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This article about Rolex was originally published on GQ.com.
What do I have in common with Roger Federer, Drake, CC Sabathia, Messi and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? We all love asking outside the menu. For me, that means asking for Russian salad without tuna, but for those other boys it means something a little more extravagant … specifically, exclusive Rolex that sometimes exceed one million dollars and that are engasted with an absurd amount of diamonds, sapphires, rubies and much more. These pieces are never announced (they are not even announced) the public already often receives nicknames such as “giraffe”, “leopard” and “tiger eye.” Welcome to the secret world of models outside the Rolex catalog.
We are now in the middle of the year in which the VVIP begin to wear the most prestigious and elusive watches of Rolex. Just as the leaves of the trees staining red, the most powerful stars are moving from clock. I realized the first time at the beginning of this month Drake was seen in the Bobbi Althoff podcast (again …) carrying the new rolex daytone “Giraffe”, whose sphere she recreates with gems and gold the patron of the fur of the long neck mammal. That same week, CC Sabathia, former New York Yankees, brought the same piece in the US Open.
You will have realized that the “Giraffe” model does not appear on the official list of new Rolex launches in 2025, which may seem strange, because it would have easily been the most important launch of the brand. This is largely due to its design: the crown only invites its best clients to buy these pieces outside the catalog, a reward for being a faithful customer. “Rolex operates thus to give exclusivity to the selected buyers for these pieces,” says Eric Rivera, a distributor who recently sold a “Giraffe”. “So [conservan] that mystique that surrounds everything that is’ out of catalog ”.
Although possessing any rolex entails an inherent prestige, it is estimated that the brand produces around one million watches a year. These pieces outside the catalog are a way of offering customers something really unique. “It is a silent recognition by Rolex of how important prestige and exclusivity are,” explains Paul Altieri, founder of Bob’s Watches, which has sold several of the coveted Daytonas “Le Mans” in white and yellow gold.
Rolex’s secret releases are characterized by their extravagant enters of precious stones and bold designs, such creations that do not usually appear when navigating the official website of the brand. In that sense, it is strategic for Rolex to maintain these watches – which are clearly incongruous with the robust and functional pieces that form the basis of their identity – outside the public eye. “They really don’t want to include them in their catalog online, both for their high price and to prevent the public from requesting them, ”says Rivera.
