Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Didier Drogba spotted wearing Rolex

Didier Drogba was recently photographed wearing a Rolex Daytona reference 116509 in 18kt white gold, fitted with one of the manufacture's most talked-about dial configurations: a meteorite centre panel flanked by matching meteorite subdials. For anyone who knows the ref. 116509, the combination is about as close to a grail specification as the model gets.

The Rolex Daytona 116509 was produced from 2000 through to its discontinuation ahead of the ref. 116519LN era, powered by the in-house Calibre 4130 — a column-wheel, vertical-clutch movement that replaced the earlier Zenith El Primero base and gave Rolex full control over the chronograph architecture. The 4130 runs at 28,800 vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and is widely regarded as one of the most reliable and accurate chronograph movements in production. The 40mm white gold case pairs with a white gold bezel set with a tachymeter scale in black enamel, a detail that frames the extraordinary dial without competing with it.

Meteoritic dials on the Daytona occupy a specific and coveted corner of the collector market. The material — most commonly Gibeon meteorite from Namibia — is cross-sectioned to reveal its crystalline Widmanstätten structure, then stabilised and lacquered. No two dials are alike, which gives each ref. 116509 meteorite an inherent uniqueness that mass-produced dials simply cannot replicate. Among serious Rolex collectors, a white gold 116509 with full meteorite subdials is considered one of the most desirable dial variants in the steel-era Daytona lineage.

Drogba's watch sensibility has always leaned toward substantial, statement pieces befitting his stature as one of African football's greatest ever players. The Ivorian striker, who delivered Champions League glory to Chelsea in 2012, has been spotted across multiple luxury watch references over the years. A white gold Daytona with a meteorite dial is a choice that speaks to considered collecting rather than impulse buying.

At UK list the ref. 116509 meteorite carried a price in the region of £35,000, translating to approximately $44,000 USD at contemporaneous exchange rates. On the grey market, white gold Daytona examples with meteorite dials have consistently commanded premiums, with clean examples trading between $55,000 and $75,000 depending on condition, papers, and subdial configuration — a reflection of their enduring desirability among collectors worldwide.