Watch Paparazzi

Basketball player Michael Jordan spotted wearing Rolex

Michael Jordan was recently spotted wearing a Rolex Explorer II reference 16570 finished in a full black PVD coating — a combination that sits well outside standard Rolex catalogue territory and underscores just how deliberately the six-time NBA champion curates his wrist. The sighting adds another compelling chapter to Jordan's well-documented history as a serious horology enthusiast.

The Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 was produced from 1989 through 2011, making it one of the longest-running references in the Explorer lineage. Built around a 40mm stainless steel case, it houses the Calibre 3185 — a self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve, Rolex's paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring in later iterations, and a GMT function driven by a distinctive orange or red 24-hour hand. Jordan's piece carries a black dial with a red seconds hand, consistent with the classic T-Swiss-T tropical-era or later matte dial variants that collectors actively seek out. The PVD coating — physical vapor deposition — is an aftermarket process applied post-manufacture, depositing a thin layer of black material over the case and bracelet for both aesthetic effect and surface hardness.

From a collector standpoint, the ref. 16570 occupies a sweet spot: accessible enough to acquire, yet historically significant as the last Explorer II generation before the reference 216570 enlarged the case to 42mm. PVD-treated examples are divisive among purists — Rolex never officially offered this reference in black — but they carry a strong following among enthusiasts who prize the tactical, military-adjacent aesthetic. Condition and quality of the PVD application matter enormously to value.

Jordan has long been associated with high-specification watches, gravitating toward pieces with genuine technical provenance rather than purely decorative credentials. The Explorer II, born from Rolex's work with cavers and polar explorers, fits that profile precisely — it is a professional instrument first, a status object second.

On the grey market, a clean ref. 16570 in standard stainless steel trades around $8,000–$12,000 depending on dial variant and box-and-papers status. A well-executed PVD conversion commands a meaningful premium, with examples in Jordan's configuration currently cited at approximately $22,000 — a figure that reflects both scarcity and the celebrity provenance now attached to this particular configuration.