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Footballer Miroslav Klose spotted wearing Rolex

Miroslav Klose, the Polish-born German striker whose 2014 World Cup final appearance in Rio cemented his status as the tournament's all-time top scorer, has been spotted wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116500LN in Oystersteel with a black dial — one of the most coveted stainless-steel sports watches produced in the last decade.

Rolex introduced the reference 116500LN at Baselworld 2016, replacing the long-running 116520 and marking the Daytona's transition to a Cerachrom ceramic bezel — available in black or white. The black-dial variant pairs that gloss ceramic with a matching black dial and contrasting white sub-registers, creating a high-contrast aesthetic that collectors nicknamed the 'Panda in reverse.' Under the sapphire caseback-free case sits the calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch, offering 72 hours of power reserve and COSC-certified precision. The 40mm Oystersteel case remains water-resistant to 100 metres.

From a collector standpoint, the 116500LN in steel is arguably the single hardest Rolex to acquire at retail since its launch. Authorized dealers routinely maintained multi-year waiting lists, and the reference became a benchmark for grey-market premiums — at peak demand in 2021-2022, examples traded above $30,000 USD, roughly three times the list price. While the market has since cooled considerably, the 116500LN retains a strong floor and remains among the most liquid references in secondary trading globally.

Klose retired from professional football in 2021 following a coaching stint with Bayern Munich's youth academy before moving into senior coaching roles. His taste in timepieces follows a pattern well-established among elite footballers: the Daytona in steel reads as a confident, understated choice — neither ostentatiously jewelled nor brand-new-money loud. It signals horological literacy without performative excess.

At retail, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116500LN carries a list price of approximately $14,550 USD in the United States, though that figure is largely academic given persistent scarcity at authorised dealers. On the grey market, current ask prices for clean examples with box and papers typically settle in the $18,000–$22,000 range depending on service history and provenance — a significant but more rational premium than the speculative highs of two years ago.