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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
Ref. 116506
Sits in Rolex’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Rolex watches we list, which start at £6,150.
Price range £6,150 to £125,000 across 41 Rolex watches in stock.The 116506 arrived in 2013 to mark sixty years of the Cosmograph — which Rolex chose to celebrate not in gold but in 950 platinum, a material so dense that the finished watch settles onto the wrist with a weight most owners find immediately arresting. The ice blue dial is not a stylistic decision made independently of the case: Rolex reserved that precise shade strictly for platinum references, so the colour and the metal are inseparable. The chestnut Cerachrom bezel deepens that relationship further, a pairing that appears nowhere else in the catalogue. The calibre 4130 beneath the dial runs a vertical clutch and column wheel, which means the chronograph engages without the hand-jump that plagues simpler mechanisms — start and stop are clean every time, over a 72-hour reserve. At 40mm with a lug-to-lug of 47.5mm the case wears closer to the wrist than the weight might suggest, and the Oyster bracelet's Easylink extension adds roughly 5mm of play at the clasp without tools — genuinely useful given how platinum responds to temperature.
- Reference
- 116506
- Brand
- Rolex
- Collection
- Cosmograph Daytona
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 12.2mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed tachymeter
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 4130
- Functions
- Chronograph, Small seconds, Tachymeter
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 47.5mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
Learn more about Rolex
Hans Wilsdorf founded Wilsdorf & Davis in London in 1905 with his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, importing Swiss movements and casing them in England. He registered the name Rolex in 1908 — short, pronounceable in any language, and easy to fit on a dial.
Wilsdorf's conviction was that the wristwatch, then regarded as a woman's ornament and hopelessly fragile, could be made accurate and durable. He proved the first half in 1910 by obtaining the first chronometer certification for a wristwatch, and the second in 1926 with the Oyster case, sealed by a screw-down crown and caseback. Mercedes Gleitze swam the Channel wearing one in 1927, and Wilsdorf bought the front page of the Daily Mail to say so — arguably the first modern watch marketing campaign.
The Perpetual rotor followed in 1931, giving automatic winding in a form the whole industry eventually copied. The company relocated to Geneva during the First World War to escape British wartime duties.
The professional models arrived in a compressed burst in the 1950s: Submariner, Explorer, GMT-Master, Milgauss, and later the Daytona. Each was built for a specific job — diving, exploration, aviation, laboratory work, racing — and each became a design template.
Wilsdorf left his shares to a private foundation on his death, so Rolex answers to no shareholders. It remains the largest producer of certified chronometers in Switzerland by a wide margin.
- 1905
- Hans Wilsdorf founds Wilsdorf & Davis in London.
- 1908
- The Rolex name is registered.
- 1926
- The Oyster case introduces genuine water resistance.
- 1931
- The Perpetual rotor brings modern automatic winding.
- 1953
- The Submariner and Explorer launch.
- 1963
- The Cosmograph Daytona arrives.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona range (15), Stainless Steel Watches (3,355), Automatic Watches (1,699), Chronograph Watches (1,374) and Blue Dial Watches (913).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 116506 | GC8.0-RG-06 | pfc912-1020001-100182 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £93,950 | £76,920 | £62,800 |
| Case size | 40mm | 39mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | — | 60 hours |
| This watch |
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Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 47.5mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths at £93,950 is the cheapest of 7 UK retailers, against £165,000 at the dearest — a difference of £71,050.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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