Year: Circa 2001
Reference No: 116589
Case No: K583508
Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
Material: 18K white gold, diamonds, sodalite
Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4130, 44 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Leather
Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Rolex deployant clasp, numbered 24650, stamped MA
Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex service guarantee card and Rolex crocodile strap.

Excluding the mythical reference 6270 and 6269, Rolex hardly ever embellished their chronograph models with precious stones. Yet, with the introduction of the automatic Daytona, the manufacture gradually incorporated elaborate, gem-set designs in its line of production due to changing tastes in the market. In the year 2000, after over a decade of the Zenith El Primero-based caliber 4030, Rolex debuted the in-house caliber 4130 to power its automatic Daytona, and the increase in gem-set, hard stone dial, and precious metal pieces turned from a trickle into a steady stream of extravagant delights lavished upon the Cosmograph Daytona. The present 116589 from 2001, cased in 18K white gold with a baguette diamond-set bezel and sodalite diamond dial, is an especially rare and stunning configuration. Sodalite, though commonly found in jewelry and watches as a mottled royal blue streaked with white and clear inclusions, actually occurs naturally in a wide variety of colors and is quite brittle and fragile due to its high sodium content (hence the name, sodalite). Again, Rolex shows its mettle in finding pieces of stone that are free of natural flaws or fissures, able to be cut, polished, and shaped to perfection. There is a transparency and lightness to sodalite that isn’t found in other blue stones such as lapis or turquoise, and the mottling and inclusions give sodalite dials an intense amount of character. The present pairing of a sodalite dial appointed with diamond hour markers, and a factory baguette diamond bezel, is further accentuated by a perfectly preserved, unpolished case still retaining its caseback sticker. The present Daytona accomplishes extravagance with charm and aplomb - a rare Rolex jewel for its next owner.