Basketball player LeBron James spotted wearing a Rolex

LeBron James was recently spotted wearing one of horology's most enduring references: the Rolex Submariner Date ref. 126610LN, a 41mm stainless steel diver with a black ceramic bezel and matching black dial. For a collector of LeBron's caliber — his wrist has hosted Patek Philippe perpetual calendars, Richard Mille tonneau cases, and diamond-encrusted AP Royal Oaks — the choice reads almost as a conscious reset toward restraint.

The 126610LN represents the current-generation Submariner Date, introduced by Rolex in 2020 as part of a sweeping refresh of the Oyster Professional collection. The case grew from 40mm to 41mm, the lugs were refined, and the Oyster bracelet received a more substantial solid center link that dramatically improves wrist feel and durability. Beneath the sapphire crystal sits the Calibre 3235, Rolex's workhorse movement featuring a Chronergy escapement, paramagnetic components, and a 70-hour power reserve — a significant upgrade over the preceding Calibre 3135. Water resistance remains rated to 300 meters, and the unidirectional rotatable Cerachrom bezel retains its elapsed-time function in scratch-resistant, UV-stable ceramic.

The Submariner's lineage stretches back to 1953, when Rolex introduced the original ref. 6204 and effectively defined what a professional dive watch should look like. Every generation since has iterated carefully rather than reinvented, which is precisely why the 126610LN carries seven decades of design credibility on its dial. Collectors regard the current-generation Sub as the most technically accomplished version yet, even if some purists mourn the extra millimeter of case diameter.

For LeBron James, whose watch collection is well-documented and spans the upper stratosphere of independent and grand maison watchmaking, the Submariner Date signals something interesting: even the most ambitious collector returns to the reference that started everything. It is the watch that taught most enthusiasts what a luxury sports watch could be.

On the secondary market, the stainless steel Rolex Submariner Date ref. 126610LN trades at a premium over its official retail price, reflecting sustained demand that Rolex's controlled supply has never fully met. Official retail sits at approximately $10,100 USD, while grey-market transactions regularly close around $18,000 — a spread that underscores the model's enduring desirability across every tier of the collector market.