Michael Bisping says he does not wear his solid-gold Rolex because it is not his style and wearing it makes him feel uncomfortable. He tied that reaction to his own background, calling himself “a working class lad from Lancashire.”
What Bisping said about the Rolex
In a September 2, 2021 report by Luke Benedictus for Time+Tide, Bisping said: “It’s not my style,” and added that although he owns a solid-gold Rolex, he never wears it because he feels uncomfortable in it. The report quotes him describing himself as “a working class lad from Lancashire” and saying he feels like “an absolute w***er” with the watch on.
His answer is personal: the watch does not feel like him. He did not say that he dislikes watches generally, or that he rejects luxury goods as a category.
What is known about the watch—and what is not
The reporting identifies it only as a solid-gold Rolex. It does not name a model or reference, so it cannot be reliably identified as a Day-Date, Datejust, Daytona, or any other specific Rolex. The watch’s price is likewise not established.
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Does Bisping dislike gold watches?
His later comments suggest a broader dislike of watches would be the wrong reading. In GQ’s March 22, 2022 video, “10 Things Michael Bisping Can’t Live Without”, he says a good watch is “absolutely essential” to him and talks about watches with personal meaning. He mentions a Breitling given to him by Sheikh Maktoum of Dubai and a gold watch gifted by a friend after his UFC Hall of Fame induction.
GQ does not identify the gold Rolex from the 2021 report, and its video does not establish whether the Hall of Fame gift is that same watch. The accounts therefore show that Bisping values watches, while leaving the identity and history of the Rolex unresolved.
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Why a gold Rolex can feel conspicuous
A companion Time+Tide article about gold Rolexes interprets their conspicuous appearance as a reason some people may read them as displays of wealth or status. That is the article’s cultural interpretation, not an explanation Bisping confirmed. His stated reason remains that the watch is not his style and makes him feel self-conscious.
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