PHOTOGRAPH BY JOYCE LEE

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