Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Antoine Griezmann spotted wearing Rolex

Antoine Griezmann has been spotted wearing a Rolex Day-Date 40 in 18-karat yellow gold, reference 228238 — a choice that places him firmly in the company of presidents, CEOs, and a long lineage of footballers who have gravitated toward watchmaking's most recognizable power statement.

The Day-Date 40 ref. 228238 is built around Rolex's in-house calibre 3255, a movement that represents the Geneva manufacture at its most technically current. The 70-hour power reserve, Chronergy escapement, and Parachrom hairspring make it one of the most robust and accurate mechanical movements in production, certified as a Superlative Chronometer to ±2 seconds per day. The case measures 40mm in 18k yellow gold, water-resistant to 100 metres, and sits on the iconic President bracelet — a three-link design introduced alongside the watch in 1956 and never offered on any other Rolex reference.

The Day-Date's history is inseparable from its clientele. Rolex developed the model as the first wristwatch to display both the date and the full day of the week spelled out in full, and from launch it was positioned as a gift for world leaders and power brokers. Dwight Eisenhower received one. So did Lyndon Johnson, who famously gave customised examples as diplomatic gifts. That lineage has never really left the reference, even as it migrated from the boardroom to football stadiums and recording studios.

Griezmann's affinity for fine timepieces is well documented. The 2018 World Cup winner, now at Atlético de Madrid after his stints at Barcelona and Juventus, has built one of European football's more considered watch collections. Reaching for a ref. 228238 signals a preference for the canonical over the avant-garde — this is a watch chosen for permanence rather than novelty.

At retail, the Rolex Day-Date 40 ref. 228238 carries a list price of $38,300 USD, though grey-market premiums keep secondary prices consistently above that figure. Demand for yellow gold Day-Date references remains robust, driven by both new collectors and a broader cultural rehabilitation of gold sports watches that shows no sign of reversing.