Watch Paparazzi

Actor Shah Rukh Khan spotted wearing Rolex

Shah Rukh Khan, widely known as the King of Bollywood and one of the highest-earning actors in global cinema, was photographed wearing a stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116500LN — the ceramic-bezel iteration that redefined the modern Daytona when it debuted in 2016. The sighting adds King Khan's wrist to a long roster of film industry heavyweights who have gravitated toward this particular reference.

The Rolex Daytona 116500LN replaced the long-running 116520, swapping the aluminium tachymetre bezel for a black Cerachrom ceramic insert that resists UV fading and scratching with far greater durability. Powering the 40mm Oyster case is Rolex's in-house calibre 4130, a column-wheel, vertical-clutch chronograph movement that produces a clean, precise engagement of the timing function and offers approximately 72 hours of power reserve. The dial on Khan's version appears to be the panda configuration — black sub-dials on a white dial — one of two colourways offered at launch alongside the reverse panda.

From a collector standpoint, the 116500LN occupies rare territory: a watch that is simultaneously a mainstream status symbol and a technically credible chronograph. The calibre 4130 is routinely praised for its ease of service and chronometric performance, and the ceramic bezel addresses the one material criticism that followed earlier Daytona references for decades. When the reference launched, authorised dealer waiting lists stretched to several years, making grey-market premiums immediate and steep.

For Shah Rukh Khan, watch choices tend to reflect scale. The actor has been photographed with Richard Mille pieces and high-complication Patek Philippe models, so the Daytona 116500LN, while a grail for most collectors, represents the more understated end of his horological range — which, in its own way, says a great deal about the reference's cultural weight.

On the secondary market the 116500LN has traded at substantial premiums above its official retail price since launch, with grey-market values climbing well above list depending on dial variant and condition. The panda dial consistently commands the stronger premium. For a global icon photographed daily, the ceramic Daytona is arguably the single most recognisable serious watch a collector can wear without explanation.