Watch Paparazzi

Singer Macklemore spotted wearing Rolex

Macklemore brought more than music to the stage in a recent live appearance alongside Eric Nusbaum — on his wrist sat one of the most recognizable sports watches in the modern Rolex catalogue, the Daytona 'Panda' dial in reference 116500LN, authenticated by Expertyo, a verified dealer within the Mondani Web network.

The Rolex Daytona 116500LN, introduced at Baselworld 2016, represented a watershed moment for the line. It was the first stainless Oyster case Daytona to feature Rolex's in-house Cerachrom ceramic bezel — black in this instance — replacing the older aluminum insert. Power comes from the calibre 4130, a column-wheel, vertical-clutch automatic chronograph movement that Rolex developed entirely in-house and introduced in 2000. It offers approximately 72 hours of power reserve and is renowned for its reliability and ease of service. The 40mm Oystersteel case pairs with an Oyster bracelet and the dial — the so-called 'Panda' configuration — presents a white principal face with contrasting black subdials at three, six, and nine o'clock.

From a collector standpoint, the 116500LN landed on waiting lists almost immediately after its 2016 debut and never really left them. The ceramic bezel Daytona addressed longstanding criticisms of the aluminum-bezeled predecessors while retaining the fundamental proportions of the ref. 116520. Both the Panda (white dial) and reverse-Panda (black dial) variants are sought after, but the white dial consistently commands a premium that reflects its cross-demographic appeal — equally desirable to seasoned collectors and first-time luxury watch buyers.

Macklemore, the Seattle-born rapper best known for 'Thrift Shop' and 'Can't Hold Us,' has never shied away from high-end accessories, and the Daytona 116500LN fits neatly into his public-facing aesthetic — recognizable, understated for its price point, and genuinely difficult to acquire through official channels.

On the secondary market, the reference 116500LN Panda has softened somewhat from the extreme peaks seen in 2021–2022, when grey-market prices reached two to three times retail. The correction has brought values back toward a more rational, though still significant, premium over the official list price. For a watch Rolex officially retails at $14,550, sustained grey-market demand above $20,000 underscores its enduring status as one of the benchmark steel sports chronographs of the modern era.