Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Miroslav Klose spotted wearing Rolex

Miroslav Klose, the German striker who holds the record as the FIFA World Cup's all-time top scorer with 16 goals across four tournaments, has been photographed wearing one of Rolex's most coveted current references: the GMT-Master II 'Batman' on Jubilee bracelet, identified as reference 126710BLNR.

The watch on Klose's wrist displays all the defining hallmarks of the 126710BLNR generation. The bidirectional rotatable bezel is fitted with a Cerachrom insert in black and blue ceramic — the combination that gave rise to the 'Batman' nickname when this colour scheme first appeared on reference 116710BLNR in 2013. The 40 mm Oyster case in 904L stainless steel houses Rolex's in-house Calibre 3285, a movement that delivers a 70-hour power reserve, Chronergy escapement, and COSC-certified precision, representing a meaningful upgrade over the earlier Calibre 3186 found in the previous generation.

The 2019 introduction of the 126710BLNR brought two decisive changes: the new movement and, crucially, the five-link Jubilee bracelet with its Oysterlock clasp and Easylink 5 mm comfort extension. That bracelet had previously been reserved for the 'Pepsi' variant (126710BLNR's red-and-blue sibling, the 126710BLRO), making the Batman-on-Jubilee combination particularly desirable to collectors who had long associated the blacked-out palette with the sportier Oyster bracelet.

From a collector standpoint, the 126710BLNR sits in an interesting position: it is simultaneously a Rolex mainstay and a grey-market premium piece. Authorised dealers maintain years-long waiting lists, and secondary market prices have settled well above retail — typically in the $18,000–$22,000 range depending on condition and papers — despite broader cooling in the watch market since 2022.

Klose, now working in coaching and football administration, wears the GMT-Master II 'Batman' 126710BLNR in a relaxed office context, reinforcing the model's credentials as a genuinely wearable, dual-timezone tool watch that translates equally well from a training pitch to a boardroom. For a man who spent two decades crossing time zones for club and country, the choice carries its own quiet logic.