ROLEX’S Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, first rolled out in 1963, has turned 60. A stopwatch on the wrist designed for motor racing, the Cosmograph Daytona also makes a special dedication to another key milestone in the motorsport world this year – the 100th year of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance car race, of which Rolex has been the Official Timepiece since 2001.

To mark the Cosmograph Daytona’s 60th anniversary, Rolex revisited the model, making adjustments and improvements to its entire range. Such changes are often seen as tweaks to make the watch more refined, in looks and function. Yet when it’s Rolex making them, the refinements are eye-catching. With the Cosmograph Daytona this time, they amount to an overhaul, ensuring the legend lives on.

A new movement has been installed. The last time the Cosmograph Daytona was given a new movement was 23 years ago, which makes the new calibre 4131 especially important. Packed with a power reserve of 72 hours, the new movement is made of fewer components and is therefore more efficient. The shock absorbers attached to it are updated to reduce energy loss, while the ball bearings optimised to enhance self-winding.

The calibre 4131 also comes with a new design. It has a cut-out oscillating weight and a Rolex Cotes de Geneve decoration on the bridges.

The oscillating weight is rendered in 18-karat yellow gold in the Cosmograph Daytona’s new 950 platinum model (S$108,600), which also sports an open sapphire case-back for the movement to be admired – a first for the Rolex Oyster Perpetual series. These are exceptional touches made to distinguish a Rolex top-of-the-line model.

There are more significant updates made for all the new Cosmograph Daytonas (essentially five in total; with prices starting from S$21,050). The case, for a start, is now slimmer, and the case lugs are more symmetrical. So while it remains at 40 mm in size, the case appears bigger. 

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The dial has also been reworked to show thinner sub-dial rings which make the three sub-dials look like they have grown; the hour markers are also down-sized. The result is a cleaner and more balanced face for the watches, which have now multiplied to 32 references. 

A bigger change was made to the ceramic bezel. The new Cosmograph Daytona has a ring around it crafted in the same metal as the middle case. The ring stops the ceramic from stretching all the way to the bezel’s edge. A practical measure – ceramic is durable, unless you happen to knock the bezel edge pretty hard. 

The dedication to the Le Mans’ centenary is a special version of the Cosmograph Daytona, designed and equipped with a movement that evokes the legendary race.

The “Le Mans” chronograph (S$71,700) is encased entirely in 18-karat white gold, including the Oyster bracelet. Its 40-mm case is topped by a Cerachrom tachymetric bezel in black ceramic. Set against the bright black dial are intense white counters whose graphic design recalls the legendary Paul Newman Daytona, identified by the square tip of the lollipop hash marks on the sub-dials.

The standout feature of the centennial edition is the “100” red ceramic number on the tachymetric scale. A transparent case-back – the second in the Oyster Perpetual collection – reveals the movement with an oscillating weight, in 18-karat yellow gold like the new platinum model.

The watch also has a new movement, created just for it. The calibre 4132, which has an extended 72 hours of power reserve, is a modification of the calibre 4131 and is made for the chronograph counter to run a full 24 hours – instead of the usual 12 – in tune with the 24-hour Le Mans race.