Archive
Archive
Rolex
44 references catalogued, spanning production starts from 1963–2023.
Named for the Florida speedway, the Daytona spent its first two decades as a slow seller — steel manual-wind chronographs sat unsold in dealer cases through the 1960s and 70s. Then Paul Newman's association, and the 1988 switch to an automatic movement, inverted its position completely. It is now the hardest Rolex to buy at retail and the most valuable at auction.
6239 through 6265. Valjoux-based, tachymetre on the bezel. The exotic 'Paul Newman' dial appears across several of these references.
16520 and siblings. A heavily modified Zenith El Primero as calibre 4030 — the reference that created the waitlists.
116520 onward. Calibre 4130, vertical clutch, 72-hour reserve, fewer parts.
116500LN then 126500LN. Cerachrom bezel; the 2023 update brings calibre 4131.
References without production years are catalogued but do not yet carry a verified production record. Those fields are added as they are confirmed rather than estimated.