Footballer Aymeric Laporte spotted wearing a Rolex

Aymeric Laporte was photographed celebrating Manchester City's hard-fought Champions League semifinal win over Real Madrid, a result that booked the club's place in the final. On his wrist sat one of Rolex's most striking and commercially elusive references — the GMT-Master II ref. 126718GRNR in solid 18K yellow gold, fitted with a black Cerachrom bezel and matching black dial, all mounted on a five-link Jubilee bracelet.

The 126718GRNR sits at the top of the GMT-Master II hierarchy in terms of material specification. The 40mm Oyster case and bracelet are crafted entirely from 18K yellow gold, while the bidirectional rotatable bezel carries a monochromatic black ceramic insert — a technically demanding configuration that Rolex refers to internally as requiring precise pigmentation control across the Cerachrom compound. Powering the watch is the Calibre 3285, Rolex's proprietary GMT movement featuring a Chronergy escapement, Parachrom hairspring, and a 70-hour power reserve. The combination of COSC-exceeding accuracy and in-house manufacture places it firmly within the upper tier of Swiss complication watchmaking.

From a collector standpoint, the 126718GRNR occupies genuinely rare ground. Unlike the two-tone or steel GMT variants, which are produced in far greater volumes, all-gold GMT references have historically attracted a tighter but deeply committed collector base. The all-black bezel configuration — sometimes referred to informally as the 'Full Black' gold GMT — adds visual drama without relying on the brand's traditional color-coded bezel language, making it simultaneously more subtle and more expensive to produce.

Laporte has established himself as one of European football's more watch-literate figures, and the choice of the 126718GRNR reads as considered rather than conspicuous. Gold sports watches carry a particular resonance in football culture, but the Jubilee bracelet and restrained dial colorway give this reference a sophistication that distinguishes it from more ostentatious alternatives.

At retail, the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126718GRNR carries a list price of approximately $38,900. On the secondary market, demand has pushed values to around $75,000 — a premium of nearly double retail that reflects both the scarcity of gold GMT allocations and sustained collector appetite for the all-black bezel configuration. Waiting lists at authorized dealers remain lengthy.