Rolex Daytona 116515LN 'Meteorite'

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Daytona prices have experienced a meteoric rise in the last decade. The only thing about the Daytona to come down is the meteorite that went into making this dial.

This 116515LN is an absolute beauty. The watch is executed in Everose, Rolex’ proprietary rose gold alloy. This particular mixture was developed by Rolex—and is produced in-house in its own foundry—to prevent discoloration of the material, which typically occurs with rose gold over time. As a result, Everose retains its hue, luster, and brilliance for decades to come.

The watch of course features a shiny black ceramic bezel with a rose-colored engraved tachymetric scale. The use of a shiny black bezel of course recalls the black acrylic inlays we associate with vintage Daytonas. The watch comes on Rolex’s ultra comfortable black Oysterflex rubber bracelet with matching Everose folding clasp.

The dial is cut from meteorite and it is simply out of this world (excuse the pun, again). Meteorite is a mesmerizing material, not only due to its extraterrestrial origins but also due to the beautiful crosshatch structure of the material that becomes visible as light hits it from different angles. This effect is known as the Widmanstätten pattern and is caused by the occurrence of nickel-iron crystals in octahedrite iron meteorites. The cool color of the meteorite provides a pleasing contrast against the warm hue of the rose gold case. The dial also sports 18K rose gold applied indices and deeply recessed black subdials.

The watch dates back to 2022 and is one of the most sought after modern Rolex models. The watch is unworn and comes as a full set with the original boxes and documentation.

Introduction

Rolex Cosmograph DaytonaRolex started making chronographs in the 1930s, but it was only in 1963 that a named product line was introduced: the Cosmograph. In some early advertisements, Rolex referred to the watch as the ‘Le Mans’ after the famous race track in France, although the name never appeared on the dial. After a few years, the line was officially renamed Cosmograph Daytona, after the racetrack in Florida.The most noticeable difference between these Cosmograph (Daytona) models and earlier Rolex chronographs was the tachymeter scale (used for measuring distance and speed) that was moved from its traditional placement on the dial to the bezel. Furthermore, the dial was updated with the introduction of contrasting sub-dials.It's hard to imagine now, but Daytonas received little love after their release. Most Daytonas languished in dealer displays for years and only started to get noticed by Italian collectors and dealers in the late 1980s. Nowadays, Daytonas are among the most sought after Rolex models, fetching prices from $25,000 for modern ones to many millions for rare vintage references. A big contrast with the $210 list price when it was first released!

Specifications

Shipping

Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped within the Netherlands by Registered Mail through the Dutch carrier PostNL and for other countries by Fedex. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For most destinations tracking is available.