I really don’t think I need to go too much into the Daytona as pretty much everyone knows about this watch. It has always been the case that the ultimate Rolex is ironically not a solid gold President Day-Date, but the Cosmograph Daytona. With waitlists in the years to authorized dealers these days not even entertaining you unless you’ve bought another Rolex before, the Daytona is without a doubt the most desirable and hardest to get Rolex in the market today.
While we are certainly used to the stainless steel Daytona, the gold Daytona has always maintained a place in the Rolex lineup and one of my picks would be this 116509. Crafted in a 40mm 18k white gold case, it remains subtle and elegant and fitted with a stunning sunburst blue dial with red accents. With stainless steel models selling at big premiums, the 116509s remain priced around its retail tag, which gives me the impression that these are poised for a jump. In fact, earlier this year, this watch was featured on Hodinkee’s talking watches by none other than John Mayer, where he called the 116509 and the 116508 (yellow gold, green dial) as the best buys you can make at Rolex now. The 116508 with the green dial has jumped in value since then, while this example remains excellently priced.
The Rolex Daytona has and will always be the de facto flagship icon of Rolex, partly due to its rich history and association with famous individuals throughout history. On the wrist, with all of the hype and history aside, it is just a downright good looking watch. At 40mm, it sits perfectly and has a design language that sits amongst other legendary designs such as the 911 Porsche and Fender Stratocaster. This one is made even special with the unusual blue dial and white gold case. White gold is the stealth wealth metal of choice, as most people will just think it is stainless steel. That being said, when you strap it on your wrist, the sheer weight of the white gold case and bracelet will remind you every day exactly what it is.
