Footballer Ryan Giggs spotted wearing a Rolex

Ryan Giggs, the Welsh winger who spent his entire playing career at Manchester United and collected 13 Premier League titles along the way, was recently spotted wearing the Rolex Deepsea James Cameron edition — reference 116660D — a watch that earns its credentials well beyond the celebrity circuit.

The Rolex Deepsea ref. 116660 is no dress watch in disguise. Launched in 2008, it was built around the proprietary Ringlock System: a nitrogen-alloyed steel ring, a domed sapphire crystal 5.5 mm thick, and a monoblock case back that together allow the watch to withstand pressure to a certified 3,900 metres (12,800 feet). The case measures a substantial 44 mm in diameter and sits 17.7 mm thick on the wrist — unapologetically tool-watch in character. Powering it is the Rolex Calibre 3135, a self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve, Parachrom hairspring, and chronometer certification from COSC.

The '116660D' designation — the 'D' suffix standing for 'Deep Blue' — commemorates director James Cameron's solo dive to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in March 2012 aboard the Deepsea Challenger submersible. Rolex engineers attached an experimental watch to the vessel's robotic arm; it surfaced intact. Rolex translated that achievement into the dial: a gradient that moves from vivid cobalt at 12 o'clock to absolute black by 6 o'clock, mirroring the loss of light as depth increases. The variant officially entered the standard collection in 2014.

Among collectors, the Deepsea D-Blue occupies an interesting position. Purists value it as a technically legitimate dive instrument rather than a marketing exercise — the depth rating is genuine, the case engineering is remarkable — while the Cameron narrative gives it a storytelling dimension that straightforward sports references often lack. Secondary market demand remains healthy, particularly for well-preserved examples with box and papers.

For Giggs, the 116660D reflects a taste for substantial, technically grounded watches rather than purely precious-metal showpieces. At a UK list price of £9,150, the Rolex Deepsea James Cameron ref. 116660D represents one of the more technically ambitious propositions in the Oyster Professional range — a watch that justifies its size with genuine engineering depth.