|description=Rolex Daytona 116515LN: the first ceramic-bezel Daytona, launched 2011 in Everose gold with black Cerachrom and leather strap; transitioned to Oysterflex in 2017. Caliber 4130, 40mm Everose case, dial branches across chocolate, black, ivory, sundust, and meteorite.
|description=The Everose-gold Daytona with a black Cerachrom bezel and caliber 4130. Launched on leather in 2011, it gained an Oysterflex option in 2017.
The 116515LN is the first Cerachrom-bezel Daytona in any case material. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2011 in Everose gold on a leather strap with an Everose Oysterlock fold-over clasp — five years before the steel 116500LN brought ceramic to the entry-level Daytona. The black Cerachrom monobloc tachymeter bezel that defines every modern ceramic Daytona made its debut here, on the warm pink case Rolex had introduced three years earlier on the engraved-bezel 116505. The reference number unifies the production: the <code>LN</code> suffix (lunette noire — black bezel) marks the Cerachrom version against the engraved-Everose 116505 it ran alongside.
In 2017 Rolex moved the 116515LN from leather to Oysterflex without changing the reference number — making the 116515LN the first Daytona on Oysterflex, two years after the strap debuted on the Yacht-Master 116655 in 2015. Both strap eras share the same case, movement, and bezel; the watch is the same reference across thirteen continuous years of production, and the strap configuration is the practical generation marker. Caliber 4130 sits inside the entire run, the same first-in-house Rolex chronograph that has powered every modern Daytona since 2000.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 116515LN hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Daytona 116515LN in Everose gold with chocolate dial, black Cerachrom bezel, and leather strap|Bonhams Fine Watches, London, lot 20, circa 2015; image via EveryWatch]]
</div>
[[File:Ref 116515LN hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Daytona 116515LN Everose with Cerachrom bezel|116515LN in Everose gold with black Cerachrom monobloc bezel and Oysterflex strap]]
The 116515LN is an Everose-gold Cosmograph Daytona with a black Cerachrom tachymeter bezel and caliber 4130. Rolex listed the reference in its 2011 catalogue on a leather strap. In 2017, it added an Oysterflex version under the same reference number. Rolex introduced the successor, 126515LN, with caliber 4131 in 2023. The public record does not establish the exact last production date for the 116515LN.
==Core facts==
==Core facts==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! detail !! value
! Detail !! Specification
|-
|-
| reference || 116515LN
| Reference || 116515LN
|-
|-
| family || Daytona (Cosmograph, automatic)
| Family || Cosmograph Daytona
|-
|-
| production || 2011–2023
| Production || Introduced in 2011; superseded in the catalogue by 126515LN in 2023. Exact end date not published.
|-
|-
| case || 40mm, 18k Everose gold
| Case || 40 mm, 18 ct Everose gold
|-
|-
| crystal || flat sapphire, no Cyclops
| Bezel || Black monobloc Cerachrom with tachymetric scale
|-
|-
| bezel || Cerachrom monobloc black ceramic, tachymeter; Everose-PVD-filled numerals
| Crystal || Sapphire
|-
|-
| crown || Triplock screw-down, Everose gold
| Crown || Screw-down Triplock
|-
|-
| movement || Rolex caliber 4130, in-house, COSC
| Movement || Rolex caliber 4130, automatic chronograph
|-
|-
| frequency || 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
| Frequency || 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
|-
|-
| power reserve || 72 hours
| Jewels || 44
|-
|-
| jewels || 44
| Power reserve || Approximately 72 hours
|-
|-
| water resistance || 100m / 330ft
| Water resistance || 100 m / 330 ft
|-
|-
| strap (2011–2017) || black leather with 18k Everose Oysterlock fold-over clasp
| Straps || Leather at launch; Oysterflex added in 2017
The 116515LN is the gateway reference for the entire ceramic Daytona programme. When Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2011, the modern Daytona case had been running on metal-engraved tachymeter bezels since 2000 across steel, yellow gold, white gold, Rolesor, and Everose. Cerachrom — the scratch-resistant ceramic insert Rolex had been developing on Submariner and GMT bezels since the late 2000s — moved onto the Daytona for the first time on the Everose ref. The configuration is reading clearly: same 40mm case Rolex had cast in Everose since 2008, same cal 4130, same Oysterlock clasp architecture; new ceramic bezel; new strap.
The 116515LN brought a black ceramic tachymeter bezel to the Everose Daytona. It shared the 40 mm case and caliber 4130 with the engraved-bezel 116505, but used Cerachrom instead of an Everose bezel. The 2011 Rolex catalogue identifies the 116515LN-0004 as an Everose Daytona with a black Cerachrom bezel.
The 2011 launch sat alongside two parallel ceramic-bezel gold Daytonas — the 116518LN in yellow gold and 116519LN in white gold, both also on leather straps with matching gold Oysterlock clasps. The 116515LN is the first to launch among the three in catalogue order and the lead reference of the ceramic Daytona generation. The five-year window before the steel 116500LN arrived in 2016 belonged to the gold ceramic refs alone.
The 2017 Oysterflex rollout reset the practical wearability profile. Rolex had introduced Oysterflex on the Yacht-Master 116655 in 2015 — a hypoallergenic elastomer overmoulded around a titanium-nickel alloy blade with a longitudinal cushion system inside the strap. The 2017 Baselworld release moved Oysterflex onto the 116515LN, 116518LN, and 116519LN simultaneously, replacing the leather configuration without changing the reference numbers. The Daytona is the second Rolex line to receive Oysterflex; the 116515LN is the first Daytona to wear it.
At launch, the 116515LN was offered on leather. Rolex added Oysterflex to the Everose, yellow-gold, and white-gold ceramic-bezel Daytonas in 2017. The case material and bezel color distinguish the 116515LN from its 116518LN and 116519LN siblings.
The 2023 [[Reference:126515LN|126515LN]] cal 4131 successor took over the ceramic-Everose Daytona slot at Watches & Wonders Geneva, alongside the parallel 126500LN steel transition. The 126515LN inherited the same Cerachrom-Everose-Oysterflex configuration and the same 40mm case footprint with a slightly thinner profile. The 116515LN is the discontinued cal 4130 generation of the ceramic-Everose Daytona; the 126515LN is the current cal 4131 generation.
In 2023 Rolex introduced the 126515LN with caliber 4131. It retained the Everose case, black Cerachrom bezel, and Oysterflex configuration. That catalogue change identifies the successor generation; it does not give a precise final production date for the 116515LN.
==Production outline==
==Production outline==
Production runs Baselworld 2011 to 2023 on a single reference number. The 2017 strap transition is the practical generation marker within the run, and the 2023 126515LN transition closes the cal. 4130 116515LN generation.
Rolex’s archived 2011 listing records the 116515LN-0004 with a black Cerachrom bezel. Contemporary 2011 model coverage and the catalogue record place the reference’s introduction in that year. The documented launch configuration used a leather strap and an Everose-gold folding clasp.
The 2011 launch configuration is the leather strap. Black alligator-leather strap with stitched edges and an 18k Everose Oysterlock fold-over clasp, the same clasp architecture Rolex used on the leather-strap 116519 white-gold Daytona. The leather configuration ran from launch through early 2017. WatchBase catalogues the suffix codes that map this period: -0004 chocolate / leather, -0009 sundust pink / leather, plus the standard ivory and black-dial leather variants. The leather era is roughly six years of production.
At Baselworld in 2017, Rolex presented the 116515LN on Oysterflex. The reference number remained unchanged. Later auction catalogues document both leather and Oysterflex examples, but a watch’s strap or warranty date does not by itself establish the production span of every dial configuration.
The 2017 Baselworld release moved the reference to Oysterflex without changing the reference number. Rolex described the change as the same Daytona on a sportier strap; the case, movement, dial, and bezel carry over. The Oysterflex era is the longer of the two, running 2017 through 2024 and counting at the time of writing.
Rolex showed the 126515LN successor in 2023. Auction records also document a 116515LN with a 2023-dated guarantee. These records bracket the changeover, but do not establish the last day or month of production. Serial numbers do not provide a public, precise year-by-year production chart.
Within the production run, dial-printing variations track the broader cal 4130 generation. The early-leather production carries the same dial print as the parallel 116505 from the same era; mid-production examples show subtle dial-text spacing shifts and the occasional kerning change that defines a portion of the modern Daytona generation. None of these is a Rolex-announced change, and none maps to a clean serial cutoff.
Meteorite, the slate-grey Gibeon-meteorite mineral dial Rolex had used on Day-Date and earlier Daytona references, joined the 116515LN catalogue in 2021 — late in the run, alongside the parallel meteorite rollout on the 116505, 116508, 116509, 116518LN, and 116519LN. The variant ran for two-plus production years before the cal 4131 transition reset the meteorite-dial programme on the 126515LN.
Every 116515LN carries a random-alphanumeric serial; the reference launched in 2011, after Rolex had moved the entire catalogue to random alphanumerics in mid-2010. Lume across the run is Chromalight blue, consistent with the modern cal 4130 generation.
==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==
Caliber 4130 sits inside every 116515LN — the same first-in-house Rolex chronograph that launched on the 116520 in 2000. Vertical-clutch chronograph coupling (no judder on engagement, no amplitude loss when the chronograph runs, no backlash on the seconds hand), column-wheel start-stop-reset switching, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC certification, blue Parachrom hairspring. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement; the mainspring can be replaced without uncasing.
The 116515LN uses caliber 4130, Rolex’s automatic chronograph introduced in the Daytona line in 2000. It has a column wheel and vertical clutch, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and has a stated reserve of about 72 hours. Rolex’s published 4130 specifications give 44 jewels. The 72-hour figure is a nominal specification; reserve can vary with use and condition.
The 4130 uses 201 components, a low count for an automatic integrated chronograph. The quoted 72-hour reserve is the no-chronograph figure; with the chronograph running continuously, the practical reserve drops to about 65 hours.
The 4130 in the 116515LN runs the modern Superlative Chronometer −2/+2 specification across the production range. Rolex tightened the spec from the older COSC −4/+6 to the Superlative −2/+2 during the 116515LN's life, and current production carries the tighter rating.
The 2023 cal 4131 successor is the same architecture with the Chronergy escapement Rolex had rolled across the three-hand Sport lines through the 2010s. The efficiency gain is measured in real-world precision rather than power reserve, which stays at roughly 72 hours. The 126515LN inherits the cal 4131; the 116515LN runs the cal 4130 to the end.
The 2023 successor uses caliber 4131. That change marks the generation boundary; the 4131’s specification should not be applied to the 116515LN.
For the full caliber lineage and the architecture comparison with the predecessor cal 4030 Zenith-based chronograph, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].
For the movement family and its documented specifications, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130|caliber 4130 in the movement guide]].
==Dial map==
==Dial map==
The 116515LN dial catalogue is built around the same Everose case treatment that the engraved-bezel 116505 carries, with the black Cerachrom bezel acting as a constant against the warm pink case across every variant. The dial branches below are the configurations documented in catalogue text across the 2011–present production span.
Catalogue and auction records document the dial treatments below. They do not provide a complete factory list or chronology.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Variant !! Period !! Distinguishing features
! Dial || Evidence in the record
|-
| Chocolate || 2011–present || Warm dark-brown lacquer base; black sub-dial rings on the most-photographed chocolate-leather and chocolate-Oysterflex configurations; applied gold five-minute markers; reads as the signature 116515LN dial colour and the configuration most commonly used in Rolex's launch press imagery
|-
| Black || 2011–present || Black lacquer base with Everose-tone (pink) sub-dial rings; applied gold markers; red Daytona script above the six o'clock sub-register on standard production
|-
|-
| Ivory || 2011–present || Off-white cream lacquer base with three sub-dials in the same ivory tone; applied gold markers; runs the entire production span and pairs naturally with the warm Everose case
| Chocolate || Rolex listed chocolate for the launch-era 116515LN-0004; a Bonhams lot records a circa-2015 chocolate example on leather.
|-
|-
| Sundust (pink) || 2011–present || Soft pink-rose lacquer base; black or matching-tone sub-dials; reads as the "rose on rose" configuration that defines a portion of the production market and pairs with the Everose case more naturally than any other dial colour
| Sundust || Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2017 Oysterflex example with a sundust dial.
|-
|-
| Meteorite || 2021–2023 || Slate-grey Gibeon-meteorite mineral base showing the natural Widmanstätten crystal pattern; applied gold markers; short late-run 116515LN-0055 Oysterflex configuration within the final cal 4130 Daytona generation
| Black || Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2021 Oysterflex example with a black dial.
|-
|-
| Diamond-marker variants || 2011–present || Applied diamond hour markers on chocolate, black, ivory, sundust, or meteorite base; documented across the production run with no single sub-period anchor
| Meteorite || Christie’s catalogued a circa-2023 example with a meteorite dial and Oysterflex strap. Its lot essay dates the reference introduction to 2012; Rolex’s 2011 catalogue provides earlier evidence for the reference, though not for this dial.
|-
|-
| Baguette-marker variants || 2011–present || Baguette-cut diamond markers replacing the standard applied gold markers; appears on chocolate, sundust, and ivory bases in catalogue text
| Gem-set example || Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2020 pink-dial watch described as diamond-set. The listing does not specify which components carry diamonds.
|}
|}
The mother-of-pearl dials documented on the 116519 white-gold Daytona did not formally enter the 116515LN catalogue. Catalogue overlap between the gold Daytonas of the 4130 generation is broad but not total, and the 116515LN's dial branches are the ones above.
Auction descriptions use their own color terms, and some lot essays contain errors. A dial color or case number from one lot identifies that watch; it does not give the full production chronology.
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
The 116515LN case is 40mm in 18k Everose gold — the same nameplate dimension as the steel 116520, the yellow-gold 116528, and the engraved-Everose 116505. The case, lugs, screw-down pushers, and crown geometry carry over unchanged from the 116505 architecture; the only material difference between the 116505 and 116515LN cases is the bezel.
The case is 40 mm and made from Rolex’s 18 ct Everose gold. The black monobloc Cerachrom bezel carries a tachymetric scale. The bezel separates the 116515LN from the engraved-Everose 116505, although both references use an Everose case and caliber 4130.
The bezel is the headline of the reference. Cerachrom is Rolex's proprietary scratch-resistant high-tech ceramic insert, sintered as a monobloc piece with the tachymeter scale recessed into the surface and filled with Everose-tone PVD on the 116515LN (rather than the platinum-PVD treatment that fills the steel 116500LN bezel). The black colourway gives the reference its <code>LN</code> suffix — lunette noire — and matches the colour-coding system Rolex applies across the modern catalogue (LN black, LV green, BLNR Pepsi-blue-black, BLRO Pepsi-red-blue). On the 116515LN the Cerachrom bezel reads as a near-permanent finish: scratch-resistant, fade-resistant, and unaffected by UV exposure that gradually softened the engraved-Everose bezel surface on the parallel 116505 when worn through years of sun.
The watch has a sapphire crystal, screw-down chronograph pushers, and a screw-down Triplock crown. Rolex rates the model to 100 metres. The Daytona has no date display.
The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops; the running-seconds sub-dial sits at six o'clock; the Triplock crown handles 100m water resistance. Screw-down chronograph pushers sit on either side of the crown — they have to be unscrewed before the chronograph can be started, the cal 4130 generation's standing trade-off across every case material.
==Straps and clasp==
==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
===Leather===
The 116515LN strap programme is the practical generation marker for the reference. Two configurations span the production run: leather (2011–2017) and Oysterflex (2017–present). The reference number is identical across both eras; auction catalogue text and dealer listings call out the strap as a year marker rather than a reference distinction.
The 2011 catalogue configuration used a leather strap and an Everose-gold folding clasp. A later service replacement strap does not establish original delivery, so assess it separately from the watch head.
===Leather strap (2011–2017)===
===Oysterflex===
The launch configuration is a black calf-leather strap with stitched edges and an 18k Everose Oysterlock fold-over deployant clasp. The clasp blade carries the Rolex crown on the underside; the leather strap itself is interchangeable with Rolex's service stock and was sold separately as a service replacement during the leather era. WatchBase catalogues the leather-strap suffix codes through 2017, and the four core dial-on-leather configurations (chocolate, black, ivory, sundust) define the production market for the leather era.
Rolex added the Oysterflex option to the 116515LN in 2017. The strap uses flexible metal blades overmoulded with black elastomer and has cushions on its inner surfaces. Rolex describes Oysterflex as a bracelet and fits it with an Oysterlock clasp. A circa-2017 Sotheby’s example records a sundust dial, caliber 4130, and Oysterflex strap on the same watch.
===Oysterflex strap (2017–present)===
==Auction examples==
The 2017 Baselworld transition moved the 116515LN to Oysterflex, the patented elastomer-on-titanium-nickel-blade construction Rolex had introduced two years earlier on the Yacht-Master 116655. The Oysterflex strap is a high-performance black elastomer overmoulded around a flexible titanium-and-nickel alloy blade, with a longitudinal cushion system inside the strap that stabilises the watch on the wrist. The clasp stays Oysterlock — same 18k Everose deployant, same Rolex crown, same architecture as the leather era — and the strap attaches to the case via integrated lugs designed for the elastomer-blade construction.
These auction descriptions date individual watches; they do not establish factory-wide production ranges.
Fit is the collector caveat on the 116515LN Oysterflex. The 116515LN generation uses fixed-length Oysterflex halves and the clasp's Easylink gives only about 5mm of quick adjustment, so the correct strap-letter pairing matters more than it does on a metal Oyster bracelet. The later 126515LN improves this with a Glidelock-style adjustment range; that makes the clasp one of the practical tells between the cal. 4130 and cal. 4131 Everose ceramic Daytonas.
The Oysterflex 116515LN is the first Daytona Rolex made on Oysterflex. The strap had been on the Yacht-Master 116655 (Everose, 2015) and the 116659SA (white gold with diamonds, 2015) before the Daytona received it; the 2017 release also moved Oysterflex onto the 116518LN yellow-gold and 116519LN white-gold ceramic Daytonas in parallel.
The 116515LN never adopted a metal Oyster bracelet variant. The reference's two strap configurations are leather and Oysterflex; the engraved-bezel 116505 carries the metal Oyster bracelet across its run as the parallel material option for buyers who wanted Everose-on-Everose.
==Special branches==
The 116515LN is itself the special branch of the cal 4130 Daytona generation — the first Cerachrom Daytona, the first Oysterflex Daytona, the lead reference of the modern ceramic Daytona programme. Within the run, the headline variants are dial-driven rather than artifact-driven.
The meteorite-dial 116515LN is the most-collected late-run variant. Rolex introduced meteorite dials across the cal 4130 generation gold Daytonas in 2021 — 116505, 116508, 116509, 116515LN, 116518LN, 116519LN — and the variant ran for the final two years of the cal 4130 production before the cal 4131 transition. The Gibeon-meteorite mineral base shows the natural Widmanstätten crystal pattern; no two examples are identical. The variant carries a documented secondary-market premium over the lacquer-dial 116515LN.
For the 116515LN specifically, the meteorite configuration is best tracked as 116515LN-0055: Everose case, black Cerachrom bezel, Oysterflex, cal. 4130, and a meteorite dial. That sub-reference is a short late-run branch, documented from 2021 to 2023, not a full-span dial option. It should be separated from earlier lacquer and diamond-marker configurations when reading a full set or catalogue record.
The chocolate-dial-on-leather configuration is the reference's launch-press configuration and the most-photographed of the leather-era variants. Catalogue text from 2011–2017 leans heavily on chocolate-on-leather as the reference's signature image; the 2017 Oysterflex transition shifted the press imagery toward black-on-Oysterflex and sundust-on-Oysterflex.
==Historical market and auction record==
The 116515LN trades primarily through dealer and private channels rather than at major auction. Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips have catalogued individual 116515LN lots across the production span; the meteorite-dial and chocolate-dial leather-era examples carry the strongest bids at the major houses. The reference does not host the headline single-artifact records that anchor the vintage Daytona market; collected-on-material-and-movement-terms is the working frame.
Specific lot results vary year to year and are best read in current auction catalogues rather than fixed in a static article. The 2023 cal 4131 transition reset the secondary market — with the 126515LN absorbing demand at retail and the 116515LN positioning as the last cal-4130 ceramic-Everose Daytona, prices on full-set 116515LN examples (especially leather-era and meteorite-dial) have firmed in the years following the successor launch.
{| class="wikitable"
! Sale record !! What the catalogue documents
|-
| Sotheby’s, 2024, lot 2126 || Described as circa 2017; sundust dial, caliber 4130, 40 mm Everose case, and Oysterflex strap.
|-
| Sotheby’s, 2024, lot 215 || Described as circa 2021; black dial, caliber 4130, Everose case, and Oysterflex strap.
|-
| Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, 2024 || Described as circa 2020; pink dial and diamond-set case/watch. The catalogue does not say which components are set.
|-
| Bonhams, Fine Watches, London, lot 20 (2022) || Described as circa 2015; chocolate dial, caliber 4130, and leather strap. The listing is accessible through EveryWatch.
|-
| Christie’s, Important Watches, lot 6567928 || Described as circa 2023; meteorite dial, 40 mm case, Oysterflex strap, and a guarantee dated 2023. Its essay incorrectly says the reference was introduced in 2012; Rolex’s 2011 listing predates that claim.
* [[Reference:116518LN|116518LN]]: yellow-gold Daytona with Cerachrom bezel
* [[Reference:6238|Daytona 6238]] — the 'Pre-Daytona' Chronograph
* [[Reference:116519LN|116519LN]]: white-gold Daytona with Cerachrom bezel
* [[Reference:6239|Daytona 6239]] — First Cosmograph, Paul Newman Dials
* 126515LN: successor with caliber 4131
* [[Reference:6240|Daytona 6240]] — First Screw-Down-Pusher Daytona (1965–1969)
* [[Reference:6241|Daytona 6241]] — "John Player Special", 14k Gold (1966–1969)
See also the [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
See also [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]] and [[Reference:Movements|movement guide]].
==Sources==
== Sources ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111119221019/http://www.rolex.com/en/rolex-watches/cosmograph-daytona/cosmograph-daytona-40mm-everose-gold-m116515ln-0004 Rolex SA, "Cosmograph Daytona 40mm Everose gold M116515LN-0004, black monobloc Cerachrom bezel", Rolex, 2011-11-19]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170403093549/https://www.rolex.com/watches/baselworld/new-cosmograph-daytona/m116518ln-0040.html Rolex SA, "New Rolex Cosmograph Daytona — Baselworld 2017 (M116518LN-0040)", Rolex, 2017-04-03]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph", Monochrome, 2024-12-20]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 Paul Boutros, "In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)", Hodinkee, 2013-03]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ Ross Povey, "A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona", Revolution Watch, 2018-09-03]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/daytona/116515/watch-9044130 Bonhams; record mirrored by EveryWatch, "Bonhams Fine Watches, London, ref. 116515LN, lot 20", EveryWatch, 2022-06-12]
Bonhams Fine Watches, London, lot 20, circa 2015; image via EveryWatch
The 116515LN is an Everose-gold Cosmograph Daytona with a black Cerachrom tachymeter bezel and caliber 4130. Rolex listed the reference in its 2011 catalogue on a leather strap. In 2017, it added an Oysterflex version under the same reference number. Rolex introduced the successor, 126515LN, with caliber 4131 in 2023. The public record does not establish the exact last production date for the 116515LN.
Core facts
Detail
Specification
Reference
116515LN
Family
Cosmograph Daytona
Production
Introduced in 2011; superseded in the catalogue by 126515LN in 2023. Exact end date not published.
Case
40 mm, 18 ct Everose gold
Bezel
Black monobloc Cerachrom with tachymetric scale
Crystal
Sapphire
Crown
Screw-down Triplock
Movement
Rolex caliber 4130, automatic chronograph
Frequency
28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Jewels
44
Power reserve
Approximately 72 hours
Water resistance
100 m / 330 ft
Straps
Leather at launch; Oysterflex added in 2017
Successor
126515LN, caliber 4131
Where it sits in the line
The 116515LN brought a black ceramic tachymeter bezel to the Everose Daytona. It shared the 40 mm case and caliber 4130 with the engraved-bezel 116505, but used Cerachrom instead of an Everose bezel. The 2011 Rolex catalogue identifies the 116515LN-0004 as an Everose Daytona with a black Cerachrom bezel.
At launch, the 116515LN was offered on leather. Rolex added Oysterflex to the Everose, yellow-gold, and white-gold ceramic-bezel Daytonas in 2017. The case material and bezel color distinguish the 116515LN from its 116518LN and 116519LN siblings.
In 2023 Rolex introduced the 126515LN with caliber 4131. It retained the Everose case, black Cerachrom bezel, and Oysterflex configuration. That catalogue change identifies the successor generation; it does not give a precise final production date for the 116515LN.
Production outline
Rolex’s archived 2011 listing records the 116515LN-0004 with a black Cerachrom bezel. Contemporary 2011 model coverage and the catalogue record place the reference’s introduction in that year. The documented launch configuration used a leather strap and an Everose-gold folding clasp.
At Baselworld in 2017, Rolex presented the 116515LN on Oysterflex. The reference number remained unchanged. Later auction catalogues document both leather and Oysterflex examples, but a watch’s strap or warranty date does not by itself establish the production span of every dial configuration.
Rolex showed the 126515LN successor in 2023. Auction records also document a 116515LN with a 2023-dated guarantee. These records bracket the changeover, but do not establish the last day or month of production. Serial numbers do not provide a public, precise year-by-year production chart.
Movement notes
The 116515LN uses caliber 4130, Rolex’s automatic chronograph introduced in the Daytona line in 2000. It has a column wheel and vertical clutch, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and has a stated reserve of about 72 hours. Rolex’s published 4130 specifications give 44 jewels. The 72-hour figure is a nominal specification; reserve can vary with use and condition.
The 2023 successor uses caliber 4131. That change marks the generation boundary; the 4131’s specification should not be applied to the 116515LN.
Catalogue and auction records document the dial treatments below. They do not provide a complete factory list or chronology.
Dial
Evidence in the record
Chocolate
Rolex listed chocolate for the launch-era 116515LN-0004; a Bonhams lot records a circa-2015 chocolate example on leather.
Sundust
Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2017 Oysterflex example with a sundust dial.
Black
Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2021 Oysterflex example with a black dial.
Meteorite
Christie’s catalogued a circa-2023 example with a meteorite dial and Oysterflex strap. Its lot essay dates the reference introduction to 2012; Rolex’s 2011 catalogue provides earlier evidence for the reference, though not for this dial.
Gem-set example
Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2020 pink-dial watch described as diamond-set. The listing does not specify which components carry diamonds.
Auction descriptions use their own color terms, and some lot essays contain errors. A dial color or case number from one lot identifies that watch; it does not give the full production chronology.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The case is 40 mm and made from Rolex’s 18 ct Everose gold. The black monobloc Cerachrom bezel carries a tachymetric scale. The bezel separates the 116515LN from the engraved-Everose 116505, although both references use an Everose case and caliber 4130.
The watch has a sapphire crystal, screw-down chronograph pushers, and a screw-down Triplock crown. Rolex rates the model to 100 metres. The Daytona has no date display.
Straps and clasp
Leather
The 2011 catalogue configuration used a leather strap and an Everose-gold folding clasp. A later service replacement strap does not establish original delivery, so assess it separately from the watch head.
Oysterflex
Rolex added the Oysterflex option to the 116515LN in 2017. The strap uses flexible metal blades overmoulded with black elastomer and has cushions on its inner surfaces. Rolex describes Oysterflex as a bracelet and fits it with an Oysterlock clasp. A circa-2017 Sotheby’s example records a sundust dial, caliber 4130, and Oysterflex strap on the same watch.
Auction examples
These auction descriptions date individual watches; they do not establish factory-wide production ranges.
Sale record
What the catalogue documents
Sotheby’s, 2024, lot 2126
Described as circa 2017; sundust dial, caliber 4130, 40 mm Everose case, and Oysterflex strap.
Sotheby’s, 2024, lot 215
Described as circa 2021; black dial, caliber 4130, Everose case, and Oysterflex strap.
Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, 2024
Described as circa 2020; pink dial and diamond-set case/watch. The catalogue does not say which components are set.
Bonhams, Fine Watches, London, lot 20 (2022)
Described as circa 2015; chocolate dial, caliber 4130, and leather strap. The listing is accessible through EveryWatch.
Christie’s, Important Watches, lot 6567928
Described as circa 2023; meteorite dial, 40 mm case, Oysterflex strap, and a guarantee dated 2023. Its essay incorrectly says the reference was introduced in 2012; Rolex’s 2011 listing predates that claim.
