Raheem Sterling lost £300,000 of watches in a robbery. How should he replace them?
Luke BenedictusPoor Raheem Sterling has endured a rough time of late. There was the familiar heartache of England being knocked out of the World Cup with Gareth Southgate’s team adopting their customary roles as plucky nearly-men destined to lose against the first decent team they face. If that wasn’t bad enough, while Sterling was in Qatar, armed robbers broke into his Surrey home and stole watches reportedly worth £300,000 (about AU$545,000). The incident forced the player to make a temporary return from England duty, forcing him to miss the team’s victory over Senegal. But as Sterling recovers from this bitter double-whammy, hopefully he can console himself with a bit of retail therapy by replacing his lost watches once the insurance money finally comes through.
The collection
Just imagine yourself in this situation. If the bulk of your watch collection suddenly disappeared overnight and you were given the money to replace it, would you opt for like-for-like replacements? Or would you take the opportunity to make considered upgrades on the contents of your watchbox, buying slightly improved variations on a theme?
There is no record of the exact watches that Sterling lost in the robbery. But photos show that the four-time Premier League winner is very much a die-hard Rolex man. The 27-year-old has, for example, been spotted wearing a stunning Everose Day-Date 40 in rose-gold with an olive green dial bedecked with Roman numerals.
Another regular is the 27-year-old’s Rolex GMT-Master II BLNR with the bi-colour bezel that’s earned it the Batman moniker. The Rolex Yacht-Master in 18k Everose gold is a further Rolex in common rotation on Sterling’s wrist.
The replacements
As mentioned, we don’t know if Sterling actually lost these three specific watches in the burglary. Nor would they account for even half of the £300,000 of wristwear that was stolen. But if the Chelsea star did have the misfortune to lose these beloved watches, he should possibly consider these replacements.
Rolex GMT-Master II Left Handed (Price: A$45,450)
When it comes to a replacement for the Batman, this is what we recommend. Now admittedly, Sterling is not a left-hander. But that’s not a problem given the position he plays. After all, we are now living in a footballing age of inverted wingers, where right-footers – like Sterling – commonly play on the opposite flank, cutting inside to shoot with their stronger foot. An ambidextrous mindset is required.
The Rolex GMT-Master II fits the aesthetic vibe of Sterling’s Batman, albeit in a more verdant hue with Rolex’s first green and black bi-colour bezel insert. But it also plays to the sort of tactical ingenuity that he learned under the wing of Pep Guardiola at Man City. The reversed crown and date position of the watch wasn’t as simple as just flipping the movement and turning the date wheel numerals upside down. Even the process for Superlative Chronometer certification had to be modified to suit the new positions of the components. Making this watch was, in other words, a complicated process for Rolex. But the result is a left-handed watch that you’d happily give your right arm for. Price: A$15,500
Rolex Yacht-Master 42 (Price: A$45,450)
As a substitute for Sterling’s Rolex Yacht-Master we propose… yes, another Yacht-Master. But let us justify this paucity of imagination. Sterling is a player who combines a bit of fancy-dan trickery with genuine end-product. Admittedly his Chelsea career hasn’t quite caught alight just yet, but in a Man City shirt, Sterling notched a fine return for a player who isn’t an out-an-out frontman in the form of 131 goals and 74 assists in 339 games. The Yacht-Master is a similar mix of style and substance – the rubber strap adding rough-hewn utility to the watch.
The one we’re proposing for Sterling here is the one in a white-gold case with an interesting textured dial called a “Falcon’s Eye”. This ups the wow factor by a degree appropriate for a sports star with a salary of £325,000 a week.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 (Price on application)
After you’ve suffered the invasive trauma of a burglary at your own home, the idea of stealth wealth becomes all the more appealing. That’s why we’d advise, Sterling to forego the Everose delights of a replacement Day-Date in favour of this piece that’s formed entirely out of 950 platinum including the fluted bezel. This precious metal watch is among one of the more luxurious propositions that Rolex has to offer. But for those people who don’t clock the significance of that ice-blue dial, it presents as humble steel.
Despite the mystery of the exact price of the platinum Day-Date, Sterling would still have plenty of insurance money still to play with. Then again, with a host of watch releases just around the corner, it might be worth holding some cash in reserve until next year.