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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

From Rolexopedia


The Cosmograph Daytona is Rolex's chronograph family, introduced in 1963. The original manual-wind watches used Valjoux-based movements. Automatic winding arrived with the Zenith-derived caliber 4030 in 1988, followed by Rolex's own caliber 4130 in 2000.

The reference tables begin with the 6238 predecessor and run through the 4130 generation. Rolex introduced the redesigned 4131 generation in 2023. Earlier Oyster and non-Oyster chronographs are covered under pre-Daytona chronographs.

Vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona advertisement
Vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona advertisement

Common entry points

Manual-wind, black bezel
6263
Caliber 727, screw-down pushers and a black acrylic bezel insert. Dial variants include the large red Daytona signature known as Big Red.
Zenith automatic, steel
16520
Caliber 4030, sapphire crystal and an engraved steel bezel. The article compares dial printing and the brown subdial rings called Patrizzi.
Rolex automatic, steel bezel
116520
The 2000–2016 steel Daytona with caliber 4130. Running seconds moved to the subdial at 6 o'clock.

Manual-wind chronograph (1962–1988)

The 6238, now called the Pre-Daytona, has its tachymetric scale on the dial. The 6239 moved that scale to the bezel in 1963. Rolex added screw-down chronograph pushers with the 6240 in 1965; the 6241 combined a black acrylic bezel insert with the earlier pump pushers.

The short-lived 6262 and 6264 retained pump pushers but used caliber 727. The 6263 and 6265 paired that movement with screw-down pushers and remained in the range until the late 1980s.

Reference Approximate period Movement Bezel Pushers Distinction
6238 c.1962–1968 72B / 722 Smooth metal Pump Tachymetric scale on the dial
6239 c.1963–1969 72B / 722 family Engraved metal Pump The first Cosmograph reference; Newman's own exotic-dial watch was a 6239
6240 c.1965–1969 722 family Black acrylic insert Screw-down Introduced screw-down pushers to the Daytona
6241 c.1966–1969 722 family Black acrylic insert Pump Black-insert alternative to the metal-bezel 6239
6262 c.1970–1972 727 Engraved metal Pump Caliber 727 in a pump-pusher case
6263 Around 1970–late 1980s 727 Black acrylic insert Screw-down Black-insert counterpart to the 6265
6264 c.1970–1972 727 Black acrylic insert Pump Black-insert counterpart to the 6262
6265 Around 1970–late 1980s 727 Engraved metal Screw-down Metal-bezel counterpart to the 6263

Vintage production dates vary between sources. Monochrome gives 1971–1988 for the 6263/6265 pair; Phillips's Geneva XX catalogue discussions place their introduction in 1969 or the early 1970s and their end in 1987. Monochrome's 1963–1969 range for the 6239 also differs from the later endpoint in Phillips's account.

The early movements belong to the Valjoux 72 family. Catalogues use the designations 72B, 722 and 722-1; Phillips identifies a 72B in an early 6239 and a 722 in a 6241. The reference number alone does not identify the caliber fitted to an individual watch.

Zenith automatic (1988–2000)

Caliber 4030 is Rolex's reworking of the Zenith El Primero 400. Rolex removed the date mechanism, reduced the frequency from 36,000 to 28,800 vibrations per hour and changed the balance assembly. The steel 16520 has a sapphire crystal and crown guards, both departures from the manual-wind models.

Reference Period or dated example Movement Material Bracelet or strap Distinction
16520 1988–2000 4030 Steel Oyster bracelet Steel automatic Daytona; dial variations include changed text spacing and Patrizzi subdial rings
16518 Documented sale in 1992; 1990s 4030 18k yellow gold Leather strap Strap-mounted yellow gold version
16519 Catalogued example c.1997; late 1990s 4030 18k white gold Leather strap Strap-mounted white gold version
16523 c.1988–2000 4030 Steel and 18k yellow gold Oyster bracelet Two-tone version, called Rolesor by Rolex
16528 c.1988–2000 4030 18k yellow gold Oyster bracelet Bracelet-mounted yellow gold version

Monaco Legend records a December 1992 warranty sale for a 16518; Phillips dates a 16519 to around 1997. Neither catalogue establishes an exact launch date.

Dial-mark numbers depend on the author's classification. Ross Povey's account in Revolution uses Stefano Mazzariol's five-mark scheme for the 16520. The linked reference article compares the schemes and their dating limits. A later service dial can sit in an earlier case.

In-house caliber 4130 (2000–2023)

Caliber 4130 introduced a vertical clutch and an approximately 72-hour power reserve. On the steel 116520, running seconds moved from 9 to 6 o'clock. The steel reference ended in 2016, but other 4130 Daytonas continued until the 2023 redesign.

Ceramic bezels arrived in stages: the Everose-gold 116515LN in 2011, platinum 116506 in 2013 and steel 116500LN in 2016. Rolex added Oysterflex versions in yellow, white and Everose gold in 2017. Oysterflex has flexible metal blades covered in elastomer.

Reference Approximate period Movement Material Bezel Distinction
116520 2000–2016 4130 Steel Engraved steel Steel bracelet model, replaced by the ceramic-bezel 116500LN
116523 c.2000–2016 4130 Steel and 18k yellow gold Engraved yellow gold Rolesor model preceding the 116503
116528 c.2000–2016 4130 18k yellow gold Engraved yellow gold Yellow gold Oyster bracelet; replaced by the 116508
116518 2000s–2010s 4130 18k yellow gold Engraved yellow gold Leather-strap version preceding the 116518LN
116519 2000s–2010s 4130 18k white gold Engraved white gold Leather-strap version; includes the coloured-dial Beach series
116509 2004–2023 4130 18k white gold Engraved white gold White gold Oyster bracelet
116505 2008–2023 4130 18k Everose gold Engraved Everose gold Rolex's rose-gold alloy, with matching Oyster bracelet
116515LN 2011–2023 4130 18k Everose gold Black Cerachrom Leather strap initially; Oysterflex from 2017
116508 2016–2023 4130 18k yellow gold Engraved yellow gold Successor to the 116528; includes the green-dial version
116503 2016–2023 4130 Steel and 18k yellow gold Engraved yellow gold Rolesor successor to the 116523
116500LN 2016–2023 4130 Steel Black Cerachrom Steel Oyster bracelet; black or white dial
116506 2013–2023 4130 950 platinum Brown Cerachrom Ice-blue dial and platinum Oyster bracelet
116519LN 2017–2023 4130 18k white gold Black Cerachrom White gold on Oysterflex
116518LN 2017–2023 4130 18k yellow gold Black Cerachrom Yellow gold on Oysterflex

Production and retail sales can overlap a successor's introduction; the dates above are approximate.

The 2023 generation

Rolex introduced caliber 4131 with a revised case and dial in 2023. The platinum version gained a transparent caseback. A separate Le Mans centenary version uses caliber 4132, with a chronograph hour counter that records 24 hours instead of 12. Rolex's current Daytona catalogue covers the later range.

Auction record and disputed examples

Paul Newman's two watches below have separate provenance records. The auction results apply to those watches; the dial nicknames also describe examples he never owned.

Watch Case number Sale Published result
Newman's 6239 with an exotic dial 2,005,325 Phillips Winning Icons, lot 8, 26 October 2017 USD 17,752,500
Newman's 6263 with a Big Red dial 6,392,137 Phillips New York, lot 38, 12 December 2020 USD 5,475,000
  • Paul Newman Daytona: the collector name for the exotic dial family, with distinctive subdial numerals and square-ended markers.
  • Big Red: the large red Daytona signature above the hour counter. Newman's 6263 is one documented example.
  • Albino 6263: a pale dial with matching subdials. Eric Clapton's former watch and the example offered by Sotheby's in 2025 are different watches. Jose Pereztroika, writing at Perezcope, disputes the factory assembly of these dial and case combinations.
  • Unicorn 6265: the white gold watch presented by Phillips in 2018. Pereztroika challenges the components used in its restoration.
  • Neanderthal 6240: presented by Phillips as an early exotic-dial prototype. Pereztroika argues that the dial appeared in a different watch in a 1998 magazine photograph.
  • Oyster Sotto / RCO: dial text arranged ROLEX, COSMOGRAPH, OYSTER, with OYSTER below COSMOGRAPH. The names describe the text order.

Related families

  • Submariner: dive watches with an elapsed-time bezel.
  • GMT-Master: travel watches with a 24-hour hand and bezel.
  • Sea-Dweller: saturation-diving watches with a helium escape valve.

Shared references

  • Bracelets: bracelet construction, end links and clasp codes. A clasp code dates the clasp, not the watch head.
  • Movements: the Valjoux-based manual-wind calibers, Zenith-derived 4030 and Rolex 4130.
  • Serial numbers: case-number systems and the limits of serial-based dating.
  • Glossary: dial nicknames and component terms.

Sources

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