Mixed martial artist Merab Dvalishvili spotted wearing a Rolex

UFC Champion Merab Dvalishvili has been spotted wearing a strikingly customised Rolex Daytona, a one-of-a-kind creation by DiW Manufacture that trades the steel case of the production model for a high-end carbon fibre construction. The custom piece maintains the proportions and movement of the original while reducing weight—a critical detail for an athlete who builds his career on relentless pace and endurance. The red quartz fibre bezel frames the dial with visual aggression, signalling that this is no standard sports watch.

At the heart of this bespoke Daytona sits the Rolex calibre 4130, a self-winding chronograph movement with a 72-hour power reserve and a 300 Hz hairspring. The standard 116500LN reference houses this movement in a 40 mm steel case with a fixed ceramic bezel in black, water resistant to 100 metres. DiW's customisation preserves the movement and case dimensions but replaces the steel with lightweight carbon fibre—a material prized in professional motorsport and increasingly sought by watch collectors who demand performance without compromise. The dial, tachymetric scale, and subdials remain true to Daytona DNA; only the case material and bezel composition distinguish this piece from the production line.

The Daytona 116500LN itself represents a watershed moment for Rolex's most celebrated chronograph. Introduced in 2016, it marked the transition from the discontinued 116520 to a ceramic bezel platform, eliminating the aluminium insert prone to fading. The 116500LN has become the modern standard bearer for the sports chronograph segment, with a four-to-five year waiting list at authorised dealers and consistent grey-market demand. Custom builds by DiW—a bespoke customisation studio based in Germany—occupy a different market tier entirely, as each piece is unique and crafted on authentic movements and cases supplied by the client.

For Dvalishvili, the pairing is logical. A fighter who calculates every movement, optimises every training session, and leaves nothing to chance now wears a chronograph that embodies the same engineering discipline. The carbon fibre case reduces wrist fatigue during high-intensity grappling sessions while maintaining the ceremonial presence of the Daytona. DiW's customisation adds roughly 8,000–15,000 USD to the base watch's grey-market value, depending on materials and execution, positioning this piece squarely in the realm of collectible one-offs rather than mass-market luxury.

The Rolex Daytona 116500LN, even in its standard steel form, trades for 40,000–55,000 USD on the secondary market, a premium driven by production constraints and undiminished demand from collectors and professionals alike. Bespoke variants like Dvalishvili's remain highly individual and rarely resold, making them difficult to price but infinitely more personal than any authorized configuration.