Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Jonjo Shelvey spotted wearing Rolex

Jonjo Shelvey marked the occasion of signing a fresh four-year deal with Swansea City FC with a wrist statement that spoke loudly: the Rolex Yacht-Master II in Oystersteel and 18kt Everose gold, reference 116681. The signing ceremony setting gave photographers a clear look at the 44mm case, its distinctive bidirectional rotatable bezel, and the warm two-tone palette that has made this reference a favourite among footballers and collectors alike.

The Yacht-Master II ref. 116681 sits at the summit of Rolex's sailing-instrument lineup. Introduced in 2011 as a two-tone complement to the all-gold 116688 and all-steel 116680, it houses the calibre 4161 — a manufacture movement developed exclusively for this model. The Cal. 4161 powers a mechanical memory programmable countdown with a patented Ring Command bezel: the wearer couples the bezel to the movement by rotating it, sets the regatta sequence between 1 and 10 minutes, then locks it for use. It is a genuine on-the-water tool complication, not a cosmetic exercise. The 44mm Oyster case offers 100 metres of water resistance and sits on a five-link Oyster bracelet with the Rolex Glidelock extension system.

Among collectors, the 116681 occupies an interesting middle ground. It carries the technical credibility of the full Yacht-Master II line without the price ceiling of solid precious metal references. The Everose gold bezel, crown guards, and bracelet centre links give it visual presence without crossing into purely precious-metal territory. Seasoned collectors note that the Cal. 4161 remains one of the most under-appreciated manufacture movements in the modern Rolex catalogue, given the complexity of its regatta countdown architecture.

Shelvey, who built his Premier League career at Liverpool and Newcastle before his time at Swansea, has been a consistent presence in football's watch-spotting space. Choosing a technically credible sports-complication rather than a dress watch for what is effectively a professional milestone reflects the preference among top-flight footballers for robust, legible references that still carry market weight.

At UK RRP the ref. 116681 sits at £16,770, with USD retail pricing in the high-teens. On the secondary market, two-tone Yacht-Master II examples have historically traded close to or slightly above retail, benefiting from the model's limited production volumes relative to the Datejust or Submariner families.