Footballer Arthur Melo spotted wearing a Rolex

When Arthur Melo sat down to sign his loan contract with Juventus for the 2020/2021 season, cameras caught more than just ink on paper. On his wrist, the Brazilian midfielder wore a stainless steel Rolex Submariner Date reference 116610LN — one of the most recognizable timepieces in the world, yet still capable of making a statement at a moment of genuine sporting significance.

The Rolex Submariner Date 116610LN was introduced at Baselworld 2010, representing a landmark update to the Submariner lineage. Its most significant innovation was the Cerachrom unidirectional rotating bezel insert in black ceramic, replacing the long-serving aluminum version. Cerachrom is virtually impervious to scratching and immune to ultraviolet fading — a practical upgrade that also lends the watch a deeper, more lustrous aesthetic. Beneath the 40mm Oyster case, the reference runs on the calibre 3135, Rolex's workhorse automatic movement featuring a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph beat rate, and approximately 48 hours of power reserve. Water resistance is rated to 300 metres.

The 116610LN occupies a unique position in the collector landscape. Despite being a current-production reference at the time of this sighting, it was already commanding significant premiums on the secondary market, driven by chronic supply constraints at authorized dealers. The black dial, Mercedes hands, and chromalight luminous plots on the 116610LN represent the purest distillation of the Submariner design DNA established in 1953 — evolutionary rather than revolutionary, which is precisely what makes it enduringly desirable.

Arthur Melo, then 23 years old and arriving in Turin with a reputation as one of the most technically gifted midfielders of his generation, chose a watch that projects exactly that kind of quiet confidence. No diamonds, no complications — just a tool watch worn by someone who clearly understands that restraint can be its own kind of flex.

At the time of the signing, the Rolex Submariner Date 116610LN carried an official retail price of approximately $8,550 USD, while grey market values had already climbed well past $12,000, reflecting the frenzied demand that would only intensify in the years that followed.