2021 Rolex Daytona Predictions Just in Time For Watches and Wonders
The Daytona Cosmograph is arguably the most coveted reference in the Rolex lineup. It’s also one of the hardest to get your hands on. We’ve heard many stories of spending years on a waitlist, buying a yearly Datejust or an OP, but never getting anywhere near a Daytona. The appeal is so great that collectors are even flocking to Zenith Chronomaster in the hopes of procuring a watch that even vaguely resembles a Daytona. Rolex definitely understands the appeal of the Daytona, so we predict that we’ll see some changes to the Rolex Daytona in 2021.
Daytona 2021 Prediction: Saying Goodbye to Platinum?
For the 50th anniversary of the Daytona in 2013, Rolex reimagined their most popular chronograph in platinum, complete with an ice-blue dial and a chocolate brown ceramic bezel on Reference 116506. It retailed for 75,000 and has been an official part of the Daytona lineup for the past eight years. In 2021, we predict that Rolex will say farewell to the platinum Daytona, sending its blue dial and Cerachrom bezel off into the sunset.
Daytona 2021 Prediction: No More Green and Gold?
Rolex green is an essential brand color for The Crown, and it has seen major success with the Kermit and the Hulk, two green-hued watches that collectors went bananas for. With the retirement of the Hulk in 2020, we’ve seen Rolex watches with green elements, often to make way for new versions. (For instance, the retirement of the Kermit paved the way for the Hulk to dominate the market.) We predict that Rolex will bid farewell to the 2016 yellow gold Daytona with a sunburst green dial. You may remember this model from the infamous Talking Watches video featuring John Mayer that Hodinkee released. In fact, some people credit the scarcity of the green and gold Daytona solely to this individual video. Whatever the case, dropping this color combo will drop its availability even more and increase its value in one fell swoop.
Daytona 2021 Prediction: Farewell to White Gold and Blue?
Another Daytona combination that has been around for several years features a bright blue dial in a while gold case, and we’ve heard rumors that Rolex plans to discontinue this combination as well. A white gold Daytona has a similar aesthetic to a steel Daytona, making it the metal of choice for several collectors. We love how the red detailing on the snailed subdials just serves to emphasize the depth of this blue dial. If the buzz is true, we’ll be sorry to see this one go.
Daytona 2021 Prediction: A New Ceramic Bezel Color
Now that we’ve speculated on what Daytona versions Rolex will get rid of, that leaves the more enjoyable activity of conjuring up ideas of what’s to come in 2021. With Watches and Wonders 2021 (formerly SIHH) approaching quickly, we’ll soon see how Rolex might change its lineup in 2021. Since departing Baselworld in 2020, we expect that the luxury watch brand will want to capture the attention of attendees. Maybe a change to the Daytona could be the ace they have up their sleeve.
Although it’s a subtle, minimalist change, we predict that Rolex will revisit the Rolesor Daytona, a two-tone beauty that’s been gathering steam in terms of popularity lately. We think that Rolex will grace Reference 116503 with a black Cerachrom bezel to perfectly complement the marriage of yellow gold and Oystersteel.
Daytona 2021 Predictions: Instagram Spoilers and "Leaks"
Instagram is so fun especially if you are a part of the #watchfam. The watch world on Instagram is full of like-minded people who simply share a love watches, and the community is one of the absolute best. Of course everyone also loves a good spoiler, sneak peak, or possible Rolex new release "leak." Sometimes these are photo-shopped, but more often than not there is some truth to them. We of course cannot say with certainty that any of these "leaks" are real, but they are fun to wonder about.
Pic 1: A Possible Rolex "Leaked" 2021 Daytona
This picture was found on the account of @rolexmovement and he was gracious enough to allow us to show it in this article. In this picture you can see a possible 41mm Rolex Daytona in steel with a blue bezel and the reference number 126500LB. You can also see that the numbers on the hang tag also show - 0002 which makes us believe that if this image is real, there might also be another iteration, the - 0001 (and even more, the -0003?). You can also see what looks like a German website in the back showing the price of 13,700 euro, mentioning the size (41mm) and also showing it is "stahlgrau and blau" which translates to "steel gray and blue" in English. You can also clearly see the word "edelstahl" which means stainless steel.
Pic 2: A rendering of a possible 2021 Daytona
Here in this image, you see a rendering of the possible "leaked" Rolex in picture one. This image also came from @rolexmovement on Instagram. Would you like to see this happen in real life? We love a blue watch here at Everest, so we are all for it. Could blue be the new bezel color?
Pic 3: A WildCard
We are going to call this one a wild card, because it just doesn't seem likely (but again, anything is possible). It definitely seems more like wishful thinking. However, we completely love the all-blue look so we would gladly accept this into the Daytona catalog of 2021 with open arms. Would you?
Pic 4: Probably photo-shopped, but what if it wasn't?
In this image above you see two possible Rolex Daytona iterations, one with the blue dial we already discussed and the other with a grey dial color. While we would be literally obsessed with that grey/silver dial, and black bezel something seems off about these images. If you look closely you can see that every detail is nearly identical...the watch is in the same position on the roll, the tag hangs exactly the same way, the mouse cursor is in the same position, etc. This lends us to believe it is photo shopped....but what if it wasn't?
Here you can see the image zoomed in, but of course, as with all good possible spoilers and "leaks" it's too fuzzy for anyone to be able to read the reference number, making this a case only suitable for the FBI, or possibly some Instagram watch geek super sleuths.
Thoughts?
Well, that was fun. Although there may be no truth to those above image, there may also be absolute truth to them. Only time will tell, and Watches and Wonders in April is right around the corner. Truly, we cannot wait! Which of these Daytona possibilities would be on your list? The Rolex Daytona is one of our most favorite Rolexes ever, so we'd be happy with just about any of these models. Just look at this beauty below on an Everest leather strap.
A Rolex Daytona on a curved end leather racing strap from Everest.
A Stunning Rubber Strap for Your Daytona
Right now, there’s only one Daytona that comes factory with a rubber strap -- Reference 116515LN (rose gold) and the other white and yellow gold compadres. If you want to protect your Daytona’s bracelet and change the look of this iconic watch, check out Everest Bands’ curved-end rubber strap for your Rolex Daytona. Our highly-rated straps bring unparalleled design and quality materials for the finest aftermarket band to pair with Swiss horological excellence. Take a look at some of the best straps for Rolex Daytona in 2021 here.
By Meghan Clark
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