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Writer's pictureBig Rick Stuart

Elton John’s Leopard-Print Rolex Daytona Just Set a New World Auction Record

Rolex, Bansky, Giant Sunglasses, Platform Boots



The signed ref. 116598 comes with a 40 mm case crafted from 18-karat gold. The watch was made circa 2001, according to Christie’s, but it made its debut at the 2004 Basel Fair, where its outlandish design made waves. Besides that leopard-print dial, the timepiece has a bezel encrusted with 36 square-cut yellow sapphires and hoods donning 48 brilliant-cut diamonds. Eight diamond-set numerals are also displayed on the model, which hammered down for $176,400, or $116,000 more than its high-sales estimate of $60,000. 


Although the zany timepiece is quite captivating, it wasn’t the top lot. That title went to Banksy’s Flower Thrower Triptych, which the “Candle in the Wind” singer acquired directly from the artist. The 2017 work—made with spray paint on canvas—displays a man setting up to throw a bouquet of flowers across three various-sized frames. Estimated to sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million, it ultimately raked in a cool $1,925,500. 


A pair of silver leather tall platform boots and Sir Winston Eyeware prescription sunglasses also skyrocketed past their estimates. The former dons red leather letters “E” and “J” and sold for $94,500—19 times its low-sales estimate of $5,000. Meanwhile, the groovy sunglasses, circa 1975, sold for $22,680—which was 11 times the low estimate. Elsewhere, the musician’s 1990 Bentley Continental that traveled with him from Atlanta to the South of France raked in a whopping $441,000. The sum exceeded its low estimate of $25,000.


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