The Cosmograph Daytona is an interesting phenomenon in the watch industry. Few timepieces have been designed to be so versatile and popular across a variety of styles, demographics, occasions, and even budgets. Not many people really use Rolex’s popular chronograph as a stopwatch anymore, but the dial-in-dial design of this classic sports watch has made it an icon of luxury and success for decades, and in 2021, Rolex returns to the classic luxury execution of the Daytona with the meteorite dial.
Meteorite dials are not new at Rolex or in the watch industry in general, but they seem to have a hard time losing their appeal. In my opinion, the reasons for this are twofold. First, the organic crystalline metallic aesthetic of meteorites is visually appealing and manly at the same time. Objects of rare or precious materials are a cornerstone of the luxury watch segment, and the idea of a watch dial made from a fallen space rock has a lot of intellectual and emotional appeal to many consumers.
Currently, Rolex only pairs meteorite dials with precious metal cases. Accordingly, both replica Rolex Daytona watches are gold, with reference number 116519LN in 18K white gold and reference number 116508 in 18K yellow gold. Although not pictured in this article, in 2021 Rolex also offers this model 116505 in 18k Everose gold with a “meteorite and black” dial.
Rolex continues to produce a 40mm wide case that is water-resistant to 100 meters and uses the classic style screw-down chronograph pushers along with the crown. Ironically, outside of modern materials and fads, the Daytona is very much a vintage chronograph in many ways. That is, some of its quirky vintage elements (like the pushers) are a core part of the design DNA that many consumers associate with the best replica watches line. In that sense, Rolex may very well want to update the Daytona in various ways, but the good business sense seems to dictate that Rolex shouldn’t undermine a successful formula too much.
Inside the Rolex Daytona is the aging Rolex Manufacture 4130 automatic chronograph movement. Like all other Rolex movements, the mechanism is a “Super Chronometer”, which means it is COSC chronometer-certified and undergoes additional precision and performance tests at Rolex.
Rolex’s all-gold Daytona watch costs even a bit more than the Rolex Day-Date “President” watch – probably because of its more complex movement. Still, in the scheme of gold watches, the Daytona is a “decent value” compared to many other offerings in the luxury watch market.