Rolex Daytona

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona – is a specific model of self-winding watch produced by Rolex, the renowned Swiss watch manufacturer.

It was created in 1961, inspired by racing car drivers and named after the iconic race held at Daytona Beach in Florida that Rolex sponsored. It was said to be the favourite watch of Paul Newman the legendary Hollywood actor and racing enthusiast. Bought for him by his wife, Nanette Newman, he is reputed to have worn it every day from 1972 to his death in 2008.

Originally one of the less expensive Rolex models they are now considered the ultimate Rolex collectible with the ‘holy grail’ models being the first series identified by their four digit serial numbers starting with ‘6’. The original series was manufactured from 1961 to 1987. A second series was made from 1988 to 2000 and due to overwhelming demand Rolex are now producing their third series. All three series are collectible, due mainly to the limited production runs of each series.

The Rolex company was founded in England in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, a German watchmaker, who had the idea of manufacturing a wristwatch that could replace the more traditional pocket watch, even though wristwatches were unfashionable at the time with the reputation of being inaccurate. However, Wilsdorf, with his business partner Alfred Davis, commissioned the finest Swiss watchmakers to develop both an accurate and beautiful watch. They managed to crack the problem of timekeeping perfection and were awarded the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision in 1910. The company moved to Switzerland in 1920 to be close the source of production.

There are different models of the Daytona including the stainless steel, two tone and gold models.