Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Riqui Puig spotted wearing Rolex

Spotted on the wrist of Spanish footballer Riqui Puig during what appears to be a waterside retreat, this Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in stainless steel with the so-called 'Panda' dial configuration is one of the most recognisable references in modern watchmaking. The relaxed setting — outdoor seating, trees, a boat visible in the background — provides a casual backdrop for a watch that carries serious collector weight.

The reference 116500LN, introduced at Baselworld 2016, marked Rolex's transition from the aluminium bezel to a scratch-resistant black Cerachrom ceramic bezel on the Daytona. The white lacquer dial features three black subsidiary registers — the classic 'Panda' layout — with red 'Daytona' text at six o'clock and applied baton hour markers. Powering the 40mm Oyster case is Calibre 4130, Rolex's in-house column-wheel chronograph movement offering a 72-hour power reserve and certified Superlative Chronometer status to ±2 seconds per day. The Oyster bracelet with folding Oysterclasp rounds out a package that has barely changed aesthetically since Paul Newman-era references, yet is transformed mechanically.

From a collector standpoint, the 116500LN white dial occupies a unique position: it is simultaneously an authorised-dealer nightmare and a grey-market phenomenon. Waitlists at authorised retailers stretch years in most markets, and the watch has rarely traded below retail since its release — a rarity in the steel sports watch segment. The Panda variant consistently outperforms its black-dial sibling in auction rooms.

Riqui Puig, born in 2000, emerged through Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and established himself as one of Spanish football's most technically gifted young midfielders. At an age when many peers are still building their watch collections, his choice of the Daytona 116500LN signals both awareness of horological hierarchy and access to a piece that most collectors simply cannot obtain through normal retail channels.

On the grey market, the 116500LN white dial currently trades in the $28,000–$33,000 range depending on condition and provenance — a significant premium over its $15,800 USD list price. Demand shows no structural signs of softening, cementing its status as the benchmark steel chronograph of the modern era.