Hodinkee
Aziz Ansari Puts A 1978 Rolex Daytona Center Stage In 'Good Fortune'
In his feature directorial debut, Ansari gives a vintage Rolex Daytona a starring role-and teams up with Craft + Tailored's Cameron Barr to make it all real.
Results for Rolex Daytona
2,523 articles · 71 videos found · page 4 of 87
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Icon · Guide
Cosmograph Daytona Rolex
The Rolex chronograph born on the racetrack. History, references and specs.
Reference · Guide
All Rolex Daytona References Rolex
Every Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference: 6239, 6263, 16520 Zenith, 116500LN, 126500LN.
Exclusive · Guide
The Watches the World Cup 2026 Players Are Actually Wearing
Ronaldo brought a Rainbow Daytona, Messi pulled out a turquoise-dial Day-Date, and Casemiro is the surprise of the bunch with an F.P. Journe. Every wrist worth talking about so far.
Hodinkee
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Daytona Rainbow: When An Icon Goes Colorfully Gem-Set
Aside from the watch that was made legendary by Paul Newman - and which would forever, unofficially, carry the famous actor’s name - there is probably no version of the Rolex Daytona that is more coveted than the “Rainbow” models that bring a meticulously designed and eye-catchingly beautiful assortment of colorful precious stones to the bezel, case, and dial of the motorsport-inspired luxury chronograph. Here is the story behind the Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” and why it has become yet another smash hit for the Crown in the 21st Century. To start off, it’s worth answering the question, “Why is the Rolex Daytona so famous in the first place?” The model’s success story begins in 1962, when Rolex, hot on the heels of other genre-defining watch releases like the Explorer, GMT-Master, and Submariner several years earlier, became the official timekeeper of the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500. In celebration of the partnership, the Swiss brand introduced its original “Cosmograph” racing-inspired chronograph watch the following year. The watch, notable for its tachymeter bezel and three-register dial design, adopted the name “Daytona” shortly thereafter and really took the enthusiast community by storm when actor, director, and part-time racecar driver Paul Newman began wearing one regularly. Newman became a big-screen icon in the 1970s, around the same time that auto racing took off in popularity as a spectator sport, and this confluence of...
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Daytona Panda Dial Ref. 126500 Review
The Rolex Daytona is a tricky watch to discuss these days. It’s difficult to separate the watch itself from its status as a barometer to the health of the entire second-hand market — a position that the watch itself surely never asked to be put into. Everyone has an opinion on the Daytona, and these days, those opinions seem to lean more negative due mostly to what it has come to represent. As such, it rarely gets a fair crack at an honest judgment. In fact, it’s a watch I generally shy away from discussing publicly. But I’ve always liked the Daytona, and I take pleasure in wearing mine in non-watch-enthusiast environments. That’s because, behind all the speculation and hype culture, there’s a genuinely good sports watch that’s almost never seen as such. After a year of owning the reference 126500 Rolex Daytona Panda dial introduced in 2023, and amidst a cooling second-hand market, I think it’s time to change that. Let’s start off by confronting the reality of this watch. The MSRP of the steel Daytona Reference 126500 in either black or white dial (dark or light, in Rolex parlance) is $16,000. The same watches trade for between $27,000 and $32,000 in the open market. This is a serious discrepancy, but it does seem to have stabilized from a high point in 2021. In fact, it seems to be slowly coming down, but not nearly to a price that the watch merits, if you ask me. At its MSRP, the Daytona is a legitimately great watch, but only just. At ~$30,000, this ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Paul Newman Rolex Daytona: The World's Most Valuable Watch
If you are into watches and watch collecting, you have heard of the “Paul Newman Rolex,” have heard of it spoken of with reverence and awe, and have perhaps even longed to possess or at least see one yourself. But how did this watch - a very specific version of the Rolex Daytona - become the celebrity watch of all celebrity watches, as well as the né plus ultra representing the absolute highest echelon of watch connoisseurship? It’s a story of watch marketing savvy and market serendipity that spans the globe from Geneva to Daytona, from Cleveland to Hollywood. Rolex was riding a hot streak of successes in the 1950s and early ‘60s. The Swiss company had already introduced to the market the definitive luxury divers’ watch, the Submariner; the quintessential luxury travel watch, the GMT-Master; and even an understated, rugged outdoor watch, the Explorer, that became a star in its one right by virtue of its role in the historic summit of Mount Everest. The one popular category that Rolex had yet to really crack was the emerging genre of motorsport-inspired wrist chronographs, an area in which brands like Heuer (today’s TAG Heuer), Longines, and Breitling had a substantial head start. Rolex boldly jumped into the fray, introducing its first “pre-Daytona” wristwatch chronograph, Ref. 6234, in 1955, and its successor, Ref. 6238, in 1962. Both were 36mm steel watches outfitted with manually wound Valjoux 72 calibers, and both had dials that read simply “Chro...
SJX Watches
Hands On: The Unique Rolex Daytona “Zenith” Platinum Ref. 16516
Sotheby’s upcoming Geneva auction that takes place on May 11 is a relatively compact affair. But the 124 lots includes notable highlights, with the top lot of the sale being the especially unique Rolex Daytona “Zenith” ref. 16516 in platinum with a pink mother-of-pearl dial. This watch is one of just four Daytonas combining the El Primero movement and platinum case – the only platinum specimens in the 16500-series Daytona – all of which were made at the behest of former Rolex chief executive Patrick Heiniger in 1999. Famous for being powered by the cal. 4030 derived from the Zenith El Primero, the 16500-series was the first-ever self-winding Daytona. The model was never commercially available in platinum; the four examples in platinum are truly unique. Moreover, each of the four are one-of-a-kind, each fitted with a different dial in exotic materials. Sotheby’s sold the prior three examples, starting with black mother-of-pearl in 2018, lapis lazuli in 2020, and turquoise in 2021. While those three featured applied Arabic numbers, this example has diamond hour markers. Initial thoughts The unique nature of this Daytona is unquestionable. Amongst automatic Daytonas this ranks amongst the rarest and most valuable. Two of its platinum siblings sold for over US$3 million each, making them the priciest modern-day Daytonas. Of the four platinum Daytonas, however, this example is the most paradoxical. It’s the most unusual in having diamond indices, but also the most...
Video
New Rolex teaser shows MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK
What can we expect tomorrow at Watches and Wonders 2026? Kai and I take a deep dive into all of Rolex’s announcements in this podcast. Enjoy!
SJX Watches
Hands On: The First-Ever Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” 16599SAAEC
One of the most valuable watches to go on the block this auction season is the Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” 16599SAAEC. Part of Phillips’ Reloaded auction taking place on November 8, 2024, the Zenith-powered Daytona is the original “Rainbow”, having been produced in 1994, some 18 years before the serially-produced Daytona “Rainbow” was introduced. Like all automatic Daytona models prior to 2000, this Daytona “Rainbow” is powered by the cal. 4030, which is a Zenith El Primero modified by Rolex. But this Daytona is unique in having a singular model reference of 16599 followed by the suffix “SAAEC”, short for saphir arc-en-ciel, French for “sapphire rainbow”. A rainbow history Though the Daytona “Rainbow” is perhaps the most famous gem-set Rolex model today, it took a while to catch on when it was introduced. It debuted as a regular production model in 2012 with the Daytona ref. 116598RBOW in yellow gold and ref. 116599RBOW in white gold. The Daytona ref. 116599RBOW in white gold At launch the Daytona “Rainbow” was not the object of frenzied desire as it is now, but by 2018 it was sought after. And that year Rolex debuted the Daytona ref. 116595RBOW in Everose gold that boasted the upgrade of baguette-cut rainbow indices. The facelift was also applied to the yellow and white gold versions, both of which now sport baguette-cut rainbow indices as well. As with the first generation model, variants with gem-set dials and bracelets also exist. The Day...
SJX Watches
Auction News: The Original Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” Ref. 16599 Emerges at Phillips
A watch known to insiders but largely unknown, the original Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” came long before the modern-day version that arrived at Baselworld 2012. It was a ref. 16599 equipped with the cal. 4030 based on the Zenith El Primero that was produced sometime in the 1990s. Now the one-off “Zenith Rainbow” is going under the hammer at Phillips come November when the auction house stages Reloaded, a thematic sale dedicated to watches made between 1980 and 1999. Having been owned by a well-known collector for several years – the same gentleman sold another record-setting Rolex at Phillips several years ago – this ref. 16599 has a bezel set with sapphires in a rainbow graduated due, along with a diamond pave dial with blue sapphire hour markers. I happened to meet the prior owner of this watch and he related the story of how he came to possess the watch. Knowing that backstory, the lavish stone setting and almost-bespoke nature of the watch certainly makes sense. Today’s Rainbow in Everose, the descendent of the ref. 16599 Estimated at over CHF3 million, the Daytona “Rainbow” will be sold on November 8, 2024 in Geneva at the Hotel President during Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999. The auction catalogue will be available closer to the date of sale.
Hodinkee
A Week On The Wrist: The Rolex Daytona Le Mans Ref. 126529LN
An owner's review of the end-all Rolex Daytona.
Time+Tide
Rare Asprey Rolex Daytona and more up for grabs now at Sotheby’s Fine Watches online auction
From a purple Daytona to an Advanced Research Patek Philippe - Zach brings you the inside scoop.The post Rare Asprey Rolex Daytona and more up for grabs now at Sotheby’s Fine Watches online auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Daytona: A Comprehensive Guide to the Iconic Racing Chronograph
The Rolex Daytona is today one of the most coveted and collectible luxury watches in the world, and indisputably a legend among racing-inspired chronograph wristwatches. But it was far from an overnight success. Read on to discover how the Rolex Daytona went from languishing on retailers’ shelves in the early 1960s to inspiring years-long waiting lists and stratospheric auction prices in the 21st Century, and how some racetrack cred and Hollywood star power lent a hand along the way. Since its founding in 1905, Rolex has grown to become the world’s undisputed king of luxury sport watches and one of the most influential innovators in watchmaking history. Rolex inventions like the waterproof Oyster case, the self-winding Perpetual movement, and the user-friendly magnifying Cyclops lens have had widespread influence in the watch industry, and iconic watch models like the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master have become the standards against which others in their category are measured. All that said, Rolex was relatively late to the game when it comes to one of the most popular sport-watch fields: the chronograph. By the early 1950s, the decade in which all three of the aforementioned Rolex models debuted, competitors like Breitling, Longines, and Heuer (today’s TAG Heuer), all of whom had established themselves as specialists in chronographs since before the 20th Century, were dominant in the space. Rolex had dabbled with chronograph models intermittently since 1937, b...
Video
The 2026 ROLEX TEASER is live and what it means
The Rolex teaser for 2026 is out - here's what you see and what it means!
Time+Tide
Ed Sheeran hands out free pizzas while wearing a six-figure “Paul Newman” Rolex Daytona ref. 6263
If you’re a budding watch-spotter, Ed Sheeran is the gift that just keeps on giving. Highlights in his watch box include the Patek Philippe Ref.1518 – the first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph in the world of which just 281 were produced – and the Patek Philippe Ref.5208P-001, a platinum-cased grand complication that is valued north of … ContinuedThe post Ed Sheeran hands out free pizzas while wearing a six-figure “Paul Newman” Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Unusual Rolex Daytona Cosmograph 116520
A showcase of an unusual Rolex Daytona Cosmograph 11650 equipped with an after market sapphire caseback to show off the C.4130 inhouse chronograph.
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Five-Digit "Inverted Six" Rolex Daytona, A Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir, A Omega Chronographe de Ville Sport, And More
All that and more in this week's edition of Hodinkee's What's Selling Where column.
Hodinkee
Hands-On: Comparing The New Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Black & White Ref. 310.30.42.50.01.004 With The Rolex Daytona Ref. 126500LN
From case to bracelet and everything in-between, we go into the nitty-gritty on two of the best sporty chronographs between $10,000 and $20,000 dollars
Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Rolex Daytona Ref. 126508 "John Mayer 2.0"
The new model is starting to be delivered, and it's more than just another kind of green dial. We go in-depth to compare old vs. new.
Video
I Sold Out to Rolex.
For many years, I have brought up the debate between Rolex watches vs other luxury watch alternatives such as Omega. Today, this watch collector discussion still lives on, though perhaps it is time to consider trying...
Hodinkee
In-Depth: Collecting The Rolex Daytona Oyster Paul Newman Panda Dial
A data-driven deep dive into the most collectible Rolex ever made.
![Auctions: Three Seriously Collectable Watches Are Coming To Auction For The First Time [Rolex Daytona 'Le Mans', Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans, And A Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing]](https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/5098071b-e047-4224-baf3-09dd9b11dece/rolex-lemans-daytona-hero.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&fm=jpg&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&w=1200&h=630&fit=crop)
Hodinkee
Auctions: Three Seriously Collectable Watches Are Coming To Auction For The First Time [Rolex Daytona 'Le Mans', Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans, And A Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing]
A duo of upcoming sales sets the stage for a trio of decidedly modern, in-demand models that collectors will be sure to follow.
Hodinkee
Introducing: Eight New Rolex Daytona Dials, Including One In Turquoise Blue And Black
A few solid releases for the precious-metal Daytona lovers out there including the return of an out-of-this-world material.
Hodinkee
Just Because: The Rolex Daytona Le Mans In White Gold And Yellow Gold, Together
After nearly a year of waiting, we've got a closer look at the yellow gold Le Mans. But why choose between the two metals? We've got both of Rolex's hottest releases in recent memory.
Quill & Pad
Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec GMT Chronograph Featuring the Combined Functionality of both the Rolex Daytona & GMT in a Single Chronograph
Quentin R. Bufogle loves being wrong. Especially about watches.He loves it when his snobbery, short-sightedness and completely unsupported preconceived notions are suddenly imploded by a brand or a particular piece he only thought he knew. As was the case with the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec GMT Chronograph.
Video
This is a Pepsi Review. (The Rolex, not the drink)
Thinking about getting a Pepsi? Here's all you need to know about one of Rolex's biggest Icons in the upcoming year of 2026 - how it wears, the hard facts, what it's actually good for and most importantly : PRICES.
Hodinkee
Pre-Owned Picks: A Zenith-Era Rolex Daytona, A 1957 Trilogy Speedmaster, And A Distinctive Take On A Perpetual Calendar From Patek Philippe
Plus a pair of fun and functional chronographs from IWC and Tudor.
Hodinkee
Pre-Owned Picks: A Black Dial, Pre-Ceramic Rolex Daytona, A Neo-Vintage Patek Philippe Aquanaut, And A 'Casino Dial' Omega Speedmaster
Plus a 39mm IWC Mark XVI, and a titanium Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
Hodinkee
Pre-Owned Picks: A Tahitian Dial Rolex Daytona, A Hard-To-Find Omega CK 859, And The Always Stunning Vacheron Constantin Overseas Blue Dial
Plus, a PanoMaticLunar from Glashütte Original and the oddball charm of the Tudor Iconaut.
Hodinkee
Watch Spotting: Tom Brady Returns To New England Wearing A Gold Rolex Daytona 'John Player Special'
Football is back, and Brady kicks off the season with an absolutely classic vintage Daytona.
Quill & Pad
Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec GMT Chronograph: It Features the Combined Functionality of the Rolex Daytona & GMT in a Single Chronograph
Quentin R. Bufogle loves being wrong. Especially about watches.He loves it when his snobbery, short-sightedness and completely unsupported preconceived notions are suddenly imploded by a brand or a particular piece he only thought he knew. As was the case with the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec GMT Chronograph.
Video
Why the Rolex Submariner doesn't mean what it used to
The Rolex Submariner has been dissected, debated, and celebrated more than any other. I want to look at it as an icon in 2025: How it has held up in an era when smartwatches dominate wrists, independents push the limi...