Watch Paparazzi

Basketball player Devin Booker spotted wearing Rolex

Devin Booker arrived at a Phoenix Suns game wearing one of the most technically and historically significant Rolex references of the 21st century: the Cosmograph Daytona 116506 in 950 platinum, fitted on its factory Oyster bracelet. The ice-blue dial and brown Cerachrome bezel combination is not available in any other metal — Rolex reserves that specific colorway exclusively for platinum, making the pairing an instant identifier for collectors in the arena or anywhere else.

Rolex introduced the 116506 at Baselworld 2013 to commemorate the Daytona's 50th anniversary. It was a landmark moment: despite decades of titanium and gold variants, this was the first Daytona to be produced entirely in 950 platinum. The case measures 40mm and houses Rolex's in-house Caliber 4130, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch that delivers buttery engagement and roughly 72 hours of power reserve — widely regarded as one of the finest chronograph movements at any price point.

The brown Cerachrome bezel deserves particular attention. Rolex's proprietary ceramic compound is virtually scratchproof and UV-fade resistant, and the chocolate tone was engineered specifically to complement the platinum case's cooler grey hue. The tachymeter scale is filled with platinum-coated PVD, not paint, ensuring it will read as crisply in twenty years as it does today. Subdials at 3, 6, and 9 carry matching brown accents that tie the whole composition together with unusual visual coherence.

Among serious Daytona collectors, the 116506 occupies a tier of its own. It is not a watch people stumble into — at $74,800 retail, it requires deliberate intent, and Rolex's allocation practices mean waitlists at authorized dealers run long. On the secondary market the reference consistently trades at a significant premium, currently hovering around $120,000, driven by genuine scarcity and the unambiguous prestige of platinum.

Booker's taste in watches is well documented; the 25-year-old All-Star has shown a consistent preference for technically serious timepieces rather than diamond-heavy showpieces. Wearing the 116506 to a game — no suit, just a patterned shirt and grey trousers — signals exactly that: a collector who knows what he has and does not need the occasion to justify it.