Synonymous with success and personal achievement, Rolex watches are often the timepieces of choice for many of the world’s most famous and influential people. While most Rolex celebrities choose to adorn their wrists with the manufacturer’s latest offerings, others – often those with a keen interest in horology – choose to wear vintage Rolex watches. 
From musicians like John Mayer and The Weeknd to TV personalities like Gordon Ramsay and Ellen DeGeneres, actors like Ryan Gosling and even famous families like the Beckhams, you might be surprised at how many celebrities are into vintage Rolex watches. And it’s not just the famous vintage Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ chronograph that these stars are after – there are plenty of vintage Submariner, Day-Date, GMT-Master, Explorer and Datejust models to admire too. If you want to know which celebrities wear vintage Rolex replica watches, here’s a round-up of some of our favourites.
An avid watch collector, John Mayer owns many outstanding watches – both vintage and modern – from a variety of manufacturers. Among the many vintage Rolex in his collection, the Grammy-winning singer owns a 5517 Military Submariner, several vintage Daytona chronographs, and a 1680 Submariner issued to COMEX with a dial to prove it.
John Mayer took part in two episodes of Talking Watches on YouTube, where we can see part of his vast watch collection. Some of the standout vintage Daytona watches in these two videos include an Omani Khanjar dial with the Omani Khanjar Ref. 6265, a UAE dial for the 6265. 6265 with the UAE dial, a steel Ref. 6263, a gold model. 6263, a ref. 6264 “Paul Newman” watch, and a 6264 with a pulsating dial. 6264 with a pulsating dial. He also showed us some truly sublime vintage Submariner watches, including the Submariner Ref. 5514 made exclusively for COMEX. 5514 made exclusively for COMEX, and a ref. 6200 with an explorer-style dial with an explorer-style dial.
Another famous watch collector and vintage Rolex enthusiast, Eric Clapton, has owned or currently owns some of the rarest and most replica Rolex watches. The legendary guitarist sold most of his incredible vintage pieces at several auctions a few years ago. For example, in 2003, Christie’s auctioned 25 of his watches, including these vintage Rolex watches below.
Only three of these master Yachtsman prototypes are believed to have been produced; one is in the Rolex safe in Geneva and the other is from the collection of John Goldberg. 2008 saw Eric Clapton sell the incredible Daytona 6263 “Albino” chronograph for a record-breaking $505,000 – to put it bluntly, in today’s strong vintage fake Rolex market on the market, this watch went for much more.
Celebrities with Vintage Rolex Watches
