Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Chiara Ferragni spotted wearing Rolex

Chiara Ferragni, the Italian entrepreneur who built one of the world's first influencer-driven fashion empires, was recently spotted wearing a Rolex Submariner Date ref. 16613LB — a two-tone sports watch that rewards closer inspection far more than its mainstream reputation might suggest.

The Submariner ref. 16613LB belongs to the fifth generation of the two-tone Submariner lineage, produced from 1988 to 2010. The designation 'LB' refers to 'lunette bleue,' identifying the blue anodized aluminum bezel insert paired with a deep blue dial featuring gold applied hour markers and Mercedes hands. The case measures 40mm in stainless steel, with 18k yellow gold deployed across the crown guards, bezel ring, and the center links of the Oyster bracelet — a configuration Rolex calls Rolesor. Water resistance is rated to 300 metres. Power comes from the caliber 3135, Rolex's workhorse self-winding movement featuring a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, bidirectional perpetual rotor, and a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. The 3135 remains one of the most reliable and well-regulated movements in Swiss watchmaking.

Among collectors, the 16613LB occupies a specific and respected niche. Two-tone Submariners were unfashionable for years — dismissed as 'too 1980s' — but collector sentiment has shifted meaningfully. The blue dial and bezel combination is considered the most visually coherent execution of the two-tone formula, and the pre-ceramic aluminum bezel insert now carries genuine vintage appeal. Examples with tritium or early luminova dials attract particular attention.

Ferragni built The Blonde Salad into a global brand and remains one of Europe's most closely watched figures in fashion and lifestyle media. Her watch choices tend to reflect investment-grade taste rather than trend-chasing, and the 16613LB fits that profile precisely — a discontinued reference with a strong secondary market trajectory and cross-gender wearability.

On the grey market, clean examples of the Rolex Submariner ref. 16613LB with box and papers regularly trade between $14,000 and $18,000 depending on condition and dial generation, comfortably above what comparable steel references command. The model was never assigned a standard retail price after discontinuation, making secondary market values the relevant benchmark.