The city of Daytona Beach in Florida, USA is widely known as the world capital of speed with motor races on the sandy strip as early as 1903 and with several world land speed records broken there. The beach’s links with speed and endurance are inextricable—the same way Rolex and automobile racing are. The watchmaker has been partnering the world of motor sports since 1930s and is currently the Global Partner and Official Timepiece of Formula 1. So it’s natural that Rolex has a timepiece inspired by and dedicated to the adrenalin-laced world of speed.

Birth of a Legend

Enter the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. Introduced in 1963, the chronograph, affectionately known simply as “Daytona” among watch enthusiasts, is designed to meet the demands of professional racers. Even till today, the iconic model remains one of the most well-known chronographs in the world.

In 2013, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sporty ticker, Rolex introduced the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona Ref 116506, a platinum version of the chronograph that comes with a chestnut brown monobloc Cerachrom bezel in high-tech ceramic and an ice blue dial. While it is not common or conventional for a tool watch to be made of platinum—most are constructed out of stainless steel to withstand daily rigours—the Daytona Ref 116506 received rave reviews from the cognoscenti for its rarity and handsome aesthetics. Six years on, it remains highly sought-after and here, we list four reasons why its popularity among connoisseurs remains sky-high.

GOING PLATINUM

For the 50th anniversary of the Cosmograph Daytona, many had expected Rolex to release an Oystersteel model in reference to the earliest models, which were mostly constructed in the sturdy and versatile metal. Instead, the watchmaker went for luxury and chose 950 platinum, which is one of the world’s rarest and most precious elements—out of 94 natural elements in Earth’s crust, it is the 72nd most common. Because of it being a noble metal, it is unreactive, and hence, not susceptible to rust or tarnish—that explains the material’s high level of corrosion resistance. The case and bracelet is made entirely out of 950 platinum, which is a metallic composition of 950‰ (thousandths) of platinum combined with ruthenium. This way, the alloy is robust enough for case construction, while retaining the metal’s brilliance and shine. On the flipside, platinum, which is soft, elastic and malleable, is not easy to machine and polish. Thanks to the experience of the team of expert craftsmen and metalworkers at Rolex, crafting a case or bracelet is par for the course.