Watch Paparazzi

Basketball player Danny Green spotted wearing Rolex

Danny Green made a statement arrival at the Lakers vs. Houston Rockets game, stepping into the arena in a Chinatown Market black-and-white graphic shirt and silver trousers — but the real conversation piece was locked on his left wrist: a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116588TBR in 18K yellow gold, one of the most extravagant references the Crown has ever produced.

The 116588TBR — colloquially known as the 'Eye of the Tiger' Daytona — sits at the absolute apex of Rolex's jewellery-watch output. The 40mm yellow gold case houses Calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house chronograph movement featuring a column wheel and vertical clutch, delivering 72 hours of power reserve and COSC-certified precision. The bezel is set with 38 baguette-cut diamonds in a channel setting, while the dial is a tour de force of the dial-maker's art: a black lacquer background with gold arabesque filigree overlays encrusted with round brilliant-cut diamonds, framing three champagne-gold subsidiary dials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. The watch rides on a black rubber strap with a yellow gold deployant clasp, a pairing that softens the formality of the precious metal without diluting its impact.

Rolex introduced the 116588TBR as part of its high-jewellery Daytona lineage, a tradition that stretches back to the legendary 'Paul Newman' dial era but pivots into pure luxury territory. The reference is produced in extremely limited quantities, rarely appearing in authorised dealer showcases. Among serious collectors it occupies a peculiar position — simultaneously admired for its craft and debated for its ostentation — which only sharpens demand on the secondary market.

Green, a three-time NBA champion with San Antonio, Cleveland, and Toronto, has cultivated a reputation as one of the league's more considered dressers. His choice of the 116588TBR signals genuine engagement with high horology rather than simple brand recognition; this is a watch that requires deliberate seeking-out, not an impulse airport purchase.

At retail the 116588TBR carries a list price in excess of $75,000, though authorised dealer allocation is functionally non-existent for most buyers. On the grey market, verified examples regularly trade between $120,000 and $160,000 depending on condition and paperwork, reflecting both the intrinsic precious-metal and diamond value and the scarcity premium that defines the most desirable Daytona variants.