After designing trophies for the BRITs — one of which is now part of Beyoncé's massive award collection — Olaolu Slawn, simply known as Slawn, lends his creative hand to Rolex for a bespoke Datejust watch.
Slawn takes on one of Rolex's most famous watches, the Datejust, for a one-off special edition destined to be a collector's piece. As Lil Yachty says in the teaser video, the Rolex Date Just timepiece gets "touched up and down by that boy Slawn."
What results is that Slawn's Rolex watch delivers a neat dial decorated in the designer's instantly recognizable artwork.
Thought the coolness peaked with Yachty voiceover and Slawn touches? Think again. The watch gets a classic lustrous finish, a perfect balance of gleam and subtlety, allowing Slawn's artwork to shine on the wrist.
Note that this watch is a art piece designed by Slawn, not a collaboration between Slawn and Rolex. Rolex reached out to Highsnobiety to confirm that "there has been no collaboration between Rolex and Slawn on this watch or any watches" and that Rolex "did not authorize the alteration of this watch" or even the use of " Rolex’s trademarks" for promoting the custom piece.
Slawn's Rolex watch is distinct from the "art dial" watches created by Rolex itself, like the super-rare emoji watch popularized by ardent Rolex fan John Mayer. I'm not the biggest watch person, but bringing masterpieces to Rolex's most iconic models admittedly has my attention.
Slawn's retooled Rolex watches will launch as a limited edition drop — and I mean limited (only ten pieces were made, per Slawn). Slawn encourages fans to sign up for further details on his website before the watch's launch, which is scheduled for June 25.
The art world isn't the only space with eyes for Slawn. The Nigerian-bred, UK-based creative is also making waves in fashion, landing collaborations with Ksubi and starring in campaigns for Aimé Leon Dore and Burberry.
Even if you don't successfully cop Slawn's limited watch remix, the message is clear: it's time to wake up to Slawn.
