Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Nasser Al-khelaifi spotted wearing Rolex

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of Paris Saint-Germain and one of the most powerful figures in European football governance, was photographed wearing a platinum Rolex Daytona reference 116506 during the European Club Association Meeting — a summit where the men shaping the future of continental football gather. The choice of watch was anything but incidental.

The Rolex Daytona 116506 represents the pinnacle of the Daytona family. Introduced at Baselworld 2013, it was only the second time Rolex had produced the Daytona in solid 950 platinum, following a limited run in the late 1990s. The case and bracelet are crafted entirely in platinum, while the signature ice blue dial — a colour Rolex reserves exclusively for its platinum sports models — gives the watch an unmistakable identity. The brown Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert, with its tachymeter scale rendered in platinum-coated numerals, contrasts the cool dial with warm depth. Powering the watch is the in-house calibre 4130, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch and a 72-hour power reserve, widely regarded as one of the finest chronograph ebauches in serial production.

Among collectors, the 116506 occupies a singular position. It is simultaneously a tool chronograph and an ultimate-tier luxury object, and it is one of the hardest Daytonas to acquire through authorised dealers. Allocations are extraordinarily limited, and most pieces move directly into private hands or the grey market before the public ever sees them. The platinum case adds a tactile heft and patina-resistance that stainless steel and gold cannot replicate.

Al-Khelaifi is no stranger to high-stakes environments — he oversees a football club backed by Qatar Sports Investments and navigates the corridors of UEFA and FIFA with considerable influence. A platinum Daytona on the wrist reads not as ostentation but as a considered statement: precise, expensive, and built to last.

At retail, the Rolex Daytona 116506 lists at approximately $85,775. On the current grey market, demand has pushed valuations to around $184,000 — a premium of more than 100 percent that reflects both genuine scarcity and enduring desirability. Few watches justify that gap as convincingly.