Mexico Returned $1M in Rolexes from YouTuber SteveWillDoIt

During the 2026 World Cup, YouTuber SteveWillDoIt wagered $2 million on Mexico to beat Ecuador in the Round of 32. It paid off, and to celebrate he handed every player on the national team a Rolex. A few days later, the whole haul was returned.

What The Media Got Wrong

The press called them "presidential Rolexes," but the full slate is a lot more interesting than that. Steve put it together through watch dealer NeelTPT of Timepiece Trading, who has sourced watches for him before. By the dealer's account, Steve asked for 27 pieces and picked the references himself. The Presidents do dominate, mostly green-dial Day-Dates in Everose rose gold (228235), with white gold (228239) and platinum (228206) also in the case. The rest sprawls: Pepsi GMT-Masters (126710BLRO), a left-handed Sprite (126720VTNR), a two-tone root beer (126711CHNR), a panda Daytona (126500LN), no-date and two-tone Submariners, steel and two-tone Datejusts, an Explorer, a gold Yacht-Master 42 on Oysterflex (226658), Oyster Perpetuals including the discontinued Celebration dial (124300) and a new lavender one (126000), and the 2025 Land-Dweller (127334).

There is even what looks like a stray Cartier Santos in the mix (circled above), the one watch here Rolex didn't make. Even the most attainable of them trade in the low five figures, and a platinum Day-Date sits at the top.

Ignore The Pricing

Steve pegged the watches at $30,000 to $90,000 each, though the market tells a more mixed story. The two-tone root beer GMT lists at $20,050 and trades a touch under that for clean examples, and it is one you could order without much of a wait. A few of these watches are discontinued. The steel Pepsi was discontinued at Watches and Wonders 2026 and now trades around $25,000, the Celebration Oyster Perpetual was pulled earlier and runs three to five times its old $6,400 list price, and the most expensive watch in the case is the discontinued smooth-bezel platinum Day-Date. It's the only piece here cased in platinum instead of gold or steel. It last retailed for $70,300 and now trades around $60,000 depending on condition. Of course, the panda Daytona and new Land-Dweller also carry heavy premiums over retail.

The Rule That Sent Them Back

FIFA's Code of Ethics limits gifts to those of "symbolic or trivial value," a rule written to keep outside money from looking like it is buying influence over a result. A case of gold Presidents and grey-market grails from a bettor who just booked a seven-figure profit was never going to fly. The players returned the watches by mutual agreement, and El Tri moved on to the next round.

The Watches Are the Story

The gift and the return make the headlines, but the watches are the more interesting story to me. This is a wide, slightly random selection at wildly different price points, laid out in a Pelican-style case. If I got to choose, I'm probably walking away with that Land-Dweller or the nicest-looking Pepsi. What would you pick? Let us know in the comments below.