The article had Twitter users rolling their eyes over the ruckus.
Former Star Trek actor George Takei tweeted, "No (New York Times) we don't care what watch Joe Biden wore, like we never cared about Obama's tan suit."
"Headlines complaining about Biden's Peloton and Rolex after four years of a dude with a literal gold toilet are beyond parody," GQ writer Laura Bassett wrote.
Crooked Media host Akilah Hughes commented, "They must be real bored at the Times. There's nothing else to focus on? "Shut up."
And Vox correspondent Ian Milhiser wondered, "What's the worst presidential scandal? The time when Biden wore a Rolex, the time when Obama ordered Dijon mustard, or the time when Trump encouraged a insurrectionist mob to violently seize the Capitol in a vain attempt to overturn an election that he lost?"
Meanwhile, some speculated that the watch had belonged to Biden's son Beau, who passed away after a battle with brain cancer, and called for the New York Times to apologise to the family.
Others wrote that the watch had been a gift from First Lady Jill Biden in honour of the inauguration.
It's one of a collection of expensive watches owned by the new president. He's also been seen wearing an Omega Speedmaster and an Omega Seamaster, worth about NZ$8000 each.
And Biden is not the first leader of the United States to sport a Rolex - so did Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.
But since Bill Clinton's presidency, leaders have favoured more low-profile timepieces.
Clinton chose a Timex Ironman that the Washington Post described as "a plastic digital watch thick as a brick and handsome as a hernia" in 1993.
His successor George W. Bush opted for a Timex model costing less than US$50 (NZ$69).
Barack Obama chose watches from American craftspeople like Detroit's Shinola or California-based Jorg Gray, while Donald Trump wore a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, a Vacheron Constatin, or - you guessed it - a Rolex.
