Wind Vintage has Drake’s ‘Take Care’ Rolex for sale & Polymesh is now available for non-MING watches
Zach BlassWatches and Wonders. Watches and Wonders. It’s all we’ve been talking about, I know. So, all I will say for this Friday Wind Down on the subject is that you can find all of our written coverage here and video coverage here. Now let’s move on to some horological headlines from this past week that are not related to the big show…
Drake’s “Take Care’ Rolex up for grabs at Wind Vintage
This is anything but a minor deal for Hip Hop/Rap fans around the world – a tangible piece of music meets wristwatch history. The actual Rolex watch Drake wore on his Take Care album cover, and in his Marvin’s Room music video, is available for purchase via our friends over at Wind Vintage. Ironically, factory gem-set Rolex watches are coveted compared to aftermarket buss-downs due to the major discrepancy in their value retention. Factory-set is always king. But this is a rare example of where an element of customisation stands to add value.
The caseback is engraved with Drake’s OVO owl logo, making an already incredibly rare watch even more one-of-a-kind. So where did this watch come from? How did it get into the hands of Wind Vintage?
“This example was purchased in 2011, and comes from the original owner who was a colleague of Drake during the breakthrough years of the musician’s career,” Wind Vintage explains on its site listing. “The watch comes with full links. The bracelet has minor wear on the clasp. The case is unpolished. We do not know the service history, but the watch is running well. It comes full set with box and papers. It comes with OVO memorabilia, including the OWL statue on the cover of the album, clothing and backstage passes.”
Now, the asking price? US$500,000. That is anywhere between 2x to 5x the list prices I can find online. However, the ref. 116758SANR, according to Wind Vintage, is not only rarer than its Everose gold sibling but also the Rainbow Daytona. Add in the provenance and piece unique factor, and it stands to be a major score for the right buyer.
MING’s Polymesh is now available in a “Straight” configuration
When the out-of-this-world Polymesh made its debut, everyone who held it was blown away. Heck, I even bought one for my MING 17.03 GMT – an early MING design from 2018 that celebrated its 1-year anniversary. Neither a strap nor a bracelet, rather something in between, the experience can only be described as metallic silk on the wrist. With its curved ends, the compatibility range Polymesh had was more limited to MING watches. With the new Polymesh – Straight, however, now any 20mm lug width watch can be paired with a Polymesh.
This is the first-ever MING product that was not specifically designed for its own watches, which means you can now enjoy MING’s seemingly alien Polymesh technology on watches like the Fears pictured above (and available here in our shop). The price? CHF 1,500 (for the Polymesh strap/bracelet only).
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Zach and the Time+Tide Team
Watch meme of the week: To homage or not to homage? That is the question
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Place your bets on Kalshi (don’t actually) as to which new design the homage brands will rip off first.
Wrist shot of the week: Who doesn’t love a Lumen?
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The price is approximately 550,000 euros. So, only 449,999 more euros to save up before it’s mine. I can’t have the watch, but I can look at this stellar shot to pour a bucket of salt in the wound.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: Straum Jan Mayen Arctic Purple Borealis Limited Edition – Titanium
Inspired by one of the rarest atmospheric phenomena observed in the night sky, the Straum Jan Mayen Arctic “Purple Borealis” captures the elusive glow of STEVE — a fast-moving ribbon of violet light that dances beneath the aurora. Executed in Grade 5 titanium, this limited edition introduces a striking purple fumé dial, shifting from deep palatinate tones to lighter rose-violet hues. Straum’s signature Arctic-textured surface adds depth and complexity, allowing the dial to evolve continuously in natural light.
Lightweight yet robust, the bead-blasted titanium case with polished accents reinforces the watch’s technical, modern identity. Paired with a colour-matched FKM rubber strap, the overall result is a bold yet highly wearable expression of the Jan Mayen collection. Limited to just 200 pieces across steel and titanium, the Purple Borealis is a rare interpretation of nature’s most captivating light show.
The Straum Jan Mayen Arctic Purple Borealis Limited Edition – Titanium will be limited to 200 pieces and is available for pre-order now online at the Time+Tide Shop. Price: US$1,930
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
This chronograph is hiding a secret: New Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux
Parmigiani Fleurier has done it again — and this time, they’ve pulled off what might be the most audacious act of horological sleight of hand we’ve ever seen at Watches and Wonders. Meet the Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux. From the front, it looks like a clean, minimalist three-hander. Mineral blue dial. Barleycorn guilloché. Excellent case finishing. Elegant as ever. Nothing to see here. Until there is everything to see here. Check out the full hands-on review video to unravel the mystery.
New A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” & Saxonia Annual Calendar 36mm
There are watches. And then there are A. Lange & Söhne watches. At Watches and Wonders 2026, Andrew caught up with CEO Wilhelm Schmid to dig into the two releases that have the watch world talking — and the one that cast its usual long shadow over everything else in the room. Watch the full video above for more.
Patrick Dempsey makes the case for the TAG Heuer Monaco as THE racing chronograph icon
Patrick Dempsey. Actor. Racing driver. TAG Heuer ambassador. And as it turns out, a man who genuinely cannot stop talking about the Monaco. We caught up with Patrick at Watches and Wonders 2026 in Geneva, where TAG Heuer had gone full motorsport immersion — Formula 1 cars, heritage racers, the works. And Dempsey, predictably, was in his element. The centrepiece of the conversation? The new TAG Heuer Monaco — and Dempsey’s surprisingly sharp case for why it might just be the most iconic motor racing watch ever made. Find out why in the video above.