Watch Paparazzi

Actor Matt Leblanc spotted wearing Rolex

Matt LeBlanc was recently spotted on the wrist with a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116523 in two-tone configuration — 18kt yellow gold paired with Oystersteel — finished with a grey dial. It is a combination that sits comfortably between understated and assertive, exactly the kind of watch that rewards a second look.

The Daytona 116523 sits within the generation of Daytona models that marked a turning point for Rolex: the transition away from the outsourced Zenith El Primero-based calibre 4030 to the fully in-house calibre 4130, introduced in 2000. The 4130 is a column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch, offering a cleaner start-stop action and superior long-term reliability. It beats at 28,800 vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and is certified as a Superlative Chronometer to ±2 seconds per day. The case measures 40mm, fitted with a screw-down pushers system and rated to 100 metres water resistance. The grey dial on reference 116523GYSO features matching subdials at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, with a tachymetric scale on the bezel.

Among collectors, the 116523 occupies a rational middle ground. It lacks the pure investment fever of the all-steel 116520 — the so-called "black dial" steel Daytona that waitlists made legendary — but it carries genuine mechanical and aesthetic credentials. Two-tone Daytonas have historically traded at a discount to their steel counterparts on the grey market, which has paradoxically made them more accessible and, in certain collector circles, more interesting as a pure wearing piece rather than a speculative asset.

Matt LeBlanc, best known globally as Joey Tribbiani on Friends and later as a self-deprecating version of himself on Episodes, also served as co-host of Top Gear UK from 2016 to 2019 — a role that confirmed his genuine enthusiasm for automotive culture. That context makes a Daytona, with its motorsport DNA and chronograph functionality, a fitting choice rather than an arbitrary luxury flex.

At UK list price the 116523 was positioned around £13,500 during its production run, translating to approximately $17,000 USD at retail. On today's secondary market, two-tone Daytona 116523 examples in good condition typically transact in the $18,000–$22,000 range depending on box, papers and dial condition — solid but well below the stratospheric premiums the steel variants command.