Rolex Surprises Everyone with New Daytona Le Mans Watch

Rolex very rarely produces special edition watches, so imagine our surprise when the Crown announced a brand new Daytona in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Rolex has been the Official Timepiece of the event since 2001. Here’s everything we know so far about the latest Rolex Daytona (reference 126529LN) to join the lineup.

Daytona Le Mans 126529LN

As you may already know, Rolex recently refreshed the entire Daytona collection a few months back at Watches & Wonders 2023 with new movements, slightly redesigned cases, dials, and bezels, and on the platinum variant, the addition of a display caseback.

Learn more: New and Discontinued Rolex Watches for 2023

Now, the Daytona Le Mans 126529LN is the latest reference to join the new-generation collection. The watch sports a 40mm white gold case, topped with a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel, which like all of the latest Daytona watches with ceramic bezels, is framed with a metal ring — white gold in this case. To emphasize the watch’s connection to the centenary of the Le Mans race, the “100” on the tachymeter scale is rendered in red ceramic.

The bright black sunray dial of the Daytona 126529LN is home to white counters; and if we zoom in on those snailed white counters, we see square tips on the ends of the hash marks and a distinct numeral font that’s very different from other current-production Daytona watches. That right, Rolex took inspiration from old-school Paul Newman dials found on vintage Daytona watches to create the dial of the Daytona Le Mans.

Rolex Caliber 4132

Just as surprising as that red 100 and Paul Newman-style dial on the front of the watch is what we see on the back of the Daytona ref. 126529LN — yet another transparent sapphire caseback with a view of the never-before-seen Caliber 4132 automatic chronograph movement inside.

Caliber 4132 is an adaptation of the new-gen Caliber 4131 that debuted in March 2023 whereby this new movement supplies the Daytona 126529LN with a 24-hour chronograph counter instead of the traditional 12-hour one. Again, this is another hat tip to the 24 hours of the Le Mans race. The 24-hour chronograph counter was made possible thanks to a Rolex patented mechanism comprising of seven components.

Aside from the new functionality, Caliber 4132 (which offers a 72-hour power reserve) also benefits from new finishes and decorations, complete with Rolex Côtes de Genève on the bridges and an 18k yellow gold skeletonized rotor. Like all modern Rolex watches, the Daytona Le Mans is a Rolex Superlative Chronometer, boasting an impressive accuracy rating of −2/+2 seconds per day.

Rolex Daytona Le Mans Price

The new Rolex Daytona 126529LN Le Mans is paired with a matching 18k Oyster bracelet, furnished with an Oysterlock folding safety clasp. The clasp includes the handy Easylink 5mm comfort extension link for simple micro-adjustments on the go. Rolex also included ceramic inserts in the bracelet links for added durability and to prevent stretching over time.

This is the only current white gold Daytona with a ceramic bezel that’s fitted with an Oyster bracelet; other white gold ceramic Daytona watches have rubber Oysterflex bracelets. And other current white gold Daytona watches with Oyster bracelets have white gold bezels.

So what’s the price of the new Le Mans Rolex Daytona 126529LN? The retail price of the Daytona Le Mans is $51,400, which is the most expensive white gold variant in the current collection. For context, the white gold Daytona 126509 with a white gold bezel and bracelet is priced at $42,500 and the white gold Daytona 126519LN with a ceramic bezel and Oysterflex bracelet is priced at $32,100.

More on Pricing: Rolex Daytona Price & Buying Guide

However, despite its already hefty $51,000+ price tag, we’re certain this very special Rolex Daytona chronograph will trade at much higher prices on the secondary market as soon as they become available.

Other 2023 Watch Releases:
Audemars Piguet Just Dropped the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man
New Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph “Panda” for 2023
New Patek Philippe Watches for 2023