Latest news with #CosmographDaytona
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Rare Rolex Daytona Expected To Command Up To $1.6 Million At Auction
A unique Rolex Cosmograph Daytona will be one of the highlights of Sotheby's Important Watches auction in Geneva on May 11. The 1999 Cosmograph Daytona, Ref.16516, in platinum with a diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial has an estimate of $800,000 - $1.6 million. It is one of the rarest Rolex watches ever made, according to the auction house. It is a commissioned Rolex wristwatch, from a brand that famously doesn't do privately commissioned limited editions. This model is confirmed for the first time to be the last of four Daytonas commissioned to Rolex in a single order by the same private collector who requested anonymity and created between 1998 and 1999. It comes to auction for the first time. All four watches have the same reference number 16516, the last digit, '6,' refers to the use of platinum, a first for a Daytona, Sotheby's said. For more than a decade, the automatic Daytona was offered only in stainless steel, two-tone steel and gold, yellow gold and white gold. An exception was made in 1999 when one person was granted a Cosmograph Daytona rendered in platinum. The first time Rolex started producing platinum Daytonas in a series was in 2013, to mark the 15th anniversary of the model. 'This highlights the historical importance of this special commission created nearly 15 years earlier,' Sotheby's said in a statement. The existence of a platinum Zenith-powered Daytona was, for many years, a myth fueled by speculations that swirled around one name in particular: Patrick Heiniger, Rolex's CEO from 1992 to 2008. Heiniger is believed to have been seen wearing a platinum automatic Daytona before they were made in a series. Until Sotheby's unearthed the first known example in 2018, the story was widely considered as being apocryphal within the watch community. The four dials in the commission are all different, making each watch unique. This is the last of the four watches from the commission coming for the first time on the market. This makes it the last chance for a collector to be the first to acquire a piece of Rolex history, Sotheby's said. This Rolex Daytona, with a mother-of-pearl dial set with ten diamonds, was manufactured by Rolex in circa 1999 and comes with its certificate and accessories. The other three in the series featured a dark mother-of-pearl dial, a lapis lazuli dial and a turquoise dial. This example being the only one set with diamonds. All three were sold by Sotheby's way above their initial estimate in 2018, 2020 and 2021, with the lapis lazuli hardstone example achieving a world record price of $3.2 million at Sotheby's 2020 Hong Kong sale. 'A milestone in the history of the Cosmograph Daytona, its rarity, provenance and superlative craftsmanship make this 1999 Cosmograph Daytona, Ref.16516 with a diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial, one of the most important examples ever to be presented at auction. It is also an exceptional book ending to the sale of this extraordinary commission of four masterpieces, three of which have already found new homes through previous Sotheby's sales,' said Benoît Colson, head of Watches, Sotheby's Geneva.
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Behind the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller is 5 years of designing and engineering
It takes Rolex five to seven years to create a new watch model, I just learned. Advertisement It is March 24, and I am sitting in the Geneva headquarters of the watchmaker with the platinum version of its brand-new, not-yet-announced Rolex Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller in my hands. It is a fresh entry in a lineage that includes such legends as the Datejust , the GMT-Master II, the Submariner and the Cosmograph Daytona I was summoned to this top-secret meeting to discover the wonders of this new timepiece. A week later, the Land-Dweller will be introduced during the Watches and Wonders trade fair across town in the Swiss city, and within minutes of its debut, collectors and fans around the world will be dissecting it. A close-up of the Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 40. A totally new collection from Rolex is a rare thing. Advertisement
Bloomberg
31-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
How Rolex Makes a New Watch: The Story Behind the Land-Dweller
It takes Rolex five to seven years to create a new watch model, I just learned. It's March 24 and I'm sitting in the Geneva headquarters of the most important watchmaker in the world, with the platinum version of its brand-new, not-yet-announced Rolex Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller in my hands. It's a fresh entry in a lineage that includes such legends as the Datejust, the GMT-Master II, the Submariner and the Cosmograph Daytona. The Land-Dweller, which also comes in steel and rose gold, looks a bit like a Datejust—with a glittering fluted bezel, a cyclops bubble over the date window and a metal bracelet with a mix of link sizes and textures. Of course, on second glance, any aficionado will see there's a world of difference. More on that later.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kristi Noem took the $50K 'exotic sports car' of Rolex watches on her trip to a Salvadoran prison
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wore a $50,000 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona to a prison visit. Noem's watch choice sparked criticism about the Trump administration's populist image. Her Rolex is an "unmistakably high-end" model, often resold at higher prices, one watch expert said. On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sported a $50,000 Rolex to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. The glimmering watch, a Cosmograph Daytona, stood in stark contrast to the infamous prison where the Trump administration has deported and incarcerated hundreds of Venezuelan migrants it says are involved with the Tren de Aragua gang. Social commentators were quick to pick up on the juxtaposition. Lawyer Tristan Snell, argued that the optics of Noem's watch raise questions about the Trump administration's populist appeal. "Tell me again how these Trumpers are just regular folks rather than wealthy oligarchs looting and grifting America," Snell wrote on X. Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security Department's assistant secretary for public affairs, defended Noem's decision in a statement to Business Insider. "Governor Noem chose to use the proceeds from her New York Times best-selling books to purchase an item she could wear and one day pass down to her children," McLaughlin said. Noem, a Republican from South Dakota, previously served as the state's governor and in Congress before Trump tapped her to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Since taking office, Trump has followed through on his campaign promises to take a hard line on immigration. This month, he invoked a rare wartime right to deport more than 200 Venezuelan men to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, the same prison Noem visited on Wednesday. "If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face," Noem said in a video she posted to X on Wednesday. The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona retails for around $47,000, but its elusive status makes it more likely to be resold at a higher price. Noem's appears to be the 18-karat solid-gold version — one of the most sought-after pieces Rolex makes. "It's bold, flashy, and unmistakably high-end," Paul Altieri, the founder and CEO of the online watch marketplace Bob's Watches, said. "Within the Rolex family, the Daytona is like the exotic sports car — powerful, expensive, and built for those who want to stand out." Read the original article on Business Insider
