Rolex Daytona 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition

Quick specs Rolex Daytona 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition
Price: CHF 49’000 | $ 51,400 | approx. € 50.000 | approx. £ 43,500
Size: 40 mm
Reference: 126529 LN

Not only the win of Ferrari is a surprise, so is the Rolex Daytona 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition. A newly released Daytona in honor of the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Which is an event for which Rolex is the official timekeeper since 2001. Furthermore, it’s also the 60^th anniversary of the Cosmograph Daytona model. And to be clear: 2023 is 100 years of Le Mans, with the 91th edition of this race.

Long before Rolex became the official watch partner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Daytona was born. It all begins in 1930, when Malcolm Campbell wears a Rolex Oyster timepiece while racing his Bluebird car to set the land speed record. That was at Daytona Beach. A quick wind-up: the Daytona was introduced in 1963 as a tool watch to measure speed. And today every Le Mans winner gets a Daytona.

The hour counter of the Rolex Daytona 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition measures 24 hours

This special Daytona features a 40-millimeter white gold case with a bright black, gloss, sunray finished dial. It also has the black ceramic bezel with tachymeter surrounded with a lean band made of white gold – one of the new features of the 2023 Daytona. To make it a special edition the number 100 on the tachymeter is marked in red to symbolize the Le Mans’ 100^th anniversary. And just like the platinum edition of the Daytona 2023, it has a transparent case back.

But the Rolex Daytona 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition is even more special as the hour counter of the chronograph’s sub-dial measures 24 hours instead of 12. A new mechanism is developed for this, which replaces a transmission wheel of the movement without affecting the performance. A subtle reference to the 24 hours during race. Inside is the automatic Rolex caliber 4132 with a power reserve of 72 hours, which is the adjusted 4131.