Watch Paparazzi

Model Brooklyn Decker spotted wearing Rolex

Brooklyn Decker, the model-turned-actress who built a mainstream profile through Sports Illustrated and a steady television career, was photographed wearing what appears to be a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 18k yellow gold, reference 116528 — one of the definitive luxury sports chronographs of the modern era.

The ref. 116528 was introduced in the early 2000s as part of Rolex's broader overhaul of the Daytona line following the brand's landmark switch to an in-house movement. At its heart sits the calibre 4130, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch that Rolex developed entirely in-house, replacing the Zenith El Primero-based ebauche used in the preceding ref. 16528. The 4130 offers a 72-hour power reserve, operates at 28,800 vph, and is widely praised for its serviceability and long-term reliability. The case measures 40mm in solid 18k yellow gold with a matching Oyster bracelet, and the ref. 116528 was offered with a range of dials — champagne, black, and meteorite among the most desirable — framed by the Daytona's signature tachymetre bezel.

From a collector standpoint, the 116528 occupies important ground. It bridges the gap between the cult status of vintage steel Daytonas and the unapologetic luxury of Rolex's precious metal catalogue. Gold Daytonas have historically attracted a different buyer profile — less focused on waitlist anxiety and more on the watch as an enduring object of value. The reference ran until approximately 2016, when Rolex introduced the successor ref. 116508, itself now succeeded by the current-generation ref. 126508 with its updated calibre 4131.

Decker's choice of the 116528 signals a confident, classically minded taste. It is neither an ostentatious statement piece nor a restrained dress watch — it is a working chronograph in precious metal, the kind of piece that reads equally well on a red carpet or a casual afternoon. For a public figure with a long-standing connection to fashion and lifestyle media, the gold Daytona is an entirely coherent choice.

On the secondary market, clean examples of the Rolex Daytona ref. 116528 with desirable dial configurations command strong prices. Grey-market values have stabilised in recent years relative to the steel Daytona frenzy, but solid yellow gold examples with box and papers continue to trade well above retail, reflecting both Rolex's sustained brand equity and gold's intrinsic material value.