Watch Paparazzi

Actor Ben Affleck spotted wearing Rolex

Street photographers caught Ben Affleck walking briskly in what appears to be a Los Angeles setting, a steel-cased Rolex GMT-Master II visible on his left wrist. The blue-and-black bezel insert confirms this is the reference the collector community calls the 'Batman' — making the sighting one of those rare instances where a watch nickname and its wearer's résumé align perfectly.

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116710BLNR was introduced at Baselworld 2013 as a technical milestone: its graduated Cerachrom bezel insert, moulded in a single piece with black and blue ceramic sections, was the first bi-colour ceramic bezel in Rolex's production history. The 40 mm Oyster case in 904L stainless steel houses Calibre 3186, a manufacture movement with a Parachrom hairspring and a 48-hour power reserve, delivering a GMT complication that displays a second time zone via a 24-hour hand against the colour-coded bezel. The reference ran until approximately 2019, when Rolex introduced the successor 126710BLNR on the updated Jubilee bracelet with Calibre 3285.

From a collector standpoint, the 116710BLNR occupies a firm position in the modern Rolex hierarchy. It predates the Jubilee-equipped update, which means its Oyster bracelet gives it a sportier, arguably more austere aesthetic that many wrist-wearers prefer. Original examples in full set command consistent premiums on the secondary market, and the reference is widely regarded as one of the most wearable sports-complication watches Rolex has produced — functional enough for a pilot or frequent traveller, refined enough for a dinner reservation.

Affleck's taste in watches leans toward understated tool-watch aesthetics rather than precious-metal ostentation, which is consistent with choosing the steel GMT over, say, a white-gold Pepsi. The actor-director keeps a relatively low-profile watch wardrobe in public, which makes sightings like this one genuinely informative about his collecting preferences.

On the grey market, the 116710BLNR continues to trade well above its original retail price. With Rolex list prices having climbed significantly through multiple annual adjustments, and the 116710BLNR now discontinued, demand from buyers who prefer the Oyster bracelet configuration sustains a healthy premium. It remains one of the most liquid references in the modern steel GMT segment.