The Laureus Sport Awards always present a chance for A-list sports stars to link up in their biggest fits of the year. This year in Madrid, it was a thrill to see Carlos Alcaraz hanging in the same circle as Simone Biles and soccer superstars Lamine Yamal and Luka Modrić.
Given the caliber of assorted talent in attendance—Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Kelly Slater were also there—you’d be right to assume there were a lot of grail-worthy watches on show. But Alcaraz’s Rolex Daytona 116576TBR still stood out as he walked the red carpet.
As Alcaraz fans will have become accustomed to spotting, the 21-year-old likes to wear his watches out in the wild. He is known for regularly giving pieces from his collection repeat airtime at tournaments and red carpets. Case in point, last night at the Madrid premiere of Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, the Netflix series about his career to date, he wore the same Rollie that was on his wrist at the Laureus Sport Awards. That’s two public wrist checks in a week, pushing the watch into elite daily driver territory.
Fittingly, Alcaraz is at the top end of his game, and his watch is a seamless match. For starters, it’s crafted entirely from platinum and takes Rolex’s killer chrono to the next level with a tasty diamond-set bezel and ice-blue dial. Arabic numerals add to the collector appeal, given that Rolex produces these dials in small quantities, and they’re highly sought after (other legendary athletes, like Tom Brady, are big fans). Daytonas with this dial layout were produced for a very small, elite client list in the Middle East, so the chances of seeing them in the wild are pretty slim.
Even for Alcaraz, who is knitted in with the Crown, getting this level of watch probably required some determination. He reps the Crown in an official capacity, so it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see him wearing the new Land-Dweller, which featured as part of the brand’s 2025 releases. But there’s something extra special about pulling up with a rare take on the Daytona. The watch has been around since the ’60s and is considered one of the hardest Rollies to score (on the secondary market, this watch goes for well over $200k). Let alone a diamond-set, ultra-rare platinum edition that puts the brand’s trademark prestige in turbo mode. It shows that he’s a watch guy for real. He doesn’t just go for the buzziest watches he can get, but likes to scour for the real gems and collector catnip that sets him apart from the rest.