Boxer Floyd Mayweather spotted wearing a Rolex

Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated 50-0 boxing legend and arguably the most visible watch collector in professional sports, was recently spotted on the wrist with one of Rolex's most opulent factory-produced timepieces: the GMT-Master II reference 116758SANR in solid 18kt yellow gold, fully set with diamonds and sapphires direct from Geneva.

The 116758SANR occupies a rarified corner of Rolex's catalogue. The 40mm Oyster case is crafted entirely in 18kt yellow gold, and the bidirectional rotatable bezel — the GMT-Master II's defining functional feature — is set by Rolex's in-house gem-setters with alternating blue sapphires and diamonds in place of the standard ceramic or metal insert. The dial itself is paved with diamonds, and the bracelet follows suit. Powering the watch is the calibre 3186, Rolex's in-house GMT movement featuring a Parachrom hairspring for enhanced shock and magnetic resistance, offering a 48-hour power reserve and the signature independently adjustable 24-hour hand for tracking a second time zone — the complication that made the GMT-Master a tool watch icon since its 1955 debut as a Pan Am pilots' instrument.

From a collector standpoint, the 116758SANR is a polarizing but undeniably significant reference. It is not a watch Rolex produces in large numbers, and factory gem-set Rolex pieces — particularly those where the stone-setting is executed in-house rather than by a third party — carry a legitimacy and quality assurance that custom-iced aftermarket examples simply cannot match. The reference has since been succeeded by the 126758SANR, which houses the newer calibre 3285, making surviving 116758SANR examples increasingly desirable on the secondary market.

Mayweather's affinity for Rolex is well documented — he has been photographed with everything from dateless Submariners to skeletonized high-complication pieces — but the GMT-Master II 116758SANR sits comfortably within his personal aesthetic: maximum statement, zero compromise, factory legitimate.

At a UK list price of approximately £90,000, this reference commands serious retail money. On the grey market, examples trade at or above retail given their scarcity, with well-documented examples regularly appearing at specialist auction houses and grey dealers in the $110,000–$130,000 range depending on condition and box-and-papers provenance.