How this obscure Rolex feature became a rap-world brag

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If you want to get an advanced education in watches, you can of course dive deep on the internet. But you can also just…listen to a lot of rap music. It’s no secret that rappers are more into watches now than they’ve ever been—but the depth and specificity of their adoration is worth dwelling on. You can find a real appreciation for master chronometer certification on Yasiin Bey’s “Speed Law” when he says, “Stay on time like Omegas.” And it doesn’t take too much digging on Genius to find rappers advising the best way to maintain your investment: “When you add diamonds on to your watch, you lower the value of it,” A$AP Ferg adds in the margins of his song “Plain Jane.” And over the past decade a relatively arcane piece of watch trivia has evolved into a brag for rappers who really want to prove they’re in the know: the fact that Rolex watches don’t tick has become major grist to rap songs.

You start to hear it everywhere once you know what to look for:

On “Astronauts,” Future raps: “Richard Mille or the Rollie it don’t tick-tock”

Lil Uzi Vert boasts, “This Rollie don’t do no tick-ticky (No ticky)” on “She Never Been to Pluto.”

Both Lil Durk and Rio Da Yung OG use this quality as an insult. On “Lil N*z”, Lil Durk taunts: “And your Rolex tick, lil na.” Rio Da Yung OG asks on “Roll Call,”How the fuck you go to Golden Sun and your Rollie tockin'?”

The tick-tock is offensive enough Travis Scott can assassinate his imagined foe’s entire character with a comparison in “Apple Pie” that goes, “I’m for real and your Rollie tick (Whoa).”

Scott’s insult implies a different kind of f-word: that if your Rolex ticks, you’re fake. The idea that only a faux Rolex ticks is a nuanced piece of information often buried at the bottom of guides that help you spot a counterfeit. But a little digging shows that things aren’t so black and white. So how did it become the rap world’s most specific brag—and is it even accurate?

Tracing the origin of this line isn’t difficult. On 2011’s Watch the Throne, Jay-Z set the standard when he took the baton from Kanye and rapped, during “N****s in Paris,” “Ball so hard, got a broken clock / Rollies that don’t tick-tock / Audemars that’s losing time / Hidden behind all these big rocks.” And where Jay-Z goes, other rappers often follow.

And what Jay and his peers clearly understand is that Rolex watches don’t make the traditional “tick-tock” sound associated with most timekeeping devices. The famous eight-beats-per-second Rolex movement sounds a lot different than, say, a much cheaper electronic quartz watch. A quartz watch works through a quartz crystal that naturally vibrates 32,768 times a second. A circuit monitors those frequencies and pushes the seconds hand forward on every 32,768th vibration, which creates that one-tick-per-second motion.

But with his famous line line, Hov propagated what could be argued is a watch-world myth. See, Rolex watches do tick. They just move at that blistering eight ticks per second pace: videos documenting the noise sound like they’re playing on fast forward. One concerned Rolex Forums user who worried over the ticking noise—because his “friend says fake rolexs [sic] make a tick noise”—was quickly soothed by fellow collectors. “If my Rolex didn’t make a ticking sound," one commenter chimed in, “I’d be worried!”

What’s more likely is that Jay and the rappers who have followed his lead weren’t necessarily rapping about the ticking noise but the ticking motion. While both real and fake Rolex watches generate a ticking sound, replicating the motion of the seconds hand is a much more difficult task. On a Rolex, that hand makes what’s called a “sweeping” motion, as opposed to a “ticking” one. The difference, clearly seen here, makes obvious the difference between the sweep motion and a once-per-second push ahead. The hand looks like it’s gliding across the dial, a result of the Rolex movement beating so quickly—those aforementioned eight ticks per second—that it appears to be moving fluidly. That type of high-quality movement isn’t one easily replicated by counterfeiters.

So he’s not all wrong. But if Jay-Z really wanted his line to be accurate, he would have bragged about owning a different watch entirely. Though we’re not sure a song about a Grand Seiko Spring Drive, which famously doesn’t tick, would have made for quite the same chart-topping hit.

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GQ Shops: Pre-Owned Luxury Watches

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Vintage & Prestige offer a carefully curated selection of pre-owned wristwatches, fine jewellery and lifestyle accessories. A neo-vintage 18 karat yellow gold Rolex Datejust 16248, one of an extremely rare reference, with a bark bezel and champagne dial (quick set date and with sapphire glass). Considered to have been supplied on a leather strap originally, it has been fitted with a new high-quality Jean Rousseau leather strap and an 18 karat yellow gold Rolex tang buckle. Presented in outstanding and original condition, their example comprises a correct and original inner and outer box; the outer with a 16248 sticker, “Your Rolex” booklet, chronometer swing tag, correct brown wallet, 1991/2 calendar, translation booklet and warranty papers, is stamped by a recognised and well known (in period) UK authorised dealer and dated February 1993. Their example bears an E * serial, indicating production in 1991. A superb investment piece equally suitable for daily use. Follow on Instagram @vintageandprestige

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Amir Khan buys £30,000 adult Rolex for son’s first birthday

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Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom got their one-year-old a lavish gift (Picture: Instagram)

Amir Khan has revealed his lavish gift for his son, Muhammad Zaviyar’s first birthday, as he presented the tot with a £30,000 adult Rolex watch.

The boxer, 34, and his wife Faryal Makhdoom revealed the quirky gift they’d bought their one-year-old son, dubbing it an ‘investment’ for the tot’s future.

Sharing a photo of the three of them gathered round a leafy display in their house, with a stuffed toy lion, tiger and giraffe, Faryal showed off the watch they’d got their son.

She wrote: ‘Zaviyar’s 1st Lockdown Birthday & his first Rollie,’ as Amir held the child on his shoulders for the snap.

Zaviyar turned one on February 22 but the pair waited until this week to share photos of his birthday celebrations.

Amir also previously shared a close-up of the watch, thought to be a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in the colour chocolate, which retails for just under £30,000.

The couple showed off the extravagant gift and his low-key party (Picture: Instagram/ faryalmakhdoom)

He wrote alongside it: ‘Got my little boy his first birthday present. His watch collection needs to [be] on [point].’

While a Rolex is a pretty special gift to receive, many fans wondered why the couple chose to buy an adult watch for their baby, who won’t be able to wear it for many years.

One commented: ‘What is a one year supposed to do with a Rolex?’ to which Faryal responded: ‘It’s an investment for when he’s older.’

She added that the couple’s two daughters, Alayna and Lamaisah, also got special presents for their first birthdays too.

Amir wanted to start his son’s watch collection off in style (Picture: Instagram / amirkingkhan)

Amir is known for splashing out on lavish parties and birthday celebrations, and given this one happened during lockdown they were unable to have the big bash they would ordinarily have done.

He has previously thrown a rainforest-themed party for Alayna’s first birthday in 2019 which cost a reported £75,000.

The party was for 250 guests and was held at the Macron Stadium in Bolton and featured a five-tiered cake for the birthday girl.

The couple also spent a reported £100,000 for their eldest daughter Lamaisah’s second birthday party later in the year, so there’s no doubt the first birthday party Zaviyar has out of lockdown will also be a huge celebration.

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