Watch Paparazzi

Influencer Daniel Mac spotted wearing Rolex

At the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix — arguably the single most watch-dense weekend in the motorsport calendar — TikTok creator Daniel Mac was caught on camera sporting a dual-tone Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a black dial, the gold-and-steel bracelet immediately identifiable against the Red Bull Racing backdrop. The setting is almost too on-brand: Monaco, paddock access, and a Daytona — a trifecta that has defined aspirational watch culture for decades.

The piece appears to be the reference 116523, which pairs an Oystersteel case and Oyster bracelet with an 18k yellow gold bezel, pushers, and crown. The black dial variant features three subsidiary registers — running seconds at 9 o'clock, 30-minute counter at 3, and 12-hour counter at 6 — in matching black, framed by the gold-tachymeter-engraved bezel. Inside sits the Rolex calibre 4130, an entirely in-house column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch, offering 72 hours of power reserve and COSC-certified precision. Rolex introduced the 4130 in 2000, retiring the Zenith El Primero-based movement and cementing full manufacture status.

Among collectors, the two-tone 'Rootbeer' and black-dial Daytona references occupy a specific niche: less stratospheric in grey-market premium than the stainless steel 116500LN with white or black ceramic bezel, yet carrying genuine crossover appeal between dress and sport contexts. The 116523 was produced until approximately 2023, when Rolex transitioned the line to the updated 126523 format with a redesigned bracelet and clasp. That generational transition has added retrospective collector interest to 116-series examples.

Daniel Mac has built a following of over 10 million on TikTok by asking wealthy individuals about their professions — a format that has made him acutely familiar with the language of luxury signalling. His Daytona at Monaco reads less as a flex and more as a considered choice: functional chronograph heritage, dual-tone versatility, and a reference that communicates fluency in watch culture without demanding the maximum grey-market premium of its steel siblings.

At retail, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116523 in steel and yellow gold with a black dial listed at approximately $22,550 USD before the model's discontinuation. On the secondary market, examples in unworn or near-mint condition currently trade between $28,000 and $34,000 USD depending on completeness of set and service history — a healthy premium, though modest by Daytona standards.