One of the rarest Rolex Cosmograph Daytona wristwatches ever produced will be offered by Sotheby’s this May in Geneva, marking the final chapter in a series of extraordinary timepieces previously believed to be little more than myth.

The 1999 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, reference 16516, crafted in platinum with a diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial, is expected to fetch between 700,000 CHF and 1,400,000 CHF when it goes under the hammer at Sotheby’s Important Watches Sale. It is the last known piece in a unique quartet of Daytonas privately commissioned from Rolex by a single collector in the late 1990s – a significant exception for a brand renowned for rarely entertaining custom orders.

Each of the four watches in the collection carries the same reference, with the final digit — “6” — signifying the unprecedented use of platinum for a Daytona model. Until then, automatic Daytonas had only ever been produced in stainless steel, two-tone, and gold variants. The platinum series would not appear officially until 2013, making this commission all the more significant. Adding to its lore is the longstanding rumour linking one of the early examples to Rolex’s former CEO, Patrick Heiniger, who was thought to have worn a platinum Daytona years before the material was officially introduced to the collection.

Sotheby’s first brought one of the platinum Zenith-powered Daytonas to light in 2018, putting to rest long-standing speculation about their existence. Each of the four pieces features a unique dial: lapis lazuli, turquoise, dark mother-of-pearl, and, in the case of the upcoming sale, a mother-of-pearl dial adorned with ten diamonds — the only example set with precious stones. The others have all exceeded expectations at auction, with the lapis lazuli variant achieving a record-breaking $3.2 million in Hong Kong in 2020.

The watch, powered by the renowned Zenith El Primero calibre 400, is offered with its original certificate and accessories. This mechanism, first introduced in 1969, was chosen by Rolex when it launched the automatic Daytona in 1988 — a game-changing move for the brand and a model that quickly became one of the most desirable in the world. Rolex introduced its own in-house movement only in 2000, adding further significance to the early automatic models.

“This remarkable wristwatch is a milestone in the history of the Cosmograph Daytona,” said Benoît Colson, Head of Watches at Sotheby’s Geneva. “Its rarity, provenance and superlative craftsmanship make it one of the most important examples ever to be presented at auction. It is also an exceptional bookending to the sale of this extraordinary commission of four masterpieces.”

Monaco Life is produced by a team of real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.