Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Sergio Ramos spotted wearing Rolex

Sergio Ramos, the former Real Madrid and Spain national team captain currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain, was recently photographed wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116508 in 18k yellow gold with a meteorite dial and black subdials. The setting appears to be a private dining experience, and the watch catches the light unmistakably on his tattooed wrist — a fitting contrast of old-world craftsmanship and contemporary personal expression.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116508 is a 40mm chronograph powered by the in-house calibre 4130, a column-wheel, vertical-clutch movement with a 72-hour power reserve and a co-axial-style architecture that has earned widespread respect among movement specialists. The 18k yellow gold case and matching Oyster bracelet frame a dial made from a slice of genuine Gibeon meteorite, sourced from a meteor that struck present-day Namibia. The Widmanstätten crystalline pattern — revealed only through acid etching — means every dial is a one-of-a-kind geological artefact. Black lacquer chronograph subdials provide sharp contrast against the silver-grey cosmic canvas.

From a collector standpoint, the yellow gold meteorite Daytona occupies rare territory. Rolex introduced meteorite dials to the Daytona line in the mid-2000s, and they have since become among the most coveted dial variants in the entire catalogue. The combination of precious metal case and a dial material billions of years older than Earth gives this reference an intrinsic story that no manufactured dial can replicate. Waitlists at authorised dealers for this configuration are measured in years, not months.

Ramos has long demonstrated a preference for statement-level timepieces, and the yellow gold Daytona aligns with his bold personal aesthetic. His companion in the photograph is Brazilian football icon Ronaldo Nazário, making this an appropriately historic pairing for a watch that carries its own history measured in cosmic time.

At official Rolex retail, the ref. 116508 with meteorite dial lists at approximately $75,950 USD, though the secondary market has pushed prices significantly higher given scarcity and demand. Well-documented examples in unworn condition regularly transact between $115,000 and $130,000 on major auction platforms and grey-market dealers — placing Ramos's wrist piece squarely in six-figure territory.