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Cricketer Virat Kohli spotted wearing Rolex

Spotted aboard what appears to be a team charter flight, Virat Kohli — taking a selfie with teammates including KL Rahul — had the Rolex Submariner 116618LN sitting squarely on his wrist. The setting is casual, but the watch is anything but. This is the full yellow gold iteration of Rolex's most iconic professional model, and it represents the pinnacle of the Submariner line before the 2020 generational update to the 126618LN.

The 116618LN is built around Rolex's in-house Calibre 3135 movement — a 28,800 vph automatic with a 48-hour power reserve, Parachrom hairspring, and COSC-certified chronometric precision. The case measures 40mm in diameter and is crafted entirely from 18k yellow gold, as is the five-piece link Oyster bracelet with Glidelock extension system. The black dial features applied yellow gold hour markers with luminescent fill, and the bezel carries a unidirectional rotating Cerachrom ceramic insert — a material virtually impervious to scratching and UV fading. Water resistance is rated to 300 metres.

For collectors, the yellow gold Submariner occupies a specific and contested position. Purists have long debated whether gold undermines the tool-watch ethos of the Submariner concept, but the market has consistently disagreed: 116618LN references in good condition have historically traded at premiums well above their original retail price. The reference was in production from approximately 2010 until its discontinuation in favour of the 126618LN in 2020, giving it a defined and finite production window that strengthens collector interest.

Kohli's watch collection is among the most scrutinised in international sport. The Indian captain has been documented wearing Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks, Patek Philippe pieces, and multiple Rolex references across his career — reflecting both personal taste and the significant commercial relationships he maintains with luxury brands. The gold Submariner fits squarely within that profile: technically serious, globally recognisable, and carrying a price point that reflects his standing as one of cricket's highest-earning athletes.

At an original retail of $31,600, the 116618LN now regularly trades on the secondary market between $38,000 and $45,000 depending on condition, papers, and box completeness — a premium that underscores how little depreciation a well-chosen Rolex gold sports reference actually suffers.