Rolex King Midas White Gold

When Rolex tapped Gérald Genta in the ‘60s to design a watch fit for a king—literally—they didn’t know they were commissioning one of the most eccentric, ambitious, and ahead-of-its-time watches in their entire catalog. The King Midas wasn’t built to blend in. It was built to break the mold, preferably using a chisel and some architectural blueprints from ancient Greece.

This reference 4315 is the final and rarest evolution of the asymmetrical Midas trilogy. Compared to its predecessors, the 4315 is smarter about its weight distribution, sleeker in execution, and fully integrated in its design thinking. Gone is the top-heavy clasp of earlier models. In its place? A single-fold hidden clasp that maintains the bracelet’s clean lines, uninterrupted from lug to lug. And because this is the white gold version, it’s rare even by King Midas standards—a whisper among collectors, a flex among royalty.

Weighing in at 140 grams of 18K white gold, this isn’t your dainty Cellini. It’s a solid, architectural object, like someone melted the Parthenon and turned it into a wristwatch. Measuring 28mm across by 27mm top to bottom, the angular asymmetry somehow wears just right—likely because Genta, the man behind the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus, had a knack for making weird look wearable. And he wasn’t just referencing Greek mythology for flair: the entire case design, from the fluted grooves to the sloped crown guard, pulls directly from classical geometry.

Inside, you'll find the ultra-thin manual-wound Caliber 651, a step up from the earlier 650. It was built by Piaget, because if you’re making a dress watch with this much metal, you better shave off millimeters where you can. The result? A watch with all the gravitas of gold, but without the bulk of bad proportions.

And the condition? It’s about as clean as it gets. The original brushing is still visible, the edges are sharp enough to draft blueprints on, and the bracelet is as tight as the day it left Geneva. Hallmarks are razor crisp. No stretch. No polish. This piece was clearly worn sparingly and loved wisely.

Owning a King Midas is one thing. Owning a white gold 4315 is something else entirely. It’s Rolex at its most unorthodox and Genta at his most conceptual. A timepiece that nods to antiquity while feeling strangely futuristic.

We’re proud to have this one in our collection. And we’ll probably shed a small, silent tear when it leaves.