Film director Spike Lee spotted wearing a Rolex

Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse hosted the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, and as ever, the courtside fashion was as closely watched as the action on the floor. Spike Lee — filmmaker, New York Knicks devotee, and serial horological enthusiast — arrived in a custom houndstooth suit with orange Nike Air Force 1s and an orange-and-blue wide-brim hat. On his left wrist, unmistakable even from a distance, sat a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 18k yellow gold.

The reference 116518LN represents a watershed moment in Daytona evolution. Introduced in 2017, it marked the debut of Rolex's Oysterflex bracelet on the Daytona line — a black vulcanised rubber strap reinforced with a titanium and nickel alloy blade, offering sports-watch wearability without sacrificing the dressy warmth of yellow gold. The black Cerachrom bezel, crafted from scratch-resistant ceramic, carries the tachymeter scale in raised numerals with a PVD-lacquered finish. The champagne dial features baton-style hour markers in 18k gold and three black lacquered chronograph sub-dials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock — a layout unchanged in its elegance since the ref. 6239 of 1963.

Powering the watch is the Calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house flyback-capable chronograph movement featuring a column wheel and vertical clutch. The 4130 is widely regarded among horologisits as one of the most reliable and serviceability-friendly chronograph ebauches in Swiss production, with a 72-hour power reserve and COSC certification as standard.

Spike Lee's relationship with watches mirrors his relationship with fashion — deliberate, knowledgeable, and never accidental. He is a documented collector who has appeared courtside with pieces ranging from vintage Rolexes to high-complication independents. The 116518LN suits his aesthetic precisely: bold enough to read across a basketball arena, refined enough to reward close inspection.

On the secondary market, the 116518LN commands a significant premium over its list price, reflecting the broader grey-market tension across the Daytona family. Yellow gold Daytonas on Oysterflex have proven particularly sticky in terms of collector demand, sustained by limited boutique availability and the reference's status as a genuine technical milestone within the Daytona lineage.