Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Alan Sugar spotted wearing Rolex

Lord Alan Sugar, the East London-born billionaire entrepreneur and face of BBC One's long-running business reality series The Apprentice, was recently spotted wearing a stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, reference 116520 — one of the most consequential references in the Daytona lineage and a watch that continues to command serious collector attention years after its discontinuation.

The Rolex Daytona 116520 was introduced in 2000 and ran in production until approximately 2016, when it was succeeded by the ceramic-bezel 116500LN. Its significance lies primarily in its movement: the calibre 4130, Rolex's first fully in-house chronograph movement, replacing the Zenith El Primero-derived calibre 4030 that had powered Daytonas through the 1990s. The Cal. 4130 features a column wheel, vertical clutch, and a 72-hour power reserve — a genuine manufacture movement that marked Rolex's assertion of full horological independence. The 116520 wears a 40mm oyster case in 904L stainless steel, with a tachymeter-scaled bezel in matching steel, and was available with white or black dials.

Among collectors, the 116520 occupies a firm position as the definitive 'transitional' steel Daytona — the reference that brought Rolex's own movement to the iconic case for the first time. White-dial examples are particularly sought after, and the reference's relatively long production run means examples in excellent condition are available on the secondary market, though prices have risen substantially since discontinuation. The 116520 is widely regarded as more wearable and less ostentatious than its ceramic successor, which has driven sustained grey-market demand.

Sugar, who built his fortune through Amstrad and has been a fixture of British business culture for decades, has consistently favoured understated but authoritative watches. The Daytona 116520 suits that profile precisely — it is not a watch that shouts, but anyone who knows watches understands exactly what it represents. It is the choice of someone who values function and pedigree over flash.

The 116520 was listed at approximately £7,950 at UK retail during its production run. On today's grey market, stainless steel examples in good condition regularly trade between $18,000 and $24,000 depending on dial colour, box and papers, and service history — a substantial premium over original retail that reflects both the movement's significance and the enduring cachet of the Daytona name.