Product Description
This Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116515 is as gorgeous a swirl of uncompromising eccentricity and panache as the ivory-dialed version of the same watch is conservative and elegant, and they caught everyone by surprise at the 2011 Baselworld Fair. These are the first Daytonas to sport Rolex's patented Cerachrom ceramic bezels and each is a head turner in its own way. Both are 18 carat Everose - Rolex's patented pink gold alloy - 40mm Daytonas but what makes these so marvelous is the dial to bezel contrast. The glossy black bezel with Everose tachymeter numerals set against a light sunburst patterned chocolate brown dial is out of this world. With gilt (gold) lettering, those eye catching center-angled glossy black Arabic numerals and the ever present "Daytona" in red at the 6 this 116515 is anything but bashful. The 116515s came on factory correct alligator straps, which set them further afield from earlier Daytonas - change was in the air. This is a swashbuckling timepiece with serious technology. Like all modern Daytonas this 116515 is outfitted with the august caliber 4130 - an in-house, automatic, chronometer-rated, column-wheel chronograph movement - and Rolex's patented screw-down, Triplock crown making it as technically sound as it is aesthetically beautiful. The hands are Everose and filled with Chromalight lume as are miniature eccentric hour markers at 3, 6 and 9. The Everose seconds hand has been trimmed glossy black and is tipped with a small arrowhead reminiscent of every Daytona before it. This 116515 is avant garde but the black bezel moves it a little toward vintage-inspired territory as does a small design element that's common to all Daytona Cosmographs: sub dials that in some way contrast the dial. In this case the Everose numeral track is "snailed" with engraved concentric circles and both the inside and outside edges are defined by Everose gold rings. In 1963 when the Cosmograph was brand new this might have seemed an odd design flourish but it was more utilitarian than fashionable. The Cosmograph was purposely designed for professional racing drivers to wear on-track to calculate speed and time laps during a race so at a glance contrasting dials were easier to read. Originally known only as the Cosmograph, the "Daytona" moniker found it's way to the dial in 1964 during the third year of Rolex's sponsorship of what is now known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance race. If ever there was a sartorially-minded tool watch the Daytona is it and this 116515 is a beautiful example of Rolex's range - no one is doing anything like this. This watch and the ivory-dialed version are such individual pieces they should be appreciated as the start of what we consider today's modern Daytonas. This is the watch you buy because you're a bon vivant, a character, an independent. True nonchalance is putting on a luxury watch every day and going about your business never thinking twice about whether it's keeping good time or whether it's appropriate with your manner of dress - it's just part of you, it's your constant companion. This 116515 favors the bold. A Rolex is always a good idea.
