Entrepreneur Nasser Al-khelaifi spotted wearing a Rolex

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Qatari entrepreneur who chairs Paris Saint-Germain and serves as president of beIN Media Group, was photographed wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116500LN — the ceramic-bezel iteration that redefined the modern sports chronograph when it quietly appeared on Rolex's catalog in 2016. For a man who routinely operates in the highest corridors of European football and global media, the choice is telling: the 116500LN is powerful without being theatrical.

The Rolex Daytona 116500LN is built around the in-house calibre 4130, a column-wheel, vertical-clutch chronograph movement that Rolex developed entirely independently and introduced in 2000. It replaced the earlier Zenith El Primero-based calibre 4030 and represents one of the most robust and precise chronograph mechanisms in series production. The 4130 beats at 28,800 vph, offers approximately 72 hours of power reserve, and is certified as a Superlative Chronometer — held to tolerances of +/-2 seconds per day, tighter than standard COSC certification. The 40mm Oystersteel case houses the movement behind a screw-down caseback and carries a water resistance rating of 100 metres.

The defining upgrade of the 116500LN over its predecessor, the 116520, is the black Cerachrom bezel insert — Rolex's proprietary ceramic compound that is virtually scratch-proof and UV-resistant, ensuring the tachymeter scale remains legible and pristine over decades of wear. The reference is offered in both black-dial and white-dial configurations, with the black-dial version carrying a particular premium on the secondary market due to its aggressive, high-contrast aesthetic.

For collectors, the Rolex Daytona 116500LN occupies rare ground: it is simultaneously a serious tool chronograph with an impeccable mechanical pedigree and arguably the single most recognisable status symbol in contemporary watchmaking. Waitlists at authorised dealers have stretched for years, and the reference has become a benchmark against which grey-market premiums are measured across the entire industry.

Al-Khelaifi's affinity for the 116500LN fits a pattern common among high-net-worth sports executives — the watch is universally legible as a luxury object yet grounded in horological substance. At a UK list price of approximately £9,550, the official retail figure is almost academic; grey-market values for the ceramic Daytona have historically traded anywhere from $18,000 to well above $30,000 depending on dial variant and market timing, making it one of the most reliably appreciating references Rolex has ever produced.