Footballer Ashley Young spotted wearing a Rolex

Ashley Young's wrist caught attention on the pitch-side following Manchester United's narrow but significant 1-0 Premier League victory over rivals Liverpool — a result that would sharpen anyone's sense of occasion. Young, a veteran winger and club captain during one of United's more turbulent recent eras, chose the moment to showcase a piece entirely befitting the occasion: the Rolex Sky-Dweller in reference 326135, fitted with a chocolate dial and Arabic numerals on a leather strap.

The Sky-Dweller ref. 326135 sits in Rolex's two-tone Rolesor configuration, pairing an Oystersteel case with Everose gold applied elements, a fluted bezel, and crown. The case measures 42mm — large for Rolex's core lineup but balanced by the model's architectural dial layout, which separates the annual calendar display into off-centre month apertures arranged around the dial's perimeter. The 'chocolate' sunray-brushed dial with Arabic hour markers lends the reference a warmer, more dressy character than the standard index variants. On leather, it reads closer to grand complication territory than sportswear.

Beneath the dial, Rolex's proprietary Calibre 9001 does the heavy lifting. Developed entirely in-house and introduced with the Sky-Dweller in 2012, the movement runs at 28,800 vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and carries a dual time-zone display alongside the Saros annual calendar — a complication that automatically accounts for months of different lengths, requiring only a single correction in February. The Ring Command bezel, which mechanically engages different functions as it rotates, remains one of the more genuinely clever interface innovations in mainstream Swiss watchmaking.

For collectors, the Sky-Dweller occupies an interesting position: long overlooked in favour of the sports references, it has steadily built a following among buyers who want genuine horological complexity without leaving the Rolex ecosystem. The Everose Rolesor variants — particularly those with the chocolate or champagne dials — have become increasingly desirable on the secondary market as steel sports references remain nearly impossible to source at retail.

At a UK RRP of £26,350, the 326135 is one of Rolex's most expensive production references, and grey-market premiums, while more moderate than those on Daytona or GMT-Master II steel, have held firm. For a footballer of Young's experience and profile, it is a considered, technically substantive choice — not the obvious pick, which is precisely what makes it interesting.