The Rolex Daytona has been the crown’s iconic chronograph since 1963 and this year it celebrates its 60th anniversary. For decades, everything has been said and written about this industry icon… until now.
For the first time in 20 years, the Cosmograph Daytona has undergone a major update. Case, dial, hands, movement: everything has changed… except for the design, little has changed. And just like the 2020 Submariner update, the devil is in the details, so let’s take a closer look at the star of the show, the classic Rolex Daytona 126500LN with its steel case and white dial.
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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Price
The new Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116500LN model is currently available on Amazon for $36,990, making it one of the best premium luxury watches to buy in 2025.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Review
Bezel
The most noticeable difference between the two models is the addition of a black ceramic “Cerachrom” bezel. This new and improved fixed bezel is highly scratch-resistant, corrosion-resistant and resistant to the discolouration effects of UV rays.
Compared to the polished stainless steel bezel of the previous model, the black bezel now gives the impression of a larger dial. A few changes have also been made to the bezel design.
That said, the font used for the engraved tachymeter scale is bolder and easier to read, and is filled with platinum PVD fill. Another slight difference on the bezel is the use of triangles instead of dots beneath the tachymeter numbers.
The tachymeter numbers now rotate around the bezel, rather than being displayed horizontally as on previous models. A lot of thought went into the redesign of the bezel, and it has been well-received by Rolex Daytona fans around the world.
Case
The 40mm x 12.4mm thick Oyster case is made from Rolex’s corrosion-resistant superalloy known as 904L steel, which is known to retain its shine longer than standard stainless steel.
904L steel is not necessarily the hardest steel alloy known to man, but it is more durable than other steels and is the perfect material for Rolex.
Other manufacturers are not prepared to use this more expensive type of steel and often produce their cases. Rolex has the advantage because they manufacture all of their components in-house.
The world’s first waterproof case, the Oyster case has become almost synonymous with the Rolex name. The patented “Oyster” case is one of the defining features of Rolex and has been around since its inception in 1926.
It features a screwed bezel, screwed case back, and screwed crown that screws down and locks the monobloc middle case. Using this “Triplock” locking system, the Daytona case is secured against water by a submarine hatch that has a water resistance rating of at least 100 m/300 ft.
This Oyster case is used on almost all non-chronograph Rolex sports models, but the Daytona features an additional screwed sleeve that protects the pushers for the stopwatch function.
The dial has not changed since the last model, so why bother? The Cosmograph Daytona Chronograph is probably the most recognizable chronograph dial, so there was no room for improvement in dial design.
Everything from the polished steel hour markers and luminous fill to the scales has remained intact. The easy-to-read Chromalight display uses a long-lasting luminescent material that glows in the dark in a bright blue hue.
As with all Rolex Daytona chronographs, the word DAYTONA is printed in red and surrounds the top of the small running seconds at 6 o’clock.
Subdials
Aesthetically, everything remains the same as in the previous model, with regard to the silver-rimmed sub-registers on the dial. The lower central sub-dial at 6 o’clock is a small running seconds sub-dial.
The sub-registers to the right and left of this sub-dial at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock are used for the chronograph.
Movement
Rolex powers the Daytona watch with its own caliber 4130 self-winding movement, which features a self-resistant blue ‘Parachrom‘ hairspring and a stop-second for precise time setting.
The caliber 4130 is an automatic chronograph movement that uses kinetic energy from the rotor to tighten the mainspring, thereby maintaining its own winding. If you move the hands enough throughout the day, the winding will be maintained.
If you don’t move it much throughout the day, you can manually tighten the spring using the winding crown. When fully wound, the power reserve should allow the watch to run for around 72 hours, or 66 hours with the chronograph function in operation.
Caliber 4130 is also a COSC-certified movement, which means it has received the prestigious Chronometer designation, which demonstrates reliability and high precision with a maximum deviation of -4/+6 seconds per day.
Once the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute issues the COSC certificate to a caliber, the caliber essentially receives the Chronometer designation and is then sent back to Rolex for further testing.
Rolex then installs the COSC-certified Chronometer movement into the watch case and performs further tests until the caliber receives its new in-house designation, Superlative Chronometer.
This is issued by Rolex when the caliber achieves an accuracy of -2/+2 seconds per day, which is at least twice as accurate as a COSC chronometer!
Chronograph
The chronograph function provides an additional function to the watch and is essentially a stopwatch, allowing the driver to measure lap times with an accuracy of up to 1/8th of a second.
The mechanical chronograph complication used in the Cosmograph Daytona is designed to have fewer parts than a standard chronograph, making it a more reliable stopwatch. It is a column wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch mechanism that makes the start/stop and reset movements smoother than the CAM mechanism.
The large central seconds hand of the chronograph sweeps the dial very smoothly, as Rolex is famous for its perpetual motion. The subdial at 3 o’clock on the right side of the dial is a 30-minute counter, while the 9 o’clock position on the dial is a 12-hour counter.
These three hands are smoothly operated via the chronograph pushers, which are buttons above and below the winding crown on the right side of the case.
Bracelet and Clasp
The Rolex Oyster bracelet is made of three-piece Oystersteel links. The two outer links are brushed and the central link has a beautiful polished finish.
The links at each end of the bracelet are connected to the polished lugs of the case, so that when viewed, the finish alternates from polished to brushed and back to polished on the central link.
The Oysterlock double-lock folding clasp is equipped with Rolex’s patented Easylink5mm expansion links, which allow for quick and precise adjustments of the bracelet size in 5mm increments.
This is a very convenient feature that can be adjusted without any special tools. This feature is designed to allow the watch to compensate for the natural expansion and contraction of the wrist as temperature and humidity change.
Conclusion
The biggest lesson I learned from owning the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116500LN watch is that the actual watch scores very highly in almost every way.
As I mentioned, it is by no means a perfect watch. However, as Rolex designed it, it is far from perfect as an everyday dateless chronograph on a bracelet from one of the strongest brands in the industry. I have worn this watch a lot and will continue to wear it, and I anticipate it will become a cornerstone of my watch collection.