Footballer Karim Benzema spotted wearing a Rolex

Karim Benzema was photographed celebrating Real Madrid's Champions League victory with a wrist that drew almost as much attention as the trophy. On it: a Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126720VTNR, the brand's audacious left-handed GMT released just months prior — and already one of the most talked-about sports watches of the decade.

The 126720VTNR is technically and historically significant for a straightforward reason: no production Rolex GMT-Master had ever been built with the crown at 9 o'clock before this reference. The 40mm Oystersteel case houses the calibre 3285, a movement featuring a Chronergy escapement for improved efficiency, a 70-hour power reserve, and a Parachrom hairspring for magnetic resistance. The bidirectional rotatable bezel carries a two-colour black and green Cerachrom insert — the combination that earned the watch its 'Sprite' nickname among collectors, echoing the earlier 'Pepsi' and 'Batman' colour codes. The dial is black with large luminescent hour markers, and Rolex paired it with both an Oyster and a Jubilee bracelet option featuring the Oysterclasp.

From a collector standpoint, the 126720VTNR immediately became one of the most contested references in the modern Rolex catalogue. The left-crown architecture polarises opinion — some see it as genuine ergonomic innovation for left-handed wearers; others consider it an affectation. Either way, scarcity settled the argument: authorised dealer allocations are virtually nonexistent, and the grey market responded accordingly, pushing values to multiples of retail almost from launch.

Benzema's affinity for serious horology is well documented — the French striker has been spotted across a range of high-end references throughout his career. Wearing the 'Sprite' at one of football's peak moments adds a layer of cultural currency to a reference that was already attracting significant attention.

At an official retail price of approximately $11,050, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR is theoretically accessible. In practice, grey-market premiums have pushed transaction prices to roughly $50,500 — a spread that reflects both the watch's genuine desirability and the sustained demand the Rolex sports catalogue continues to command worldwide.