Released at Baselworld in 2016, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116500LN has been hugely in demand ever since. Let’s take a look at the watch that’s had Rolex fans scrambling over each other to get hold of one.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Introduced in 1963, the Cosmograph Daytona was designed for professional racing drivers. Taking its name from the famous racecourse of Daytona, Florida, the watch has become intimately connected with the motor racing. This reputation was cemented in 2013, when Rolex became the Global Partner and Official Timepiece of Formula 1 racing.

The watch of choice of American actor and racecar driver Paul Newman, the osmograph Daytona stands as one of Rolex’s most-loved watches of all time. With its tachymetric bezel, the chronograph allows drivers to measure elapsed time and read average speeds. It offers the extremely precise starting and stopping required by elite racing drivers, for whom accuracy is everything.

The 116500LN Waiting List

When Rolex develop their watches, they introduce changes slowly and subtly. The Daytona is a case in point. Rolex is hardly going to overhaul a watch as iconic as the Daytona.

The effect of the careful and subtle changes that Rolex introduce to their models is that every little tweak is hotly anticipated by Rolex fans and the luxury watch community. The changes that we saw with the long-awaited 116500LN are the perfect example of this. The wait for the 116500LN has been long. And with demand far exceeding supply, the wait has been made painfully longer for many after its release.So what has all the waiting been for?

The Daytona Reference 116500LN

The 116500LN is the same 40mm size as its earlier counterparts, the 116520 and 16520. Smaller than the likes of a Submariner, Daytonas have always been known as extremely well-fitting watches.

The reference 116500LN is powered by a calibre 4130 self-winding movement developed and built in-house by Rolex. Like all Rolex Perpetual movements, the 4130 is a certified chronometer. The case is made from 904L Oystersteel, which offers both incredible resistance and a beautiful finish.

The dial itself features a rather lengthy five lines of text, excluding, in red, the word ‘Daytona’ which sits above the minute timer.

But what makes the 116500LN truly distinctive is the black Cerachrom bezel. Made from a single piece of Rolex’s special ceramic material, the opportunity to have a Daytona with a black bezel has had Rolex fans beside themselves with excitement. Rolex’s ultra-resistant ceramic bezels

Complementing the black bezel, the 116500LN comes with either a black or a white dial.

Buy a Rolex Daytona 116500LN

Blowers stock a wide range of Rolex Daytona watches. Browse our current stock today. Looking for a particular model? Get in touch and we will endeavour to source it for you.