Rolex Daytona 116515LN

A checked version of this page, approved on 29 September 2026, was based on this revision.

Daytona → 116515LN

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Production	Introduced in 2011; superseded in the catalogue by 126515LN in 2023.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.

For the movement family and its documented specifications, see caliber 4130 in the movement guide.

Dial map

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.

Related references

116505: Everose Daytona with engraved-metal bezel
116518LN: yellow-gold Daytona with Cerachrom bezel
116519LN: white-gold Daytona with Cerachrom bezel
126515LN: successor with caliber 4131

See also Daytona family index and movement guide.

Sources