Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Ezequiel Lavezzi spotted wearing Rolex

Ezequiel Lavezzi, the 35-year-old former Argentina international, has been spotted wearing the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 in 18k Everose gold, reference 116655 — a watch that sits at a compelling crossroads between haute horlogerie and athletic practicality.

Rolex introduced the Yacht-Master 116655 as part of a landmark 2015 launch that also debuted the OysterFlex bracelet. That bracelet is the reference's defining feature: a high-performance elastomer strap built over a titanium and nickel-alloy blade, offering the flexibility and comfort of rubber with the structural integrity expected of a Rolex sports piece. The 40mm Everose gold case — Rolex's proprietary rose-gold alloy formulated with platinum to resist fading — pairs with a matching Everose Cerachrom bezel insert in a chocolate-brown ceramic. Water-resistant to 100 metres and driven by the automatic Calibre 3135, the 116655 is a serious instrument dressed in serious metal.

Among collectors, the Yacht-Master 116655 occupies a respected but occasionally underappreciated corner of the Rolex universe. It lacks the cult status of the Daytona or the steel sports models, yet that relative accessibility — both in desirability and, historically, in availability — makes it a smart acquisition. The all-precious-metal construction with a sports-oriented bracelet remains a rare proposition in the industry, and Rolex executes it with characteristic restraint. Completists and Rolex loyalists regard the 116655 as one of the brand's most technically coherent references of the 2010s.

Lavezzi built his reputation across Serie A, Ligue 1, and the Chinese Super League on pace, dribbling invention, and an ability to conjure moments of brilliance in tight spaces. That profile — technically gifted, visually expressive, never quite fitting a single mould — maps neatly onto a watch that is neither pure dress piece nor pure tool watch.

At a retail price of $31,700 USD, the Rolex Yacht-Master 116655 sits firmly in the premium tier of the brand's catalogue. On the grey market, Everose precious-metal references continue to hold value steadily, trading at or modestly above retail depending on condition and box-and-papers status — a testament to the enduring solidity of Rolex's precious-metal proposition.