Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Lionel Messi spotted wearing Rolex

Lionel Messi was recently photographed wearing a stainless steel Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126710BLRO on an Oyster bracelet, adding one of contemporary watchmaking's most technically significant sports watches to his documented collection. The sighting is consistent with Messi's broader taste for understated, high-quality pieces that avoid pure ostentation despite his extraordinary means.

Introduced at Baselworld 2018, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO represented a genuine engineering breakthrough. For years, Rolex could produce its Cerachrom ceramic bezels in a single colour or two-tone using a physical vapour deposition process, but replicating the classic 'Pepsi' red-and-blue bicolour in ceramic — rather than the aluminium used on vintage references like the 16710 — required an entirely new sintering technique. The result is a bezel of exceptional hardness, scratch resistance, and colour stability. Beneath the case, the calibre 3285 movement powers the watch: a proprietary Rolex manufacture movement featuring a Chronergy escapement for improved efficiency, a 70-hour power reserve, and the Paraflex shock-absorption system. The 40mm Oystersteel case and updated Oyster bracelet with the Oysterlock clasp and Easylink 5mm extension system complete a package that is refined without being radical.

Among collectors, the 126710BLRO occupies a peculiar position — it is simultaneously one of the most wanted references on the market and one of the hardest to acquire at retail. Authorised dealer waiting lists for this reference have stretched for years, making grey-market premiums a persistent and substantial reality. The 'Pepsi' colour scheme carries enormous nostalgic weight, connecting back to the original 1675 GMT-Master of the 1960s worn by Pan Am pilots, which gives the 126710BLRO a depth of heritage that newer references simply cannot manufacture.

Messi's relationship with luxury watches is well documented — he has previously been associated with Jacob & Co. and Audemars Piguet through commercial partnerships — but a personal Rolex GMT-Master II suggests a more private, day-to-day choice. The GMT complication is also practically relevant for an athlete who has spent his career crossing time zones between Argentina, Spain, France, and the United States.

At an official retail price of approximately $10,215, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO sits at a relative entry point for a serious sports watch. Current grey-market values hover around $21,350 — a premium of over 100 percent that reflects both chronic supply constraints and sustained collector demand. Messi wearing one will do nothing to cool that market.