Footballer Darwin Nunez Ribeiro spotted wearing a Rolex

Darwin Núñez, Liverpool FC's Uruguayan striker, was recently spotted wearing the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116518LN — a reference that stands apart from its stablemates for one engineering first: it introduced the Oysterflex bracelet to the Daytona family when Rolex unveiled it in 2017. That flexible, high-performance elastomer strap, reinforced with a titanium and nickel alloy blade, gave a full 18k yellow gold sports watch a comfort and security previously reserved for rubber-strapped dive watches.

The 116518LN is built around a 40mm 18k yellow gold Oyster case paired with a black Cerachrom bezel insert — Rolex's proprietary ceramic compound that resists scratching, UV fading, and corrosion. The tachymetric scale is rendered in 18k gold via a PVD process. Núñez's example carries a champagne dial with black chronograph sub-dials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, a contrast combination that reads with exceptional clarity. At its heart sits the calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house automatic movement featuring a column wheel, vertical clutch for clean chronograph engagement, and a 72-hour power reserve — widely regarded as one of the most refined chronograph ebauches in production.

For collectors, the 116518LN occupies interesting territory. Yellow gold Daytonas have historically divided opinion, but the Cerachrom bezel and Oysterflex strap give this reference a contemporary athleticism that the older 116528 — with its metal bracelet — lacks. It remains one of the more attainable yellow gold Daytonas on the grey market, yet it carries genuine technical distinction.

Núñez, who joined Liverpool from Benfica in 2022 for a club-record fee, has become one of European football's most explosive forwards. His watch choices reflect a taste for bold, statement-making pieces that carry genuine horological substance — the 116518LN is precisely that.

At retail, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116518LN is listed at $29,550. On the grey market, demand consistently pushes values to approximately $42,000, a premium of around 42% that reflects both the enduring desirability of the Daytona name and the scarcity of precious-metal references on authorised dealer shelves.