Watch Paparazzi

Actor Jerry Ferrara spotted wearing Rolex

Jerry Ferrara, the actor best recognized for his decade-long run as Salvatore 'Turtle' Assante on HBO's Entourage, was recently spotted on the wrist with one of the most talked-about sport watches of the past decade — the Rolex GMT-Master II reference 116710BLNR, universally known among collectors as the 'Batman.'

Rolex introduced the 116710BLNR at Baselworld 2013, slotting it above the all-black-bezel 116710LN in the GMT-Master II lineup. The watch is built around the 40mm Oystersteel case — Rolex's proprietary 904L stainless steel alloy — and features the brand's in-house Calibre 3186 automatic movement, a COSC-certified workhorse offering a GMT hand independently adjustable in one-hour increments, a Parachrom hairspring for antimagnetic resistance, and approximately 48 hours of power reserve. The bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom bezel insert, moulded in two distinct ceramic colors — jet black for the nocturnal hours, deep blue for daytime — gives the reference its iconic nickname and its near-indestructible surface finish.

From a collector standpoint, the 116710BLNR occupies a particularly strong position in the Rolex ecosystem. It was the first GMT-Master II to feature a two-tone ceramic bezel, a technical achievement Rolex accomplished through a proprietary co-sintering process. Production volumes never kept pace with demand, which sent grey-market premiums soaring almost immediately after launch. The reference was eventually discontinued in 2019 when Rolex introduced the 126710BLNR with the upgraded Calibre 3285 and an Oyster bracelet option, making the original 'Batman' a closed chapter — and consequently more desirable to collectors who prize it as a transitional piece.

Ferrara's watch sensibility is consistent with his public persona: understated enough for everyday wear, but carrying genuine horological credibility. The GMT-Master II 116710BLNR is precisely the kind of watch that reads as knowledgeable rather than flashy — a distinction that separates serious collectors from those simply buying a badge.

On the current grey market, discontinued 116710BLNR examples trade at a meaningful premium over their original retail price, reflecting sustained collector demand even after the arrival of the successor reference. For anyone who missed it during its production run, Ferrara's sighting is a timely reminder of why the original Batman remains one of Rolex's most enduring modern icons.