Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Antoine Griezmann spotted wearing Rolex

Antoine Griezmann made headlines for his return to Barcelona, but sharp-eyed watch spotters had their attention elsewhere — fixed on the 18kt yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 36 ref. 128238 on his wrist, fitted with a factory diamond-set green dial that represents one of the more striking dial options in the current Day-Date catalogue.

The Day-Date 36 ref. 128238 is Rolex's entry point into the full presidential experience: a 36mm Oyster case machined entirely from 18kt yellow gold, fitted with a President bracelet in matching metal, and sealed to 100 metres water resistance. Beneath the case beats the calibre 3255, Rolex's flagship in-house movement, featuring a Chronergy escapement, 70-hour power reserve, and a remarkable ±2 seconds per day precision rating — figures that represent the current state of the art in Swiss mechanical watchmaking. The movement was introduced to the 36mm Day-Date case with the 128238 reference in 2019, previously reserved for the 40mm 228238 variant, giving collectors the smaller dress-watch proportion with none of the technical compromise.

Griezmann's dial configuration — vivid green with factory-set diamonds on the hour markers — is a factory-original combination direct from Rolex, not an aftermarket addition. This distinction matters enormously in collecting circles, as factory diamond dials carry full manufacturer provenance and command a significant premium over third-party stone settings. Green dials across the Rolex portfolio have attracted sustained collector demand since the brand leaned into the colour in recent years, and the Day-Date 36's green diamond variant is consistently one of the harder configurations to source at authorised dealers.

Griezmann has long demonstrated a considered approach to watch collecting, with the Day-Date sitting naturally alongside his profile as one of European football's most commercially recognisable figures. The Day-Date's nickname — the 'President's watch,' worn by heads of state since 1956 — carries a cultural weight that translates fluently across sport and celebrity, making it a perennial choice for footballers operating at the top tier.

At an official retail price of approximately $38,000 USD, the Rolex Day-Date 36 ref. 128238 in yellow gold with a diamond-set green dial trades on the grey market at a considerable premium, with comparable examples regularly achieving $55,000–$65,000 USD, reflecting both the persistent Rolex supply constraints and the ongoing appetite for factory diamond configurations.