Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Timothy Fosu-Mensah spotted wearing Rolex

At Manchester United's Player of the Year awards evening, defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah stepped out wearing a Rolex Submariner Date in Oystersteel with the iconic black dial and bezel — reference 116610LN — one of the most universally recognized watch references in the world and, for good reason, a perennial favorite among professional athletes.

The 116610LN, produced from 2010 until its discontinuation in 2020 when Rolex replaced it with the current 126610LN, houses the caliber 3135 automatic movement — a workhorse of Swiss watchmaking featuring a Parachrom hairspring, perpetual rotor, and a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. The watch sits in a 40mm Oyster case rated to 300 meters water resistance, with a unidirectional rotating Cerachrom bezel graduated to 60 minutes. That ceramic insert — virtually impervious to UV fading and surface scratches — was the defining upgrade over the preceding 16610, making the 116610LN the first Sub to truly solve long-term bezel degradation.

Among collectors, the 116610LN occupies a sweet spot: it is recent enough to be in excellent condition on the secondary market, yet already discontinued and therefore carrying mild collectible appreciation over the current 126610LN. The move to the larger 41mm case and caliber 3235 in the successor model has led many enthusiasts to actively prefer the 116610LN's 40mm proportions — considered by purists to be the ideal Submariner size. It remains one of the highest-volume pre-owned Rolex references traded globally.

Fosu-Mensah, the Dutch-Ghanaian defender who came through United's academy before stints at Crystal Palace, Fulton, and Bayer Leverkusen, demonstrates the kind of understated good taste the Submariner has always attracted. At a formal club event, he reaches for a watch that reads as both effortlessly smart and authentically sporty — exactly the register the Submariner has occupied since it debuted on the wrists of divers and off-duty professionals in the 1950s.

On the grey market, the 116610LN trades comfortably above its original retail price, reflecting both the discontinued status and enduring demand. Buyers seeking the classic 40mm Submariner experience increasingly turn to this reference as a deliberate alternative to the current generation.