One of the pre-eminent chronographs in the world is simply referred to as “the Daytona” by those in the know. It originated in 1963, and has a history steeped in motor car racing — being named after the world-famous beach in Daytona, Florida. Why the association? Partly because this beach is long, with densely packed sand that is hard enough to have been the home of land-speed records since 1903.

One of the most significant of these occurred in 1935. The man who achieved this feat of speed was Englishman Malcolm Campbell. Each year – driving Blue Bird, the name given to his cars — he attempted to race faster and set new records. In March 1935 he reached the highest speed ever on Daytona Beach (531km/h), which was reduced to 445km/h due to problems encountered on the run in the opposite direction.


Sir Malcolm Campbell
Sir Malcolm Campbell

Since 1930, Campbell had chosen to wear a Rolex Oyster, and in a telegram to Rolex in 1935 he said: “Rolex watch worn yesterday during record attempt and still going splendidly, notwithstanding rough usage received.” As the brand notes: “Thus, the first Rolex Testimonee in motorsport was already closely tied to Daytona.”

The Cosmograph, the first-generation chronograph launched in 1963, was dedicated to racing drivers such as Campbell. One of the features was that the “tachymetric scale — that allows average speeds over a given distance to be measured using the chronograph seconds hand — was moved from the dial to the bezel”, says the brand. 


Cosmograph Daytona, 2016
Cosmograph Daytona, 2016

1965 saw the advent of an evolved model that introduced a screw-down chronograph pusher instead of a pump pusher. These screw-down pushers “brought the finishing touch to the Oyster concept, preventing the pushers from being manipulated accidentally, and protecting from the risk of water entering the case”, says Rolex.

“In 1988, the Daytona became self-winding. The brand opted for a quality, commercially available chronograph movement, which it then significantly modified to meet its own requirements, replacing more than 50% of the components with parts specifically designed for its movements.”


Cosmograph Daytona, 2016
Cosmograph Daytona, 2016

“The new model introduced by Rolex in the year 2000 — like the first Cosmograph in its time — embodied the chronograph of the future. Its aesthetics remained deliberately faithful to the codes of the 1988 Cosmograph Daytona, refining the already iconic and distinctive design of the original, and its subtle strong lines and perfect ergonomics.”

In 2016, Rolex launches a new Cosmograph Daytona at Baselworld, which is described by the brand as “efficient, precise, legible, robust, reliable, waterproof, and self-winding; it is also comfortable, elegant and timeless.” More than 50 years after its launch, each inscription on this Rolex’s dial pays testament to and is a guarantee of its performance. Each inscription speaks to the evolution of the timepiece, and the  “Cosmograph”, “Oyster”, “Perpetual”, “Cosmograph Daytona” have culminated in the legend that is the 2016 Cosmograph Daytona.


Cosmograph Daytona, 2016
Cosmograph Daytona, 2016

All images supplied from Rolex Pressroom.

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