Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116519

The Origins

Inarguably one of the most iconic watches in all of watchmaking, the Rolex Daytona needs no introduction. Offered as the Cosmograph since 1963 and officially christened the Daytona by Rolex in 1965, the Rolex Daytona underwent baptism by fire whereby its lack of commercial success in the 1960s later drove demand towards those earlier references amongst collectors in the 1980s who saw the value that they represented. Since then, the Daytona has consistently topped the ranks as one of Rolex’s most sought-after offerings across their entire catalogue, and today it remains as once of the hardest Rolexes to buy straight from an Authorised Dealer. Plenty of collectors will know the difficulties in getting a Daytona straight from an AD and how the Daytona was the earliest Rolex to have its own waiting list , and it was one of the first Rolexes to command a premium on the open market as a result of that waiting list.

Filled with an array of different construction materials, movements, dial colours, gem settings, case sizes and so on over the years, the Daytona has encompassed just about every design language possible since its inception, and the reference we are exploring today is perhaps one of the most luxurious of those references, the full 18k white gold ref. 116519. Launched in 2018 and discontinued in 2023, the Daytona ref. 116519 followed in the Daytona ref. 116515’s footsteps from the year before and combined an understated white gold and ceramic bezel construction with Rolex’s own rubber strap-presenting bracelet for a naturally under-the-radar and casual presence on the wrist. 

The Case and Dial

Made of 18k white gold, the ref. 116519 features a 40mm diameter, as Rolex claims, that wears incredibly neat on the wrist thanks to its silver and black dial that matches the colour scheme of its white gold and black cerachom bezel. Of course, just like other Daytonas from the same generation, the ref. 116519’s real-world diameter of 38.5mm also helps it to wear neatly on the wrist purely because of just how universally appealing it is. Why Rolex claims it is actually 40mm in diameter is anyone’s guess.

While appearing like any other rubber strap, the Oysterflex bracelet is indeed not like any other rubber strap. Instead, it features fins on its reverse to allow for air and water flow underneath the bracelet, and indeed, it features a solid titanium blade that runs the length of each its halves, thus meaning it is a bracelet that has been over-engineered in every way possible, and is not just a rubber strap – the Rolex way. With this rubber strap-looking bracelet and toned-down 18k white gold construction, the ref. 116519 is the perfect blend of sportiness and casual luxury. 

As mentioned, the ref. 116519 is offered with a monochromatic silver dial with black subdial registers that perfectly match the reference’s black ceramic bezel. With luminous indices applied at each hour marker and the trio of chronograph subdials controlled via screw-down pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock on the case, the Daytona’s dial is purely function-orientated.

The Movement

Powered by Rolex’s first in-house chronograph movement, with only 201 parts, the cal. 4130 is ruthlessly efficient as Rolex stripped back its movement so as to result in a 20% decrease in number of parts when compared to the Daytona’s previous movement, the cal. 4030. This makes for a movement with longer service intervals and fewer parts to break, meaning greater reliability across the board. 

Additionally, with more space freed up due to its relatively small number of parts, the cal. 4130 can accommodate a larger mainspring than typical chronographs, and so the cal. 4130 boasts a 72-hour power reserve, which is quite impressive given the cal. 4030 before it only had 50 hours, which was impressive too at the time. All in all, even for a 20+ year old movement, the cal. 4130 is incredible even by today’s standards and fitting for the Daytona’s legendary legacy. While the cal. 4130 is no longer in use in the newest Daytona references; you can rest assured that the ref. 116519’s movement is up to scratch.

Celeb Love

Thanks to its 18k white gold construction giving it a much toned-down presence on the wrist when compared with 18k yellow or rose gold and generally sporty look thanks to its similarities to the stainless steel references, but on a rubber strap, the ref. 116519 has been a watch that celebrities have been known to enjoy over the years since its debut. While leather-strapped versions, the ref. 116519, have been produced in the past too, the Oysterflex version has been the clear winner with it attracting far more attention from the rich and famous. Enjoying its casual and sporty design, celebrities such as Croatian and Real Madrid footballing legend Luka Modric, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise and Businessman turned-TV star Robert Herjavec have all be spotted wearing their very own ref. 116519s over the years. 

Market Performance

In keeping with the majority of Daytona variants, the ref. 116519 has enjoyed some rather favourable market performance over the years thanks to the intense desirability the collection commands. With long waiting lists and thus heavy premiums on the secondary market across the Daytona collection, it serves as no surprise that the ref. 116519 commands a market value in excess of its MSRP of $31500. 

Yielding a price premium of 21%, the ref. 116519 commands an impressive market value of $38200. While this is down from its peak of $50000, the ref. 116519 seems to have bottomed out with only a -1.3% change from the last 90 days. In fact, since February of 2024, the ref. 116519 has only lost about $600 from its market value, indicating a potentially optimum time to add one to your collection as its value decline seemingly slows to a halt.

Check out the live performance of Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116519 on The Wristcheck Index