Watch Paparazzi

Mixed martial artist Conor McGregor spotted wearing Rolex

Conor McGregor, the Irish MMA superstar who turned combat sport into a global personal brand, was photographed wearing the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 18-karat yellow gold with a green dial, reference 116508 — a watch that needs little introduction in serious collecting circles but rewards close examination regardless.

The Rolex Daytona 116508 is built around the calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house automatic chronograph movement introduced in 2000 and widely regarded as one of the most reliable and serviceably elegant chronograph engines in production. It operates at 28,800 vph with a 72-hour power reserve, housed in a 40mm 18-karat yellow gold case paired with a matching gold Oyster bracelet. The green sunburst dial — lacquered, with gold-toned subsidiary registers — catches light in a way that photographs dramatically and wears even better in person. Water resistance sits at 100 metres, consistent across the Oyster professional range.

Within the Daytona family, the 116508 green dial occupies a particularly desirable position. Green dials on Rolex gold sport watches carry an almost totemic status; the colour historically signals the top of the catalogue. Collectors associate it with the rare and the deliberate — Rolex does not apply green arbitrarily. The 116508 was introduced as part of the broader 2016 Baselworld refresh of the Daytona lineup, and demand has consistently outpaced supply through authorised dealers since launch.

McGregor's relationship with high-end watches is well documented. He has been spotted across a range of elite references from multiple maisons, but the Daytona 116508 fits his public persona with particular coherence — yellow gold, maximum presence, zero apology. It is the kind of watch that reads across a stadium, which is essentially the environment McGregor was built for.

On the grey market, the Rolex Daytona 116508 with green dial commands a substantial premium over its already considerable retail price, driven by sustained collector demand and restricted authorised dealer availability. It is not a watch you walk into a boutique and purchase without a relationship. For McGregor, that friction is presumably part of the appeal.