“The other factor”, says Dryer, “is that it introduces a fear that the next model will also have a similarly limited availability, meaning people will be even more keen to get their hands on it just in case; it’s like the ‘Sprite’ GMT-Master II, nobody really knows except Rolex, but the whole ‘what if it goes’ plays a big factor on the market prices.”
A jewel in the Rolex crown, the hype around the Daytona has been on a steady uptick for years with waiting lists to match. Injuries-permitting, Rolex will be hedging its bets that Carlos Alcaraz – who was spotted in Barcelona last week wearing a gold and ceramic Rolex Daytona with a meteorite dial on a rubber oysterflex strap – will be sliding his onto his wrist after pummelling some poor opponent during the start of tennis’ clay and grass swing.
The 20-year-old champ memorably lifted the Wimbledon trophy in a since-discontinued (noticing a trend?) 116518LN-0076 in yellow gold with a meteorite dial, while his 2022 US Open victory featured a more understated 116500LN in sturdy steel.
“I have been buying, selling and collecting Rolex watches for over 35 years,” says Scott D. Kaplan owner of H.Q. Milton Timepieces, a big-time Rolex dealer based in San Francisco. “The Rolex Daytona has, for as long as can remember, been the Holy Grail for most Rolex collectors and watch lovers. They have always been difficult to obtain.”
It was Paul Newman’s appreciation for the Daytona and its sporty, utilitarian design that really propelled the model into ‘grail’ status, especially if there’s a little bit of ‘tropical’ wear and tear on the dial. But it took a few years for Rolex to refine the model into what we lust over today.
“At one point it wasn’t waterproof, it didn’t have a perpetual (automatic) movement and it didn’t have an oyster case,” adds Dryer. “It was basically the odd one out! It was the collectors market (with a little help from Paul Newman) that essentially gave it a second life and brought it into the mainstream…and like any Rolex, the rarer it is, the more you have to part with to get one.
“Once the cat is out of the bag when it comes to desirability, these pieces skyrocket,” he adds. “The modern Daytona is beautifully designed, and because of the case size, can be worn by men and women. It’s undeniably a status symbol, simply because they are so hard to get hold of from the Authorised Dealers. To wear a Daytona is a social symbol of importance… and it doesn’t hurt that the contrasting sub-dial design is one of the most iconic in the luxury watch world.”
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