Watch Paparazzi

Television presenter Ellen spotted wearing Rolex

Ellen DeGeneres has long been known in collector circles for wearing serious timepieces, and her latest sighting delivers exactly that — an 18K yellow gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116518LN riding on the brand's Oysterflex bracelet, finished with a champagne dial that catches light with understated authority.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116518LN sits within the current-generation Daytona family, powered by Rolex's in-house Calibre 4130, a self-winding chronograph movement featuring a column wheel, vertical clutch, and a COSC-certified accuracy of ±2 seconds per day. The movement runs at 28,800 vph and offers a 72-hour power reserve — a significant engineering leap over the earlier Calibre 4030-based references. The 40mm case is crafted entirely in 18K yellow gold, with the tachymetric bezel executed in the same metal, giving the watch a cohesive, monochromatic richness. The champagne dial offers applied hour markers and three subdials in complementary tones, lending it a warmth that steel Daytonas simply cannot replicate.

The Oysterflex bracelet, introduced by Rolex in 2015, replaces a traditional metal bracelet with a high-performance elastomer strap mounted on a titanium and nickel alloy blade. It combines the comfort of rubber with the structural rigidity of metal, and on a yellow gold Daytona it reads as a modern, sport-forward choice — one that makes the 116518LN feel more dynamic than its full gold Oyster bracelet sibling, the 116528.

For collectors, the 116518LN occupies a specific sweet spot: it is a full precious-metal Daytona with enough contemporary detailing — namely the Oysterflex — to appeal to younger buyers without alienating purists who appreciate the champagne dial's classic character. Demand for yellow gold Daytonas has remained consistently strong, and grey-market premiums on this reference reflect that pressure.

DeGeneres, a known horological enthusiast who has been photographed wearing everything from vintage Pateks to modern sports references, wears the Daytona 116518LN in a context that feels entirely natural. At a retail list price of approximately $31,500, and with current grey-market values tracking well above that, this is a watch that performs as a genuine asset as much as a style statement.