Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang spotted wearing Rolex

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, then leading Arsenal's attack with the same directness he brings to his watch choices, was photographed wearing the 18K white gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116519LN dressed in one of the manufacture's most visually arresting dials: a slice of genuine Gibeon meteorite. The sighting placed the Gabonese striker firmly among the small circle of footballers who go beyond the entry-level sports-Rolex and reach into the brand's precious-metal catalogue.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116519LN sits in the current-generation Daytona family, which introduced the in-house calibre 4130 in 2000 — a movement that replaced the Zenith El Primero base used in the preceding ref. 16520 and marked Rolex's full commitment to self-sufficiency in chronograph movements. The 4130 runs at 28,800 vph, offers approximately 72 hours of power reserve, and is praised by watchmakers for its relatively simple, robust column-wheel and vertical-clutch architecture. The 40 mm white gold case of the 116519LN is matched with a black ceramic (Cerachrom) tachymetre bezel, introduced on steel Daytonas in 2016 and subsequently carried across precious-metal references — a detail that gives the watch a contemporary edge over the earlier lacquer-bezel white gold variants.

The meteorite dial is the defining element of this reference and the primary reason it commands serious collector attention. Gibeon meteorite is an iron-nickel alloy; when sliced, acid-etched, and stabilised, it reveals the crystalline Widmanstätten pattern — grey geometric lines running across a silvery-brown ground — that no two dials replicate exactly. Rolex pairs the meteorite with white-gold applied hour markers and subdials finished in the brand's characteristic manner. Owning one means owning material that predates the solar system.

Aubameyang has long cultivated a reputation as one of football's more considered watch collectors, photographed across multiple references from Rolex and beyond. The 116519LN suits his aesthetic: high-impact visually, technically credible, and discreet enough to read as refined rather than ostentatious to those who understand the reference.

On the market, the Rolex Daytona 116519LN meteorite dial carries a retail list price of approximately $37,475 USD. Grey-market demand for precious-metal Daytonas remains firm, and meteorite-dial examples frequently trade above list given limited availability and the collectible nature of the dial material itself.