The upgrade time of Laurent Daytona Steel Co., Ltd. is over because we have seen it for 16 years. 904L Steel’s new Baselworld-2016 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116500LN is waiting to be completed. It uses a new black ceramic overall Cerachrom baffle, using the updated Tacitometer design, the old carved metal baffle off. It still has the 4130 movement, but now Rolex tests with an accuracy of +/- 2 seconds per second, which is super-magical for mass-produced chronographs. This rating means that the new Rolex Daytona watch will also launch the Rolex Top Observatory certification, where you can read all the information in this regard. One new aesthetic choice I like is the black snail dial on the white dial, and the other version available on the black dial is the grey snail dial. Now, let’s take a look at this new Rolex Cosmograph Daytona and see for yourself what it has…
The aforementioned monobloc Cerachrom, a material developed by Rolex, is replacing the bezel engraved with metal on the outgoing Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. It is based on the 1965 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona and is equipped with a plexiglass black bezel, but the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona will join ceramic bezels with siblings Rolex Submariner and Rolex GMT-Master II. Due to its hardness, Cerachrom’s scratch resistance is excellent, and in addition it prevents the black bezel from fading due to UV light.
Rolex also endeavored to protect the readability of the frame through a process they developed, which involves molding the scale into ceramic before heating the scale to 1500 degrees Celsius. After that, it was coated with a thin layer of platinum using a PVD process. What this process does is create a defined level of contrast with platinum and black ceramics.
In addition, the speedometer scale has been updated so that it now “follows” the circular shape of the dial – the number is “horizontal” in previous versions. The final point about the front bezel is that it is a single piece that holds the crystal on the middle shell, which helps to prevent water.
As mentioned earlier, the automatic movement 4130 is still the engine that drives the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. However, the previously lauded COSC Chronometer certified movement is now also approved by the Rolex Super Precision Chronograph. For the record, Rolex did not plan to leave the COSC because they wanted to use it as an external independent certification. However, their internal certification requires a -2 / + 2 second accuracy rating, which is being applied to all new Rolex watches.
Returning to the Rolex designed 4130 movement, they focused on reducing the number of parts in the chronograph function to help improve reliability. The timer is activated and reset by means of a spiral button, which interacts with the column wheel and vertical clutch mechanism of the movement – helping to achieve precise and immediate starting. If you need that precision, the chronograph is accurate to 1/8 second. Interestingly, we still have 4 grooves between the seconds hand of the dial, so you can’t really read 1/8 of the accuracy.