Footballer Marco Materazzi spotted wearing a Rolex

Marco Materazzi, the former Inter Milan and Italian national team defender infamous for his role in the 2006 World Cup final against France, was recently photographed wearing a Rolex GMT-Master II 'Batman,' reference 116710BLNR — a watch that has quietly become one of the most sought-after steel sports watches of the past decade.

Introduced at Baselworld 2013, the Rolex GMT-Master II 116710BLNR represented a genuine technical milestone: it was the first Rolex to feature a two-tone Cerachrom bezel in two colors — blue (BLEU) and black (NOIR), hence BLNR — fired as a single piece of ceramic. Before this achievement, producing a gradient or dual-color ceramic component without visible seams or color bleeding was considered virtually impossible at production scale. The watch is cased in Rolex's proprietary Oystersteel (904L stainless steel) measuring 40mm, water-resistant to 100 meters, and sits on an Oyster bracelet with Easylink extension system.

Powering the GMT-Master II 116710BLNR is the Calibre 3186, a COSC-certified movement with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock absorbers, and a 72-hour power reserve. The movement drives an independent 24-hour GMT hand, allowing the wearer to track a second time zone simultaneously — a functionality born from Rolex's original 1955 collaboration with Pan American Airways.

Among collectors, the 'Batman' 116710BLNR has achieved near-legendary status. When Rolex replaced it in 2019 with the 'Batman' on a Jubilee bracelet (ref. 126710BLNR), the Oyster-bracelet variant became immediately desirable as a discontinued reference. Grey-market prices consistently trade at a significant premium above retail, hovering around the €19,900 mark — a figure confirmed by this sighting's sourcing. Its combination of wearability, technical achievement, and iconic aesthetics makes it a fixture on the wrists of athletes, entertainers, and serious collectors alike.

Materazzi, who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy and spent the majority of his club career at Inter Milan winning multiple Serie A titles, has long been a figure who commands attention — on and off the pitch. On this occasion, his choice of the Rolex GMT-Master II 'Batman' 116710BLNR shows reliable taste in the steel sports watch segment.