Youtuber PewDiePie (Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg) spotted wearing a Rolex

PewDiePie — real name Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg — was photographed wearing a Rolex GMT-Master II in stainless steel, reference 116710LN, the blacked-out variant of one of Rolex's most enduring professional sports watches. The sighting places the world's most subscribed individual YouTuber firmly in the camp of creators who reach for proven horological classics rather than flashier statement pieces.

The Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN entered production in 2007 and represented a significant technical leap for the line. Rolex debuted its proprietary Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert with this reference — jet black, virtually unscratchable, and UV-resistant — replacing the aluminum bezel that had served the GMT-Master since its Pan Am pilot origins in 1954. Underneath the 40mm Oyster case sits the calibre 3186, a COSC-certified automatic movement beating at 28,800 vph with a 50-hour power reserve, offering independent 24-hour GMT hand adjustment and a quickset date. The combination of the black dial, black bezel, and Oyster bracelet earns it the collector nickname 'blackout' — one of the cleaner, more restrained references in the GMT-Master II family.

The 116710LN occupies a respected position in Rolex collector circles precisely because it avoids novelty. Where the two-tone 'Pepsi' ref. 126710BLRO and the 'Batman' 126710BLNR attract premiums driven partly by aesthetic spectacle, the all-black 116710LN is regarded as the purist's GMT — legible, versatile, and unshowy. It was discontinued in 2019 when Rolex updated the GMT-Master II line to the larger 40mm 126710 family with the calibre 3285, which means the 116710LN now sits as a complete, closed reference with stable collector demand.

For PewDiePie, who relocated from the UK to Japan and has spoken publicly about adopting a lower-profile lifestyle, the 116710LN reads as a considered, understated choice. It signals taste without broadcasting wealth — precisely the register a creator with 110 million subscribers might want when stepping outside the frame.

On the secondary market, the 116710LN trades comfortably above its original list price. UK list at time of availability was approximately £6,200, translating to roughly $7,800 USD at period rates. Current grey market values for well-documented examples typically run in the $9,000–$11,500 range depending on condition and box-and-papers status, reflecting steady demand for a closed reference with genuine tool-watch credentials.