Rolex 116509 Daytona

Daytona › 116509

Rolex Daytona reference 116509 in white gold with a black dial and matching Oyster bracelet

The 116509 is a 40 mm Daytona in 18 ct white gold, with a matching Oyster bracelet and an engraved white-gold tachymetric bezel. It uses Calibre 4130. Christie's dates its introduction to 2004. Rolex introduced the successor 126509 with Calibre 4131 in 2023. Auction catalogues document several dial configurations, but they do not provide a complete factory dial list.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	116509
family	Cosmograph Daytona
production	introduced 2004; succeeded in 2023
case	40 mm, 18 ct white gold
crystal	sapphire; no date magnifier
bezel	fixed, engraved tachymetric scale in 18 ct white gold
crown	screw-down Triplock
movement	automatic Calibre 4130, chronometer-certified
frequency	28,800 vph (4 Hz)
power reserve	approximately 72 hours
jewels	44
water resistance	100 m / 330 ft
bracelet	18 ct white-gold Oyster; references 78499 and 78599 are documented
clasp	Oysterlock; Easylink depends on bracelet version
serials	letter prefixes followed by randomized alphanumeric serials around 2010; see Reference:Serial-numbers
predecessor	16519, white gold on leather with Calibre 4030
successor	126509, Calibre 4131
related references	116520 steel; 116523 Rolesor; 116519 white gold on leather

Where it sits in the line

Rolex introduced the first automatic Daytona with its own Calibre 4130 in 2000. The launch line included steel and gold versions; the white-gold 116519 used a leather strap. Christie's dates the 116509 to 2004 and identifies it as the first Daytona offered with a white-gold Oyster bracelet. Its earlier white-gold predecessor, the 16519, used Zenith-derived Calibre 4030 and a leather strap. The 116509 therefore belongs to the in-house 4130 generation, not the earlier Zenith run.

The later 116519LN added a Cerachrom bezel and Oysterflex bracelet to the white-gold Daytona line in 2017. The 116509 retained its engraved gold bezel and metal bracelet. In 2023, Rolex replaced the 4130 generation with Calibre 4131; the current white-gold bracelet model is reference 126509.

Production outline

Auction records place the 116509 in production from 2004. Rolex introduced the 126509 and Calibre 4131 in 2023, which gives a reasonable endpoint for the 116509 run. The sources here do not establish exact serial cutoffs for either year. Rolex's randomized serials began around 2010, during the final letter-prefix period; after that change, a case serial does not provide a public production-year chart. A dated guarantee can anchor an individual watch more closely.

The APH spacing error in “COSMOGRAPH” is documented on some 116520 dials by Phillips. Bonhams catalogued one 116509 with the same spacing: a sodalite dial with diamond-set indexes, circa 2011. That lot extends the documented examples to white gold; it does not establish an APH production range for the 116509.

Movement notes

Calibre 4130 is a self-winding chronograph with a column wheel and vertical clutch. Rolex's technical account says the movement reduced the chronograph mechanism's component count by 60 per cent compared with its predecessor. It also combined the hour and minute counter mechanisms in one module on one side of the movement, leaving room for a larger mainspring and a power reserve of about 72 hours. Auction catalogues identify Calibre 4130 with 44 jewels; the movement reference page records a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.

Rolex introduced a Parachrom hairspring with Calibre 4130 in 2000. The alloy was not blue at first: Rolex says it began applying the blue surface treatment in 2005. That distinction matters when comparing early 4130 examples with later movements. The 4130 remained in the Daytona line until Rolex introduced Calibre 4131 in 2023. See Calibre 4130 for the broader technical comparison.

Dial map

The examples below are identified in auction catalogues. Their guarantee dates and catalogue descriptions document individual watches; they do not establish the start or end of a dial option. The auction houses also differ in how they describe dial colors and materials. For example, Christie's suggested that the yellow mother-of-pearl dial on one circa-2004 watch may have been mounted at an owner's request.

Blue dial, circa 2005 example, Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 2019
Green chrysoprase dial, Christie's, New York, 2022
Turquoise dial with Roman numerals, Christie's, Dubai, 2023
Sodalite dial with diamond-set indexes and APH spacing, Bonhams, Hong Kong, 2026

documented dial	catalogue evidence and limits
Black	Christie's catalogued a black dial on a 2006-manufactured example in 2011 and another circa-2007 example in 2022. The examples have applied Arabic numerals and red details; the catalogues do not establish a single black-dial layout for the full run.
Blue	Antiquorum catalogued a circa-2005 example with its certificate of origin. Christie's later recorded a blue dial with a 2021 guarantee. These are dated examples, not a complete introduction-to-discontinuation range.
Meteorite	An Antiquorum lot had a warranty recording a July 2006 retail date. Bonhams also catalogued a meteorite-dial example purchased in 2013. The 2006 warranty establishes an early example, not the start of production.
Chrysoprase	Christie's catalogued one example with a 2006 guarantee and another with a 2016 guarantee. In the latter lot essay, Christie's said the dial may have been mounted at the owner's request; that example alone does not establish factory fitment.
Turquoise	Christie's catalogued a circa-2005 example with applied Roman numerals in 2023.
Sodalite	Bonhams catalogued a circa-2011 sodalite dial with diamond-set indexes and APH spacing in 2026. This is one documented example.
Silver racing	Bonhams catalogued a silver “race” dial on a circa-2006 example in 2023. The auction record establishes the described watch, not a production range.
Mother-of-pearl	Phillips catalogued a 2021 example with a Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial and diamond indexes. Christie's also catalogued a circa-2004 yellow mother-of-pearl dial and noted that it might have been owner-requested. Those records do not establish how many mother-of-pearl versions were factory options.

Meteorite examples

The two images show catalogued meteorite dials, not a complete visual record of the variant. The 2006 warranty date is the earliest delivery evidence among the cited lots.

Meteorite dial — Bonhams, London, 2020
Meteorite dial detail — Antiquorum, Geneva, 2022

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Christie's catalogues the case at 40 mm. It is made from 18 ct white gold, with a fixed bezel engraved with a tachymetric scale. The crystal is sapphire, and the date-free dial has no Cyclops magnifier. The screw-down Triplock crown and pushers are part of the case's 100 m water-resistance system. Unscrew the pushers before using the chronograph and screw them down again afterward.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

The reference was sold with a matching white-gold Oyster bracelet. Auction catalogues identify 78499 on several examples. A June 2012 Rolex price list specifies 78599 for the 116509 and also lists 78499 as a white-gold Oysterlock bracelet available for replacement; it describes 78599 as an Oysterlock with Easylink. The list documents both part numbers but does not give the original-production changeover. Check the bracelet and clasp on the individual watch rather than assigning a bracelet number from its case serial.

Rolex describes Easylink as a folding extension that adds about 5 mm. The clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head. The clasp-code chart and its limits are covered in Reference:Bracelets.

White-gold Oyster bracelet and engraved bezel on a Rolex Daytona 116509 — White-gold Oyster bracelet and engraved bezel

Auction record

These sales document individual watches and their reported results. They are not a price guide or a comparable market series. Christie's and Bonhams publish prices including buyer's premium; the Antiquorum figures below are the results published by the house.

auction	lot	sale date	catalogue description	result
Christie's, Important Watches, Hong Kong	2017	30 May 2011	Black dial; case Z821685, manufactured 2006	HKD 187,500
Antiquorum, Hong Kong	261	27 Oct 2019	Blue dial; case D944961, circa 2005; bracelet recorded as 78499	HKD 193,750
Bonhams, Fine Watches, New Bond Street	20	11 Dec 2020	Meteorite dial; purchased in 2013	GBP 31,500
Antiquorum, Geneva	313	6 Nov 2022	Brown meteorite dial; warranty records July 2006 retail	CHF 60,000
Christie's, Watches Online: The Dubai Edit	138	26 Oct 2022	Chrysoprase dial; 2016 guarantee	USD 126,000
Christie's, Important Watches, New York	59	8 Dec 2022	Chrysoprase dial; 2006 guarantee	USD 52,920
Bonhams, Luxury Online, Hong Kong	1066	Aug 2023	Silver racing dial; circa 2006	HKD 243,200
Christie's, Watches Online: The Dubai Edit	95	19 Oct 2023	Turquoise dial with Roman numerals; circa 2005	USD 107,100
Christie's, Watches Online: The New York Edit	204	14 Jun 2024	Blue dial; 2021 guarantee	USD 47,880
Bonhams, Luxury Online, Hong Kong	1034	Feb 2026	Sodalite dial, diamond indexes and APH spacing; circa 2011	HKD 537,400

Related references

Daytona 116520, steel, Calibre 4130
Daytona 116523, Rolesor, Calibre 4130
Daytona 116528, yellow gold, Calibre 4130
Daytona 116518, yellow gold on leather
Daytona 16519, white gold, Zenith-derived Calibre 4030, leather strap
Daytona 116519LN, white gold, Cerachrom bezel, Oysterflex
Daytona 116506, platinum, 50th-anniversary model

116509, black dial
Blue dial, circa 2005 example
Green chrysoprase dial
Turquoise dial with Roman numerals
Sodalite dial, diamond indexes and APH spacing
Meteorite dial
Meteorite dial detail
White-gold Oyster bracelet and engraved bezel

Sources