Watch Spotting Philippe Dufour Wearing A Rolex 'Pepsi' GMT-Master II Ref. 126710 BLRO At Baselworld 2019

I said it in our Baselworld 2019 preview episode of HODINKEE Radio, but I want to reiterate that one of the best parts of the watch industry's largest annual gathering is getting to see watchmaker Philippe Dufour out in the wild. The guy is a living legend – and he knows it. Every year he tells me or one of my colleagues about some yet-unkown watchmaker that we should be paying attention to (past endorsements have included Romain Gauthier and Rexhep Rexhepi) and he's not afraid to lob criticism at what he perceives as sub-par watches that besmirch the good name of haute hologerie. In a word, he's the man.

So, when our intrepid producer Greyson Korhonen spotted him enjoying his signature pipe outside of Hall 1, we knew he had to see what was on the man's wrist. Would it be the Datograph that he's long talked up as one of the best watches of all time? Would it be something rare and of his own making like a Simplicity or a Duality? Nope. Philippe Dufour, dear readers, was rocking a Rolex.