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Footballer Yassine Bounou Bono spotted wearing Rolex

At the FIFA Best Awards 2023 in London, Moroccan national team goalkeeper Yassine Bounou — widely known as Bono — turned up on the red carpet wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116518LN in 18k yellow gold. The choice was deliberate: this is not a discreet sports watch. It is one of the most visually assertive references in the modern Daytona catalogue, and Bounou wore it without apology.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116518LN was introduced as part of Rolex's effort to elevate the yellow gold Daytona with a cerachrom ceramic bezel — the black ceramic ring giving the case a two-tone visual weight that the earlier 116518 with tachymetre insert lacked. The 40mm yellow gold Oyster case houses Rolex's calibre 4130, an in-house column-wheel chronograph movement with a 72-hour power reserve and a free-sprung Parachrom balance wheel. It is widely regarded as one of the most reliable and accurate chronograph ebauches in the industry. The specific example Bounou wore features a black dial with champagne-toned subdials and eight diamond hour markers — a factory configuration that Rolex designates as the 116518LN diamond dial variant.

The 116518LN carries genuine collector weight. Discontinued in 2023 when Rolex launched the successor 126500LN series, the reference now sits in a closed chapter of Daytona history. Collectors have noted that yellow gold Daytonas with ceramic bezels tend to hold value exceptionally well, partly because the combination remained in production for a relatively short window compared to earlier steel references.

Bounou's presence at the FIFA Best ceremony was earned. His performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup — including penalty shootout heroics against Spain and Portugal — made him one of the tournament's defining figures and brought Moroccan football to global attention. The 116518LN on his wrist reads as a considered reward for that achievement.

On the grey market, the 116518LN diamond dial variant trades at a meaningful premium over retail. The official list price stood at approximately $29,000 USD before discontinuation, but demand from collectors closing out the reference has pushed secondary market values higher, particularly for factory diamond-set examples in unworn condition.