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Footballer Gareth Bale spotted wearing Rolex

Gareth Bale, then celebrating his 26th birthday at the height of his Real Madrid career, was photographed wearing what is widely considered the defining stainless steel sports watch of the 2000s: the Rolex Daytona reference 116520. The sighting placed Bale firmly among the footballer fraternity that has long gravitated toward Daytona references as status pieces with genuine horological substance.

The Rolex Daytona 116520 was introduced in 2000 and immediately set a new benchmark for the Daytona lineage. Where earlier references relied on the Zenith El Primero ebauche, the 116520 debuted Rolex's in-house Calibre 4130 — a column-wheel chronograph movement built entirely within the brand's own manufacture. The Calibre 4130 runs at 28,800 vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and is notable for its significantly reduced part count compared to its predecessor, improving reliability and serviceability. The case measures 40mm in Oyster steel, fitted with a tachymetric bezel in steel or ceramic depending on iteration, and the reference was produced with black, white, or silver dials across its production run through 2016.

From a collector standpoint, the 116520 occupies rare ground: it is a discontinued modern reference with genuine mechanical credentials, produced in meaningful quantities yet perpetually scarce at retail. The all-steel configuration — no precious metal, no diamonds — is precisely what the serious watch market prizes. Grey-market premiums on the 116520 have remained elevated well after its discontinuation, driven by demand that Rolex's authorised dealer network never came close to satisfying.

Bale's affinity for the Daytona is consistent with a generation of Premier League and La Liga footballers who treated the reference as a benchmark luxury purchase. During his years at Real Madrid, Bale was among the highest-earning players in world football, and the 116520 — understated yet immediately legible to anyone fluent in watches — suits that profile precisely.

At UK retail, the 116520 carried an RRP of approximately £7,950 during its production life. On the secondary market, strong examples in steel with desirable dials have traded considerably above that figure, with collector-grade examples regularly achieving significant premiums — a reflection of the reference's enduring status as the modern Daytona standard.