Why We Love It

In a world full of Rolex Daytonas, it takes something special to stand out.

Enter the Rolex Daytona "Beach".

It may bear more than a passing resemblance to the steel flagship of the Rolex fleet on the surface, but the Reference 116519 is so much more, and represents a whimsical and luxury-forward spin on the Daytona's classic formula. 

Featuring a solid 18k white gold case and an unbelievable turquoise dial manufactured in sodalite, a rare gemstone with a translucent hue and light glossy sheen, this model is a limited-production timepiece that pays homage to Rolex's earlier forays into exotic dial materials, most notably the "Stella" dial Day-Dates.

This particular example has been used gently, showing light signs of wear and use throughout but devoid of polishing. It comes fitted to its factory blue lizard strap, faded from the sun, with white gold deployant buckle. As a cherry on top, it even has its original factory caseback sticker intact!

No, the Rolex Daytona "Beach" won't be for everyone. That's kind of the point.

The Story

The Daytona is Rolex's only chronograph in current production.

Before the Cosmograph and Daytona models, Rolex had produced chronographs since the 1930s, setting the mold for what would ultimately become the single best-known chronograph in the world. These early watches, like many chronographs of the period, had monochromatic dials and a tachymeter ring printed on the outer edge of the dial. 

The design of the Cosmograph gradually changed, but the Oyster case remained at its heart. A change in dial configuration (mainly a shift from monochrome to the "panda" color schemes now closely associated with it) along with the removal of the tachymetric scale to the bezel made it a clear sportsman's watch. With the addition of the name Daytona in 1964 (taken from the 24 Hours of Daytona Race which Rolex started sponsoring in 1962), the motorsports association was cemented.

The result of years of R&D, the movement used in the Reference 116520--the Calibre 4130--was the manufacture's first new in-house caliber in five decades. The Calibre 4130's construction--consisting of a vertical clutch, a larger balance wheel, and fewer screws--made it far more accurate (and more easily-serviced) than any of Rolex's previous self-winding chronograph calibres.