Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Brendan Rogers spotted wearing Rolex

Brendan Rodgers, currently managing Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, was recently photographed wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in stainless steel with a black dial, reference 116520 — a watch that tells its own compelling story well beyond the pitch.

Introduced in 2000, the Rolex Daytona ref. 116520 represented a pivotal chapter in the Daytona's evolution. It was the first iteration of the iconic chronograph to be powered entirely by a Rolex-manufactured movement: the calibre 4130. Replacing the Zenith El Primero-derived calibre 4030 used in the previous 16520, the in-house 4130 offered a column-wheel chronograph mechanism, a vertical clutch for smoother starts, and a generous 72-hour power reserve — a significant technical step forward. The 40mm Oyster case retained the Daytona's classic proportions, while the black dial variant presented three white sub-registers, a clean and immediately legible configuration that remains the benchmark aesthetic for sports chronographs.

The 116520 remained in production until 2016, when Rolex replaced it with the ref. 116500LN, introducing a ceramic (Cerachrom) tachymetre bezel in place of the aluminium insert. That transition effectively retired the 116520 and, as so often happens with discontinued steel Rolex sports references, demand on the secondary market accelerated sharply. Collectors value the 116520 not only for its mechanical credentials but for its position as the last aluminium-bezel Daytona — a tangible link between the modern manufacture era and the watch's analogue, pre-ceramic past.

Rodgers is known for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail, qualities that translate naturally into considered taste in watches. The Daytona ref. 116520 is not a showy choice — it is a watch that rewards knowledge rather than broadcasting price. On the wrist of a football manager navigating the pressures of European competition and domestic title races, it reads as entirely appropriate.

The ref. 116520 carried a UK list price of approximately £7,950 during its production run. On today's grey market, demand for clean examples — particularly with black dials — pushes values considerably higher, with well-preserved specimens regularly trading between $18,000 and $25,000 depending on service history, box and papers.