

No other watchmaker controls the process of watch fabrication down to the level of basic metallurgy the way Rolex does.Īs a result of its proprietary alloy research, Rolex is able to produce white gold that does not require rhodium plating to achieve its platinum-like luster. Rolex gold is the watch industry’s “gold standard.” The Geneva superpower develops and smelts its gold in the company’s private foundry. Rolex arrests the oxidation of its meteorite dials before the process takes hold, and each Cosmograph Daytona 116519MT will retain its unblemished beauty until long after the owner himself stops “ticking.”Īnd Rolex’s own superlative white gold compounds the impact of the raw iron dial. Given iron’s natural proclivity to oxidize and fade the moment it is exposed to moisture-laden air, few individuals outside of materials science labs and metallurgical trades ever have the pleasure of seeing what the Rolex meteorite owner will enjoy daily. For that reason, the exquisite crystalline metallic meteorite dial will remain an occasional offering from Rolex and a grail-level acquisition for the brand’s most passionate collectors.Įach Rolex meteorite dial represents naturally formed iron as it is rarely seen – with its metallic luster and crystal structure intact. Now a protected national heritage property, the Hoba meteorite and its debris field cannot be exported once Rolex exhausts its supply, there will be no more. Those are stainless, and the Rolex Daytona offered on is crafted from Rolex’s in-house white gold with the rare stabilized meteorite dial.Īll Rolex meteorite dials are cut from the company’s finite supply of material salvaged from Namibia’s Hoba meteorite. Win this one, and you deserve to strap on a Rolex Daytona.īut this Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116519 in 18-karat white gold one-ups even the trophy watches from the Rolex 24. This is a race where Dodge Vipers, Chevrolet Stingray Corvettes, Ferrari 458 Italias, BMW Z4M Coupes, Porsche 911GTRs, and Aston Martin Vantages take their rivalries from the street to the track for 24-hours of Battle Royale. Miles removed from NASCAR, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona lends its name to the famed Rolex Cosmograph, the 1960s Shelby Cobra Daytona, *and* the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” of the 1970s. The Rolex Daytona has been the official gift for the Daytona Motor Speedway’s sports car champions for decades. But add the rare Rolex meteorite dial, and this motorsports-bred Rolex Daytona 116519MT becomes the ultimate trophy for the gearheads of planet Earth… or any other planet, for that matter.Īnd what a trophy it is. When rendered in 18-karat white gold and shod with a rich black alligator leather strap, the look is a akin to a Facel Vega or Duesenberg: equal parts grace and power. The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona is a special watch.
