Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Neymar Jr spotted wearing Rolex

Neymar Jr reached a personal milestone celebrating eleven years since his professional football debut, and the Brazilian superstar marked the occasion in characteristic style — on his wrist, the instantly recognisable Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126710BLNR, better known in collector circles as the 'Batman'.

First unveiled at Baselworld 2019, the ref. 126710BLNR represented a significant evolution for the GMT-Master II line. Rolex paired the black and blue Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert — the combination that earned the nickname 'Batman' from enthusiasts — with the elegant five-link Jubilee bracelet for the very first time. Previous iterations of the blue-black bezel GMT had sat exclusively on the Oyster bracelet, making the Jubilee pairing a genuine departure and an immediate talking point. The watch runs on the calibre 3285, Rolex's in-house movement featuring the Chronergy escapement, a 70-hour power reserve, and Superlative Chronometer certification to ±2 seconds per day. The case measures 40mm in 904L Oystersteel, with a bidirectional rotatable bezel and the brand's signature Cyclops lens over the date aperture.

From a collector standpoint, the 126710BLNR occupies a particularly interesting position. It effectively replaced the ref. 116710BLNR, which had itself developed a devoted following since the black-blue bezel first appeared in 2013. The addition of the Jubilee bracelet on the 2019 reference widened its appeal considerably, attracting buyers who found the Oyster bracelet too sporting and wanted the dresser aesthetic the Jubilee provides. Waiting lists at authorised dealers have remained lengthy since launch, keeping grey-market premiums stubbornly elevated.

Neymar Jr is no casual watch enthusiast. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has been photographed across a wide spectrum of haute horlogerie, from Richard Mille's ultra-thin tonneau pieces to precious-metal Pateks. His choice of the GMT-Master II 126710BLNR here reads as a deliberate, grounded selection — a watch with genuine technical substance beneath the desirability.

At UK list price of approximately £7,750, the 126710BLNR sits at a comparatively accessible entry point for a Rolex sports reference of this profile. On the secondary market, however, the picture is quite different, with grey-market values typically running between $14,000 and $17,000 USD depending on condition, papers, and bracelet wear — a premium that shows little sign of compressing while authorised dealer allocations stay constrained.