Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 126502 Watch
The Cosmograph Daytona has been Rolex's definitive racing watch since Paul Newman wore one on the track in the late 1960s, and the reference 126502 is the most technically ambitious version the company has ever put into production. Built on the same 40mm Oystersteel case as the standard Daytona, it earns its Rolesium designation through solid platinum on both the bezel ring and rear caseback ring, making it only the third Daytona to feature an open caseback, after the flagship full-platinum reference and the Le Mans. The movement on display is caliber 4131, finished with Rolex Côtes de Genève on the bridges and a yellow gold skeletonized rotor, framed by that solid platinum caseback ring. The anthracite grey Cerachrom bezel is new territory for Rolex as well, constructed from a patent-pending zirconia and tungsten carbide composite that is significantly more scratch-resistant than existing ceramic, with tachymeter numerals coated in platinum via physical vapor deposition and set vertically for the first time since the in-house era of the Daytona. The dial is fired Grand Feu enamel, built up in multiple layers at 1,472°F with a rumored 50% waste rate, producing a deep, milky, oxidation-resistant white that no lacquer can replicate. It's the kind of watch that will only get better looking with age, and harder to find.
