The Vault › All references › Daytona
Daytona · 2023 to present
“Panda”
Grade S · 94/100Today's call: Buy
S: trophy asset. Ranked #1 of 129 references in The Crown Index vault.
| Original retail (2023) | $15,100 |
|---|---|
| Market today | $29,000 – $36,000 |
| Vs original retail | +115% |
| 1-year trend | +9% |
The current king of steel sports Rolex. Retail is $15,100 and essentially unobtainable at an AD without years of purchase history, so the secondary market sets the real price at roughly double retail.
The white Panda dial carries a consistent premium over black. This is the most liquid Rolex on earth: dealers compete to buy them.
The Daytona is named for Daytona Beach, where Rolex sponsored land-speed racing in the 1930s, and the 'Cosmograph' name was originally cooked up for a moon-watch pitch NASA never took. Omega got the moon; Rolex got the money.
Inside is the 4131, with a 72-hour reserve and a ball-bearing rotor. For the watch's 60th anniversary Rolex quietly redesigned the bezel so the ceramic meets a polished steel edge, the kind of detail owners of the old 116500LN notice across a dinner table.
Our verdict: Blue chip. You pay double retail, but it has held a 90 to 110 percent premium for years and sells in days.
| Sizes | 40mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet material | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Black Cerachrom tachymeter (only factory bezel for this ref) |
| Notable dials | White 'Panda'; Black |
| Caliber | 4131 |
| Production | 2023 to present |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2026 | 2026 | $31,500 |
| Apr 26, 2026 | Unworn 2026, full set (2 sold) | $36,395 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | 2024 · auction, 72 bids | $28,800 |
| Feb 10, 2026 | 2025 · auction, 63 bids | $35,369 |
| Feb 7, 2026 | Unworn 2025 · auction, 76 bids | $34,500 |
| Feb 7, 2026 | Unworn 2025 · auction, 113 bids | $29,150 |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 2025 · auction, 82 bids | $29,100 |
| Nov 28, 2025 | Unworn 2025 · auction, 380 bids | $32,218 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.
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