The Bachelorette Watches: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Season 20 of the Bachelorette is coming to a close. With just two episodes left, the original group of 25 contestants is down to three. In what has to be one of the strangest social dynamics of all time, we’ve watched a group of men live together while vying for an engagement with one woman: Charity Lawson. If you haven’t seen the Bachelorette, I highly suggest you give it a try. If you don’t like the show, you can just spot watches. There are a wide array of timepieces from vintage Rolex to unidentifiable fashion watches. I’d like to give my thoughts on five of these watches: which ones get roses, which ones don’t, and which ones I’ll be walking out to the car immediately. Spoiler alert – this article includes info through episode seven.

Aaron B – Rolex Yacht-Master II (Ref. 116689)

Image Sources: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth (left) and essential-watches.com (right)

I have to kick it off with the watch I first spotted: Aaron B’s white gold, platinum bezel Rolex Yacht-Master II. This is frankly a crazy watch. At 262 grams, it’s the second heaviest Rolex ever behind the platinum Daytona (282 grams). It has a 10-minute Regatta timer controlled by a “Ring Command Bezel”: one of Rolex’s most complex mechanical innovations. My favorite feature of this watch is the huge “YACHT-MASTER II” text on the bezel – just in case you forgot what you were wearing.

Aaron B comes across as a serious guy. His general demeanor is very much that of a therapist, which he is. He’s incredibly intentional with his words and actions, actions that include wearing a Rolex Yacht-Master II. Throughout the seven episodes, I have not seen this watch leave his wrist. For me, the Yacht-Master II is the furthest thing from a daily driver, which makes the notion of someone earnestly wearing one day in and day out remarkable. I love it for him. Aaron B and his Yacht-Master II get a rose.

Michael – Movado Eliro

Image Sources: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth (left) and 1stdibs.com (right)

Movado has a rich history of beautiful Swiss-Made timepieces. Today, they occupy more of a fashion watch position in the market, offering a huge catalog of primarily quartz-powered watches. They receive a bit of flack in the enthusiast community for their pricing compared to material costs. The Eliro is – shall we say – heavily inspired by Cartier: somewhere between a Tank Française and Tank Americane. Much like the Tank Française, the Movado Eliro presents as an integrated bracelet watch despite having conventional spring bars.

You can't make this stuff up – Michael is a Yacht Captain. The fact that we have a therapist wearing a Yacht-Master II and a Yacht Captain wearing a Movado is just perfect. While I don’t think Michael and his Movado Eliro deserve a rose, I do think it’s a good looking watch (thanks to Louis Cartier), so I will not be walking it out the car. 

Kaleb K – Vintage Rolex Datejust (Ref. 1601)

Image Sources: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth (left) and bulangandsons.com (right)

Now we’re talking. Kaleb K’s two-tone vintage Rolex Datejust is a breath of fresh air in the unpredictable world of Bachelorette watches. You can tell from the curvature of the lugs that this is a four-digit reference Datejust (likely the 1601). It wasn’t until the late 1970s that Rolex introduced five-digit reference Datejusts featuring a noticeably-defined lug edge (ultra-defined in modern examples). Kaleb K has his two-tone vintage Datejust on a textured brown leather strap: a classic look for a classic watch. I love this watch because it’s probably very meaningful to Kaleb, perhaps an heirloom. Most people don’t wear watches 20-30 years older than them for no reason. I don’t know, maybe he just bought it on eBay. That’s cool too.

I don’t remember a ton about Kaleb. He was one of the earlier exits. I don’t even remember seeing this watch in the show – I found him wearing it while doing research for this article. Still, this has to be one of, if not my favorite watch of the season. Kaleb and his vintage Datejust absolutely get a rose.

Dotun – Mystery Fashion Chronograph

Image Sources: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth (left) and chrono24.com (right)

I can’t for the life of me find this watch. It looks like a Rado HyperChrome, but based on the long two-word line of text at 12 o’clock (which I can’t read), it has to be something else. Whatever it is, it looks like a PVD coated, integrated bracelet chronograph with overlapping subdials and some sort of a notched bezel. It also has what some call “integrated” pushers: long, low-profile chronograph pushers rather than traditional pump pushers. Based on how thin it looks for a chronograph, it likely has some sort of quartz movement. I DM’ed Dotun asking about this watch. I’ll make sure to update this article if he responds.

I love Dotun. He’s easily my favorite guy on the show. Born in Nigeria, Dotun and his parents came to America when he was just four years old. “We came here with nothing, but my parents took on whatever job they could,” said Dotun in his Bachelorette intro. He’s a nice, humble dude with a great family and an inspiring story. That said, not only does this mystery chronograph not get a rose, I unfortunately have to walk it out to the car. I’m sorry, Dotun. Might I recommend a meca-quartz chronograph like the Yema Rallygraf or Brew Metric. If you like the overlapping subdial look, you should check out the Zenith El Primero. 

Sean – Rolex Datejust (Ref. 126334)

Image Sources: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth (left) and omijewelry.com (right)

Throughout his time on the show, Sean wore a silver-dial Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet. Based on his Instagram, it looks like the most recent 41mm reference (126334). This is the modern version of Kaleb’s watch: bigger, shinier, and with newer mechanics. I honestly don’t have much to say about this watch. It’s beautiful, it’s accurate, it’s a Rolex Datejust. 

Like the watch itself, I don’t have much to say about Sean (that hasn’t been said by everyone on the internet already). This is obviously an incredible watch, but unlike Kaleb’s vintage example, Sean’s modern Datejust doesn’t excite me. I won’t be walking it out to the car, but I can’t give this watch a rose.