Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Tore Christiansen spotted wearing Rolex

The hockey arena may seem an unconventional setting for a watch sighting, but rinkside is exactly where Tore Christiansen — entrepreneur, investor, and the principal shareholder and board chairman of Stavanger Oilers — was caught wearing what appears to be a Rolex Submariner Date reference 116613LN. The two-tone configuration, combining Oystersteel and 18ct yellow gold, is immediately identifiable at the wrist even in a fast-moving sporting environment.

The 116613LN was introduced in 2010 as part of Rolex's comprehensive overhaul of the Submariner line, replacing the earlier 16613. Key upgrades included the shift to a ceramic (Cerachrom) bezel insert, replacing the aluminum unit used on predecessor references. The black Cerachrom bezel is virtually scratch-proof and UV-resistant, ensuring the gilt graduated markings remain crisp indefinitely. The 40mm Oyster case houses the calibre 3135 movement — a in-house perpetual rotor automatic with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, offering approximately 48 hours of power reserve and chronometer certification to ±2 seconds per day accuracy. The black dial features applied luminous hour markers and Mercedes hands in white gold, with a date window at 3 o'clock framed by a Cyclops lens.

Among collectors, the 116613LN occupies a particular sweet spot. The two-tone Submariner has historically been polarising — some purists preferring steel only — but the combination has appreciated steadily on the secondary market, partly because gold production adds meaningful cost and partly because the reference was discontinued when Rolex introduced the 126613LN in 2020, instantly conferring legacy status on the older reference.

Christiansen's choice reflects a sensibility common among European business figures: a watch that signals success without ostentation, wearable from boardroom to arena without a second thought. The Submariner's tool-watch heritage makes it contextually appropriate even at ice level.

At retail, the 116613LN listed at approximately $14,150 USD before its discontinuation. On today's grey market, examples in strong condition typically trade between $16,500 and $18,500 USD depending on box-and-papers completeness, consistent with the $17,075 valuation noted at the time of this sighting. Demand remains firm and is unlikely to soften.