In June 2017, Forbes released their yearly list of the world’s highest paid athletes which included globally-recognized superstars from every sport. Portugal and Real Madrid soccer phenom Cristiano Ronaldo came in at number one on the list with an astounding $93 million salary in 2017, while NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the list with $21.4 million. Our team at SellMeWatch.com decided to go a step further and find out which Rolex watches some of these athletes are wearing. Boasting eight-figure salaries, we imagined that these athletes have a pretty penny to drop on some of the most expensive Rolex watches, and we were certainly correct on our assumption.
Cristiano Ronaldo (#1 on Forbes list; $93 million salary in 2017)
Despite being a global ambassador for Tag Heuer, Ronaldo has often been seen wearing various Rolex watches that perfectly suit his lavish lifestyle. His stellar Rolex collection includes a stainless-steel Rolex Daytona, yellow-gold Rolex Daytona, and a two-tone stainless steel and yellow gold Rolex Submariner that he is seen wearing in the picture above. Considering these are only the Rolex watches he’s been photographed wearing, it’s really anyone’s guess as to just how many are actually in his collection.
Lebron James (#2 on Forbes list; $86.2 million salary in 2017)
Next on our list is NBA superstar LeBron James, who many would argue is the greatest basketball player in the world today. LeBron boasts a unique combination of sophisticated Rolex watches that include a Yacht-Master II, Day-Date II, and Sky-Dweller, all with one thing in common: gold. Perhaps most special is his jaw-dropping Sky-Dweller that’s decked out with an 18k yellow gold Oyster bracelet and rotatable fluted bezel along with a rich champagne-colored dial. LeBron, however, decided to leave the Sky-Dweller at home and instead opted to wear his gold and black Day-Date II to the championship parade after winning his third NBA championship in 2016, as shown in the picture above.
Roger Federer (#4 on Forbes list; $64 million salary in 2017)
It’s no surprise that we include Roger Federer on our list considering he is a Rolex global ambassador, an ultra-exclusive title given to only a handful of people in the world. Federer, fresh off a Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon just a couple of weeks ago, has a collection of Rolex watches that are representative of himself: elegant, refined, and timeless. Among his favorite Rolex watches are a Day-Date, Datejust, and an Oyster Perpetual Platinum that he is seen wearing above after winning his 7th title at Wimbledon in 2012. However, in various interviews, Federer has talked about his vintage and extremely rare Daytona from 1981, a gift he received for his 30th birthday, as being his most beloved Rolex. As a tennis legend, one of the world’s highest paid athletes, and a Rolex ambassador, it’s safe to say Federer lives the life many of us can only dream of.
Conor McGregor (#24 on Forbes list; $34 million salary in 2017)
As one of the biggest personalities in sports who lives a five-star lifestyle that he loves to publicize on social media, Conor McGregor craves all of that which a Rolex symbolizes in power, success, and wealth. In the past, McGregor has been seen sporting a gold Sky Dweller, Daytona, and Yacht-Master II. During his recent multi-city promotional tour for his highly anticipated fight against Floyd Mayweather, Conor showcased his collection by wearing a different Rolex in almost every city, among which was a gold Day-Date that he wore during the last stop of the tour in London. Expected to earn somewhere in the ballpark of $100 million for the upcoming fight, we expect to see much more Rolex watches for the rambunctious Conor in the coming months.
Carmelo Anthony (#29 on Forbes list; $32.6 million salary in 2017)
While he may not be as well recognized on the world stage as the other athletes in this article, NBA star Carmelo Anthony is surely the biggest watch collector of them all. To give you a glimpse as to just how big of a collector he is, in a 2015 article the New York Post reported that Carmelo’s collection is worth an exorbitant one million dollars. Only looking at Rolex watches, Carmelo owns two Sky Dwellers, another pair of the Yacht Master II, and you guessed it, two more Day Dates. Though his best years of basketball may be behind him, it’s easy to see that Carmelo is still at the top of his game when it comes to watches.