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Basketball player Michael Jordan spotted wearing Rolex

Michael Jordan does not wear a watch to make noise. He wears it because he knows exactly what it is — and so does anyone else in the room who matters. The basketball legend was recently spotted on the wrist with a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116506, the full platinum iteration of Rolex's most iconic chronograph, and one of the marque's most technically and materially ambitious production pieces.

The Rolex Daytona 116506 debuted at Baselworld 2013 and marked the first time Rolex had produced the Daytona case in 950 platinum. The 40mm case houses the calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house column wheel chronograph movement featuring a vertical clutch and a 72-hour power reserve — a movement widely regarded as one of the most refined and reliable chronograph calibres in Swiss watchmaking. The dial is rendered in Rolex's proprietary cerachrom bezel in a matching platinum-toned ceramic, and that unmistakable ice-blue dial finish is lacquered in a hue that Rolex applies solely to its platinum references, making identification immediate even from a distance.

Among collectors, the 116506 occupies a peculiar and coveted position. It is a steel Daytona alternative for buyers who have exhausted every avenue to acquire the 116500LN, but it is also something categorically different: heavier on the wrist, quieter in tone, and radically more exclusive. Platinum Daytonas rarely surface at auction without attracting serious attention, and references in pristine condition with original documentation consistently achieve premiums well above grey-market valuations.

Jordan's relationship with Rolex is well-established. Over the decades he has been photographed across a broad range of references, from vintage Daytonas to GMT-Masters, reflecting a collector's palate rather than a brand ambassador's obligation. The 116506 slots naturally into that trajectory — a watch that rewards knowledge over spectacle.

At UK retail near £50,000, the Rolex Daytona 116506 is never easily obtained through authorised dealers. On the secondary market, strong examples trade between $90,000 and $110,000 USD depending on condition and provenance, with collector demand showing no sign of softening.