New watches 2024
Rolex Cosmograph DaytonaAn icon eternally revisited
Two new reinterpretations of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona achieve the perfect balance of precision and preciousness. In a subtle interplay of hues, they write another chapter in the legendary story of a model known for a wealth of variations.
The first version, fitted on an Oysterflex bracelet, features a dial in white mother-of-pearl with chronograph counters in black mother-of-pearl. The colour combination is reversed on the second watch, which has an Oyster bracelet and a black mother-of-pearl dial with white mother-of-pearl counters. This design called for the creation of a specific and technically demanding manufacturing process.
The Cosmograph Daytona is equipped with calibre 4131, entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex, which features bridges decorated with Rolex Côtes de Genève and a cut-out oscillating weight. Calibre 4131 enables the Cosmograph Daytona to measure intervals of time via the chronograph function, in addition to displaying the hours, minutes and seconds.
Launched in 1963, the Cosmograph Daytona was designed to meet the needs of professional racing drivers. This now legendary chronograph is the instrument of choice for measuring time intervals and determining average speeds. Over the course of its history, it has appeared in gem-set versions on which the emblematic tachymetric scale is replaced with diamonds or coloured precious stones.
A paragon of robustness and reliability, the 40 mm Oyster case of the Cosmograph Daytona is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet). The Triplock winding crown, fitted with a triple waterproofness system and protected by an integral crown guard, screws down securely against the case, along with the chronograph pushers. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire and benefits from an antireflective coating.
The Cosmograph Daytona is driven by calibre 4131, a chronograph movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Released in 2023, it was introduced on the model the same year and exclusively equips this watch. It incorporates a chronograph function with a reduced number of components, thereby also enhancing the movement’s reliability. It is engaged by a robust mechanism with a column wheel and vertical clutch, allowing an instantaneous and extremely precise start. Calibre 4131 demonstrates carefully finished aesthetics, notably on the bridges, which feature Rolex Côtes de Genève – a decoration that differs from traditional Côtes de Genève for the slight polished groove between each band.
The two new timepieces are fitted with a bracelet to match the colour of the counters: an Oysterflex bracelet for the watch with black counters and an Oyster bracelet for the version with white counters.
Developed by Rolex and patented, this innovative bracelet is made up of two flexible, curved metal blades – one for each of the sections – overmoulded with high-performance black elastomer.
The Oyster bracelet, developed at the end of the 1930s, is a three-piece link metal bracelet known for its robustness; it remains the most universal in the Oyster Perpetual collection.
Like all Rolex watches, the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona is covered by the Superlative Chronometer certification redefined by Rolex in 2015. This designation testifies that every watch leaving the brand’s workshops has successfully undergone a series of tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria, following the official certification of the movements by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).
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