Watch Paparazzi

American football player Odell Beckham Jr spotted wearing Rolex

Odell Beckham Jr was photographed courtside at Phoenix Suns Arena wearing one of the rarest production Rolex references currently available at retail — the Cosmograph Daytona 116506 in 950 platinum. The appearance underscores what has become clear over several years of sightings: OBJ approaches watch collecting with the same competitive intensity he brings to the field.

The Rolex Daytona 116506 was introduced at Baselworld 2013 and represents the absolute pinnacle of the Daytona family. The case and bracelet are crafted from 950 platinum — a metal denser, rarer, and more expensive to work with than gold — and the reference is distinguished by two signature details that Rolex reserves exclusively for platinum: the ice blue sunray dial and the monochromatic brown ceramic (Cerachrom) bezel insert. That bezel was itself a technical achievement, as brown is among the most difficult colors to achieve consistently in ceramic sintering. The movement inside is the calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house flyback chronograph with a column wheel, vertical clutch, and a 72-hour power reserve — considered one of the most reliable and serviceable chronograph movements in modern watchmaking.

From a collector standpoint, the 116506 occupies a singular position. It is genuinely difficult to acquire at list price — authorized dealers allocate the reference with extreme selectivity — and its combination of material exclusivity, mechanical substance, and restrained aesthetics has kept secondary market premiums consistently elevated. Unlike many Rolex sports references that spiked and corrected, the platinum Daytona has held its premium with notable stability.

Beckham has built one of the more seriously curated watch collections in professional sport, with documented sightings spanning independent watchmakers, complicated dress watches, and high-end Rolex references. Choosing the 116506 for a casual NBA courtside appearance — rather than a red carpet — says something about how naturally he wears pieces at this level.

At retail the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116506 lists at approximately $85,775. On the grey market, demand keeps current transaction prices in the $125,000–$130,000 range, reflecting the reference's enduring scarcity and collector appetite.