Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Sergio Aguero spotted wearing Rolex

When Sergio Aguero sat down at the Camp Nou press conference to be unveiled as an FC Barcelona player, the cameras caught more than just a footballer's smile — on his left wrist sat a Rolex Day-Date 40 in 18k white gold, dialled in deep blue, resting on the iconic Presidential bracelet. It was a fitting choice for a moment of arrival at one of football's grandest stages.

The Day-Date 40 Ref. 228239 was introduced at BaselWorld 2015 as an evolution of the 36mm Day-Date that had defined presidential prestige since 1956. Rolex enlarged the case to 40mm, fitted the new-generation Calibre 3255 movement — a manufacture self-winding engine boasting 70 hours of power reserve, a Chronergy escapement, and a Syloxi silicon hairspring — and retained every visual cue that made the original iconic. The blue sunray dial is paired with Roman numeral hour markers set in white gold, a fluted 18k white gold bezel, and the three-link Presidential bracelet with concealed Crownclasp. Case thickness sits at 12.4mm; water resistance is rated to 100 metres.

Among collectors, the blue-dialled white gold Day-Date 40 occupies a sweet spot: it is eminently legible, dressy without being ostentatious, and historically anchored — blue dials on white gold President watches were favoured by world leaders and executives for decades. The Calibre 3255, with its 14 patents, elevated the reference above its predecessor in mechanical terms, making it a serious horological proposition rather than purely a status symbol.

Aguero's association with premium watchmaking is well documented; the Argentine striker's collection spans multiple luxury references. Wearing the Day-Date 40 to a landmark professional event rather than a red-carpet occasion signals genuine affection for the piece rather than brand obligation — this is a watch worn, not performed.

At a list price of $38,500, the Ref. 228239 in white gold with blue dial trades on the grey market comfortably above retail, typically between $47,000 and $54,000 depending on condition and papers, reflecting sustained demand and constrained authorised-dealer availability. For a watch that debuted the same year Aguero was in his prime at Manchester City, the pairing at his Barcelona debut carries a certain symmetry.