Watch Paparazzi

Footballer David Beckham spotted wearing Rolex

David Beckham is no stranger to a serious wrist game, but his latest sighting puts one of Rolex's most technically complex — and visually commanding — references front and centre. The former England captain and Inter Miami CF co-owner was photographed wearing the Rolex Yacht-Master II in 18kt yellow gold, reference 116688, a watch that manages to be simultaneously a regatta instrument and an unabashed luxury object.

The Rolex Yacht-Master II ref. 116688 measures 44mm in 18kt yellow gold and pairs that case with a matching 18kt Oyster bracelet fitted with the Rolex Oysterlock safety clasp and Easylink 5mm comfort extension. The defining feature is its bidirectional rotatable bezel in white Cerachrom ceramic, engraved with a 60-minute graduated scale. Inside runs the manufacture Calibre 4161, a 361-component movement built around Rolex's patented programmable countdown mechanism — the Ring Command system — which physically couples the bezel rotation to the movement to set the regatta timer. Power reserve sits at approximately 72 hours.

Launched in 2007, the Yacht-Master II was Rolex's first watch with a mechanical memory and a programmable countdown, developed in genuine collaboration with the sailing world. The ref. 116688 full-yellow-gold variant is the most extravagant execution of that concept, and it occupies a distinctive position in the catalogue: technically serious, yet unquestionably ostentatious in a way that Rolex rarely courts. That tension is exactly what makes it a collector talking point.

Beckham has worn Rolex references across the spectrum — from sports models to precious-metal dress pieces — and the Yacht-Master II fits a pattern of the footballer gravitating toward large-format, high-complication pieces in precious metal. His public profile ensures that any sighting of this calibre generates immediate interest among collectors and aspirational buyers alike.

On the secondary market, full-gold Rolex complications in unworn condition command a meaningful premium. The ref. 116688 trades at elevated levels relative to its UK list price of £32,050, reflecting consistent demand for yellow-gold Rolex sport-adjacent references. For a watch that blends genuine horological engineering with maximum presence on the wrist, Beckham's choice is entirely coherent.