Making his way down the Canyon of Heroes along lower Broadway this week, point guard Jalen Brunson hoisted the Larry O’Brien championship trophy aloft in his Rolex-clad arm as cheering spectators jostled for selfies and fist bumps. Of course, he had reason to be confident: After scoring 45 of the Knicks’ 94 points in Game 5 against the Spurs, he not only helped secure the team’s victory in a difficult fourth quarter, but was also responsible for helping provide a heretofore unseen energy level in the city.
For a man who can buy any watch he likes, the gold Day-Date is an interesting choice: despite its solid precious-metal construction, its relative flash registers as almost quaint when pitted against the gem-set “Rainbow” Daytona and skeletonized, complicated luxury sports watches of today. This is the kind of watch that’s nixed off sopranos The era (as well as Tony himself) may be moving on – but so too, is a model whose shelf life is seemingly, well, endless.
Courtesy of Rolex; getty images
This watch is a very suitable choice for a man who is now basically royalty in the tri-state area. The Day-Date has been worn by many dignitaries, kings and heads of state. Kang is even referred to as President, which is an office I’m pretty sure Brunson can run now. Released in 1956, the Day-Date was the world’s first automatic chronometer to display both the date and day of the week in full.
Magically, this is a model that never goes out of style: whether as a classic four-digit reference 1803, or a colorful “Stella”-dial reference of the 1970s, or a modern Middle Eastern-market version with oriental Arabic indices, the “Texas Timex” is both ever-present and ubiquitous. Ref. 228238 that Brunson chose is one of the most luxurious in the current Rolex catalogue, with a matching champagne-coloured dial, yellow gold Roman indices, and a diameter of 40 mm.
Does it shine like a miniature sun on the wrist? Yes. Does it indicate wealth and status? Always. Is it obnoxious by contemporary Watch-Man standards? I will not argue. In fact, I would argue that it is a classic choice. Especially when worn, as Brunson did, with a white T-shirt and a pair of black athletic shorts. (Admittedly, most people wouldn’t adopt this look when greeted by all of Manhattan, but that’s a different story.)
