Footballer Gianluigi Donnarumma spotted wearing a Rolex

Gianluigi Donnarumma, then AC Milan's first-choice goalkeeper and one of football's most celebrated young talents, was photographed greeting supporters while wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in stainless steel with a black dial — a sighting that perfectly underscores the reference's status as the default luxury sports watch for elite athletes.

The watch on Donnarumma's wrist is the reference 116500LN, introduced at Baselworld 2016 as the first Daytona to feature a Cerachrom ceramic bezel. The black version pairs a matte black ceramic bezel — virtually scratch-proof and UV-resistant — with a black lacquered dial and contrasting steel subdials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. The case measures 40mm in Oystersteel and sits on the iconic three-link Oyster bracelet with Oysterclasp. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres.

At the heart of the 116500LN beats the Calibre 4130, Rolex's fully in-house column-wheel chronograph movement developed over several years and first introduced in 2000. It operates at 28,800 vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and features a vertical clutch that ensures smooth chronograph engagement without the hand jump common in older lateral-clutch designs. The movement represented a major leap forward from the Zenith El Primero-based Cal. 4030 it replaced and remains one of the finest chronograph calibres in production.

Donnarumma's choice is telling. The steel black-dial Daytona 116500LN has sat at the apex of grey-market desirability since its launch, regularly trading at two to three times retail. For a footballer of his stature — UEFA Euro 2020 champion and tournament MVP with Italy, later moving to Paris Saint-Germain — the Daytona represents a natural intersection of performance heritage and understated prestige. It is a watch worn by winners.

At official retail the 116500LN lists around $14,550 USD, though authorised dealer allocations remain near-impossible to secure. On the secondary market, black-dial examples consistently trade between $28,000 and $35,000 depending on condition and papers, making this one of the strongest value-retention stories in contemporary horology.