Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Declan Rice spotted wearing Rolex

Declan Rice collected his West Ham Player of the Year award wearing one of the most talked-about Rolex releases of recent years — the GMT-Master II reference 126720VTNR, better known among collectors as the 'Sprite.' The choice of watch at such a ceremonial moment says something deliberate: this is a piece that rewards attention from people who know what they are looking at.

The Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR made its debut at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022 and immediately rewrote the template for the GMT-Master line. For the first time in the model's near-70-year history, Rolex positioned the winding crown at 9 o'clock rather than the traditional 3 o'clock. The practical argument is sound — a left-crown configuration eliminates crown-dig on the back of the hand when wearing the watch on the left wrist. The aesthetic result is equally striking, framed by a two-tone black and green Cerachrom ceramic bezel that references the original 'Pepsi' and 'Batman' colour logic while carving out its own identity. Inside runs the Calibre 3285, Rolex's proprietary movement offering a 70-hour power reserve, Chronergy escapement, and a GMT hand independently adjustable in one-hour increments — everything a working traveller actually needs.

From a collector standpoint, the 126720VTNR occupies rare territory. Its structural novelty — the southpaw crown — means it cannot simply be grouped with earlier GMT references. Demand overwhelmed supply from the moment it launched, and authorised dealer waiting lists remain essentially theoretical for most buyers. The combination of Oystersteel case, Jubilee bracelet, and the 'Sprite' colour scheme gives it broad appeal across both seasoned Rolex collectors and first-time luxury buyers.

Rice was at the time still the heartbeat of West Ham United, a club he had served since youth level, and the award capped a dominant individual season before his £105 million move to Arsenal. Wearing a watch with a record-breaking price tag to an event marking his own record-breaking value carries a certain symmetry.

At an official retail price of approximately $11,050, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR looks almost modest on paper. The grey market tells a different story entirely, with examples trading hands at around $62,500 — a premium that reflects genuine scarcity rather than speculative noise.