Tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga spotted wearing a Rolex

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was recently photographed wearing a Rolex Milgauss in its most distinctive modern guise — the reference 116400GV, identifiable by its signature green sapphire crystal and lightning-bolt seconds hand. The sighting puts one of tennis's most charismatic personalities in the company of a Rolex model that has always occupied a quietly rebellious corner of the catalogue.

The Rolex Milgauss 116400GV was reintroduced in 2007 after a long hiatus, reviving a lineage that dates to 1956 when Rolex developed the watch in collaboration with CERN's Geneva laboratory. The reference 116400GV houses Rolex's in-house calibre 3131, a self-winding movement with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers. The movement itself is shielded by a soft-iron inner case that deflects magnetic fields up to 1,000 gauss — far beyond the demands of everyday life, but an authentic engineering pedigree nonetheless. The 40mm Oyster case is rated to 100 metres water resistance and finished to Rolex's usual standard of brushed and polished surfaces.

The 'GV' suffix — standing for 'verre vert' (green glass) — designates the heat-treated green sapphire crystal that gives the 116400GV its collector cachet. Available with black, white, or orange-dial variants, the model combines anti-magnetic utility with a genuinely unusual aesthetic identity. Among Rolex sports references, the Milgauss 116400GV is considered one of the more accessible and underappreciated pieces — prized by collectors who favour substance over status signalling.

Tsonga, who retired from professional tennis in 2022 after a career that included reaching the Australian Open final in 2008 and winning 18 ATP titles, has long projected a relaxed, stylish image away from the court. His choice of the Milgauss 116400GV over more obvious Rolex fare — a Daytona or a Submariner — suggests a collector's sensibility rather than default brand allegiance.

The Rolex Milgauss 116400GV was discontinued in 2023 alongside the rest of the Milgauss line, a move that immediately tightened secondary market supply. Grey market prices have firmed accordingly, with the 116400GV now trading above its former retail price — a reversal from its historically accessible position in the Rolex ecosystem.