Of all the sporting challenges that require endurance, resilience and good timing, few come close to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary.
It’s a fitting race for Rolex to have partnered with: the Swiss watch powerhouse has been its official timekeeper – and provided its official timepiece – since 2001.
So, when the 100th edition came around, Rolex decided to drop a surprise release – a new Daytona to honour the occasion.
It’s already a big year for the Daytona, which hit its own milestone in 2023 – the big 60. This iconic watch has already been given the ‘evolution’ treatment with the new calibre 4131 and a selection of new releases at this year’s Watches & Wonders. But this new Le Mans version is extra special.
For starters, the new Daytona ref. 126529LN is made from white gold. It also has a modified movement – calibre 4132 – which allows the hours of the chronograph function to be counted over 24 hours instead of the model’s usual twelve.
The now familiar Cerachrom bezel in black ceramic has been given a subtle tweak, too: on the tachymetric scale, the number ‘100’ is highlighted in race-car red – a final salute to Le Mans.
There’s more than a passing resemblance to Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 “Big Red”, which was sold at auction by Phillips for $5.475m.
When it comes to this latest release, what’s really got our motor running is that it isn’t a limited edition – it’s made it into the permanent Daytona line-up. When it comes to actually laying your hands on one…? Godspeed!
£43,300, available from 1 July. See more at rolex.com
