Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Per-Mathias Høgmo spotted wearing Rolex

Norwegian football manager Per-Mathias Høgmo was photographed animatedly directing play from the touchline — and sharp-eyed observers will note the two-tone Rolex Datejust riding on his left wrist, partially visible beneath his jacket sleeve. It is precisely the kind of understated luxury choice one expects from a senior football professional: recognisable without ostentation.

The watch appears to be a Rolex Datejust reference 16233, produced from approximately 1988 to 2000 and representing a transitional generation between the earlier 16013 and the modern 116233. The 36mm case pairs a 904L stainless steel mid-case with an 18k yellow gold fluted bezel — one of Rolex's most iconic design signatures, originally introduced for its light-refracting properties. The champagne dial, devoid of hour numerals in favour of applied baton indexes, reads with clean legibility. The Jubilee bracelet — a five-piece link design exclusive to the Datejust since 1945 — rounds out a composition that has remained essentially unchanged for decades.

Powering the 16233 is the Rolex Calibre 3135, a in-house automatic movement featuring a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring (in later iterations), Perpetual rotor, and COSC-certified chronometric precision to +2/-2 seconds per day. It is widely regarded as one of the most reliable mechanical movements in production, requiring service intervals of around ten years under normal use.

For collectors, the 16233 occupies a sweet spot: pre-ceramic, pre-Supercase, yet mechanically mature. The fluted gold bezel on two-tone examples has historically attracted a slight premium over smooth-bezel variants. Tritium and then luminova dial transitions across the production run offer fascinating sub-variants for the dedicated.

Høgmo led Norway's national side from 2013 to 2017, overseeing a period of rebuilding for Scandinavian football. His Datejust choice reads as consistent with that professional profile — measured, established, and built to last. On the grey market, a well-preserved 16233 with champagne dial currently trades in the $5,500–$7,000 range depending on box, papers, and dial condition.