From June 10th to 11th, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a world-renowned automobile endurance race, was successfully held at the Le Mans Sarthe circuit in France. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, was accompanied by Swiss luxury watchmaker Rolex as an official partner and official timekeeper. In addition, a very special Cosmograph Daytona model commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was unveiled, making headlines.

At the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours race, three drivers, James Calado (Great Britain), Antonio Giovinazzi (Italy) and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Italy) joined forces to create the Ferrari AF Corse ( Ferrari AF Corse) racing team drove Ferrari’s hypercar 499P to win the championship. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Oystersteel Black Dial Model (Ref. 126500LN) was presented to them as a prize along with a winning trophy with the 100th anniversary logo nicely engraved.
For reference, Rolex replica has been active as the main sponsor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001. This year, Tom Kristensen, a world-class car racer from Denmark who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans a total of 9 times, joined the event as a Rolex Testimonee.

In addition, Rolex made a surprise announcement of the new Cosmograph Daytona model (Ref. 126529LN) near the closing of this event. The 40mm diameter case and Oyster bracelet are entirely made of white gold, and the scratch-resistant black Cerachrom bezel is used, and only the number ‘100’ is accented with red accents along with the tachymeter scale to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race. It contains the meaning of commemoration.

It adopts the so-called ‘Exotic’ dial design seen in the early 1960s Daytona in a reverse-panda style with a clear contrast of white registers (counters) on a black background, revealing a visible difference from the current model. Among collectors, it is called the Paul Newman Daytona (Ref. 6239), and an enthusiastic response from Daytona fans is expected as it has adopted the vintage dial design of an iconic model that boasts a splendid auction record.
The movement is equipped with the new in-house automatic chronograph caliber 4132, succeeding the previous 4131, which guarantees a power reserve of approximately 3 days (72 hours). There is no difference in performance, but the caliber name has been changed while exposing the movement with a sapphire crystal caseback. In the ice blue dial platinum version previously introduced during replica Watches & Wonders, the 4131 caliber name is used as it is, but it is in stark contrast to the see-through back.

Unlike the regular steel version of 4131, the rotor is made of yellow gold and features the latest Rolex technology, including the exclusive Chronergy escapement, blue Parachrom balance spring and Paraflex shock absorber. It maintains a -2/+2-second tolerance per day and is certified with Superlative Chronometer certification.
Rolex’s new Cosmograph Daytona (Ref. 126529LN) commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is not an exact limited edition, but due to the nature of the product, it is a special edition that is only available over a certain period of time, and the retail price has not been disclosed.