Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo spotted wearing Rolex

Cristiano Ronaldo collected the AIC Football Player of the Year award during his time at Juventus with characteristic confidence, and on his wrist sat a piece entirely consistent with his reputation as a serious watch collector: the Rolex Daytona reference 116508 in 18K yellow gold, fitted with a mother of pearl dial and eight factory-set diamond hour markers — a configuration catalogued under the reference suffix BMOPDO.

The ref. 116508 sits at the top of Rolex's steel-and-gold Daytona hierarchy, housing the manufacture Calibre 4130, an in-house column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch that Rolex introduced in 2000 to replace the long-serving Zenith El Primero-based Calibre 4030. The 4130 beats at 28,800vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and is regarded by the industry as one of the most reliable and serviceably robust chronograph movements in production. The case measures 40mm in Rolex's proprietary Oystersteel-free 18K yellow gold, with a matching Oyster bracelet and a pump-pusher layout that remains faithful to the original 1963 Daytona aesthetic.

The mother of pearl dial variant transforms what is fundamentally a tool chronograph into a jewellery-grade object. MOP dials shift tone under different lighting conditions — from pale cream to warm iridescent gold — and when combined with yellow gold indices replaced by eight round brilliant-cut diamonds set at the even hour positions, the result is a dial that reads as understated luxury rather than overt showmanship. Rolex applies these stones in-house, and factory provenance carries significant weight with collectors over aftermarket diamond work.

Ronaldo has long cultivated one of football's most publicised watch collections, spanning Patek Philippe, Jacob & Co., and multiple Rolex references. His choice here — a yellow gold Daytona with precious stone detailing at a formal awards ceremony — reflects considered matching of watch to occasion rather than random rotation.

On the grey market, yellow gold Daytona references in desirable dial configurations have historically commanded premiums over list price. The ref. 116508 in MOP diamond configuration carries a UK list price of approximately £31,000; secondary market values for this specific dial variant have consistently exceeded retail, with clean examples trading meaningfully above list depending on condition and papers.