Rolex Daytona

Rolex were originally not synonymous with Chronograph watches, choosing instead to focus on Oyster and Perpetual watches.

The success of these watches invariably led to Rolex developing a range of top quality Chronograph watches, the ultimate choice for sportspeople, and the Rolex Chronograph was born which latterly became known as the Rolex Daytona.

Rolex decided to use the extremely reliable and proven Valjoux movement instead of creating their own at the outset. The earliest Rolex chronograph was available in three sizes and basic, simple one button chronographs.

Customers demanded the ability to stop the watch intermittently without resetting the time, but it wasn't until the late 1930's that Rolex introduced the two button chronograph, which was a major breakthrough and enabled sports referees to stop start the watch when the football went out of play and/or injuries occurred, yet maintain the required play time.

By the end of the 1930's the Rolex Zero Graph was produced in limited quantities and featured the Oyster crown emblem, and is now a rare Rolex chronograph and highly sought after. Further Rolex Oyster chronograph models were released during World War ll, including the 4500, the 6232 and 3668, which didn't prove to be very popular due to the conflict.

After the War further designs were modified culminating in the 6239 chronograph.

The last major changes to the manual wind Rolex chronograph came in the late 1970's when they introduced the 6263 model with truly waterproof pushers.

The earlier Rolex chronographs had simple pushers with internal gaskets to act as the sealing mechanism.

The idea of adding screw down pushers was introduced to prevent divers from pressing the buttons whilst under water.

This locking function prevented the chronograph from being activated inadvertently.

The Rolex 6263 chronograph initially had a depth capacity of up to 165 feet, but within a decade it was capable of double that depth.

It wasn't until 1986 when the popularity of the Rolex Daytona, as it became known, really began to increase in popularity, reaching its highest point when it was on the wrist of the world famous actor Paul Newman and seen in numerous films.

The Rolex Daytona featured square markers on the subsidiary dial and the same colour for the outer track.

Rolex eventually released the new version of the Rolex Daytona in 1991 and, by this time, they had abandoned the faithful movement of the Valjioux workhorse in favour of the Zenith movement.

This latest Daytona design featured larger subsidiary dials and an inner track of a contrasting colour.

The face dial colours included black, champagne and white, with Daytona in red on the dial and all Daytona watches had screw down pushers.

The Rolex Daytona is as popular now as it ever was with collectors and Rolex admirers seeking out a well maintained Rolex Daytona example and at watch finder you can be assured we can deliver a first class Rolex to adorn your wrist and be the envy of your friends.

This latest Daytona model was highly popular and the stainless steel Daytona became one of the most sought after Rolex watches of all time. The latest Daytona was launched on the millennium 2000 - the Daytona 116520, which has an additional 1 prefix to distinguish it from earlier models. There have been few changes and the popularity of the Rolex Daytona continues to grow.

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Cosmograph Daytona, Rolex cosmograph daytona: 116520 116523 116519 In Stock Next Day Delivery (UK)

THE Rolex Cosmograph
Rolex was not among the chronograph pioneers, choosing to focus their energies on the Oyster and the Perpetual. However the success of these watches led to an increased demand for a Rolex chronograph. Instead of developing their own movement Rolex chose to use the Valjoux movement which allowed the user to time one continuous event. This one button chronograph was popular but it had its limitations. Customers needed to be able to stop the watch without resetting the time. It was not until the late 1930's that the arrival of the two button chronograph made that possible. The "Zerograph" was produced in very limited quantities. The watch model 3462 marked an important turning point for Rolex as it was the first watch to feature the Oyster crown and is now extremely sort after.

Despite the innovative design it was not until 1986 when the popularity of the Daytona started to increase, reaching its peak with the 'Paul Newman'. This model featured square markers on the subsidiary dials, and an outer track the same colour as the subsidiary dials. It's thought the watch was given this name when the actor wore it in the film 'Winning'. The actors name's is now permanently associated with the watch. The unusual dial, colourful and deco in appearance was only in production for a short period of time form its introduction in 1970.

Rolex released a new version of the Daytona in 1991 containing a Zenith movement. The new dials featured large subsidiary dials and had an inner track in a contrasting colour. Dial colours included black, white, champagne and each watch had "Daytona" in red on the dial. The stainless steel Daytona has become one of the most sought after watches. Rolex's latest addition to the Daytona hysteria was launched at the end of 2000. The 116520 which like the rest of Rolex's models has an extra 1 prefix to differentiate it from the others. There have been a few dial refinements but the main difference is the fact that Rolex are now using an in house movement instead of the old Zenith one.

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