As many of you must know by now, the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans just happened yesterday. And as such, the event’s official timepiece supplier Rolex has created this special-edition Daytona (reference 126529LN) to commemorate the event.
The watch looks mostly like a standard Daytona, and is still 40mm in diameter. It is crafted with 18-carat white gold, and features a black Cerachrom bezel, a black dial, and white subdials. The number “100” on the ceramic bezel is emblazoned in red in honor of Le Mans’s centennial anniversary.
With Le Mans being a 24-hour endurance race, Rolex has fitted the watch with the new Caliber 4132 in-house movement that enables the hours subdial to run up to 24 hours instead of just 12 hours on the regular Daytonas.
There are also a few vintage throwbacks present on the dial to tickle the fancy of Rolex aficionados. The hash marks on the subdials (indices with squares at the tip) are clearly taken from the Paul Newman Daytona, and the red “DAYTONA” text over the second subdial is a nod to vintage Daytonas of yesteryear.
The most shocking addition to the watch, however, is the use of an exhibition caseback. Any horology geek worth his or her salt will know that the esteemed Swiss brand has never sold a watch with such a feature until today. Rolex just introduced this feature at “Watches and Wonders” this year, and immediately put it into a production model.
This piece officially retails for $51,400 (or roughly P2.9 million). There is no indication to suggest that this will be a numbered or limited-edition piece, but as with all Rolexes, it will surely be near-impossible to get one. Expect to pay well over the official SRP on the secondary market if one even pops up.
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