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Tennis player Mirka Federer spotted wearing Rolex

Mirka Federer, former professional tennis player and one half of sport's most recognised power couple, was recently spotted wearing a white gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Rainbow reference 116599RBOW — but not just any configuration of this already extraordinary timepiece. The version on her wrist features a full pavé diamond dial and baguette-cut sapphire indices set in a dégradé colour progression that follows the spectral flow of the bezel, a combination that distinguishes it sharply from previously known iterations of the same reference.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116599RBOW is built around the Calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house column-wheel chronograph movement offering a 72-hour power reserve and running at 28,800 vph. The white gold case measures 40mm and houses a tri-colour subdial arrangement beneath a bezel set with 36 baguette-cut sapphires graduating through the full visible spectrum — the signature trait that earned the "Rainbow" nickname. What makes this specific variant exceptional is the pavé dial treatment combined with colour-matched baguette sapphire hour markers, creating an uninterrupted chromatic continuity from bezel to dial that Rolex had not previously offered in catalogue form.

According to reports, this configuration was quietly introduced in March of this year, without fanfare or official press release — the kind of soft launch Rolex reserves for ultra-high-jewellery pieces distributed through a tightly controlled network of authorised dealers. The original 116599RBOW, first released around 2012 and updated across subsequent Baselworld appearances, was already considered a grail piece among gem-set Daytona collectors. This new dial variant elevates the formula further.

Mirka Vavrinec Federer competed professionally on the WTA Tour before a recurring foot injury ended her career in 2002. Married to Roger Federer since 2009, she occupies a prominent position within the Rolex universe by proximity — Roger has been a Rolex ambassador since 2006 — giving her access to pieces that rarely, if ever, surface through conventional retail channels.

On the secondary market, gem-set Daytona Rainbow references have consistently traded at multiples of their already substantial retail prices. The standard 116599RBOW has historically commanded anywhere from $250,000 to over $400,000 at auction and in the grey market depending on condition and provenance. This undisclosed pavé-dial variant, given its apparent scarcity and the collector appetite for Rainbow Daytonas, would reasonably sit at the upper boundary of that range — or beyond it entirely.