Football manager Gareth Southgate spotted wearing a Rolex

On an evening when England played out a draw against Spain, all eyes were not exclusively on the pitch. Gareth Southgate, serving as England's interim manager, was spotted courtside wearing a stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 with a black dial — a choice that says as much about considered restraint as it does about horological knowledge.

The Rolex Daytona ref. 116520 represents a watershed moment in the Daytona lineage. Launched at Baselworld 2000, it was the model that finally brought the Daytona fully in-house, replacing the outsourced Zenith El Primero-based calibre 4030 with Rolex's own calibre 4130. That movement — a column-wheel, vertical clutch chronograph with a 72-hour power reserve — is widely considered one of the finest chronograph ebauches of the modern era, praised for its serviceability, accuracy and clean architecture. The 40mm oyster case, screw-down pushers, tachymetric bezel and black lacquer dial with matching sub-registers define the classic Daytona aesthetic without adornment.

The 116520 ran in production from 2000 until approximately 2016, when Rolex replaced it with the ceramic-bezelled reference 116500LN. That discontinuation transformed the steel 116520 — already a waiting-list watch during its production life — into a full-blown collector's grail. The black-dial variant in particular commands a premium over its white-dial sibling on the grey market, appreciated for its legibility and its closer visual link to the original Paul Newman-era references.

Southgate's choice is characteristic of the man: no flashy complications, no boutique independents, no statement pieces. The Daytona 116520 is a serious watch worn by someone who likely understands what they have on their wrist — a sports chronograph with motorsport heritage, impeccable mechanics and genuine horological credibility. It sits well on a football manager whose own public image has consistently favoured substance over spectacle.

On the open market, steel Rolex Daytona 116520 examples in good condition with box and papers regularly trade between $18,000 and $24,000 USD depending on service history, dial condition and completeness of documentation — well above any original retail figure, reflecting sustained collector demand that shows no signs of cooling.