Actor Nicolas Cage spotted wearing a Rolex

Nicolas Cage was recently photographed on the wrist with one of Rolex's most unconventional and collectible pieces: the Cosmograph Daytona reference 116598 SACO, a yellow gold chronograph distinguished by its hand-crafted leopard-print dial and a bezel set with alternating baguette sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds. For an actor known for pursuing the genuinely unusual, the choice reads as entirely coherent.

The Rolex Daytona 116598 SACO sits within the brand's 'exotic dial' universe — a lineage stretching back to the 'John Player Special' and 'Paul Newman' dials of the 1960s and 70s. The 116598 generation, launched in the early 2000s, houses Rolex's in-house calibre 4130, a column-wheel, vertical-clutch movement with a 72-hour power reserve and a chronometer-certified rate of -2/+2 seconds per day. It is widely regarded as one of the finest column-wheel chronograph movements in production. The case measures 40mm in 18k yellow gold, water-resistant to 100 metres.

What sets the SACO reference apart is the dial itself. Rolex artisans construct the leopard motif using a combination of enamel work and individually placed stones — the result is a texture that shifts under light and never reads as flat. No two dials are identical. The sapphire-and-diamond bezel replaces the standard tachymeter in an exercise that is purely aesthetic, pushing the 116598 SACO into territory that bridges sport chronograph and high jewellery.

Cage's collecting instincts are well-documented and frequently extreme — he has reportedly owned a Lamborghini Miura, Bavarian castles, and an Alien skull fossil. A Rolex Daytona that reads less like a tool watch and more like wearable art fits naturally into that profile. The Daytona's motorsport credentials and chronograph utility give the piece a functional foundation; the leopard dial is where function ends and spectacle begins.

On the grey market, the Rolex Daytona 116598 SACO commands a significant premium. Production numbers are intentionally small, and demand from both watch collectors and jewellery buyers compresses supply considerably. Buyers should expect to pay well above the original UK list price of approximately £55,000 when sourcing from secondary market dealers, with condition and service history the primary variables affecting final price.