This 4-watch Rolex set just sold for nearly $50M
What's the story
Four exclusive Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytonas have been sold for a whopping $49.4 million (£37.3 million) at an auction in London. The event, dubbed as Rolex's first charity auction, was held in association with Phillips and Aurel Bacs as the auctioneer. The proceeds from the sale will go to two organizations associated with Rolex Testimonees: the Federer Foundation by Roger Federer and Re:wild co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio, for supporting Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Design details
Daytonas are made of precious metals
The four unique Daytonas are made of precious metals and feature natural stone dials with gem-setting.
The "Winter" Daytona, which is platinum with a blue opal dial and lapis lazuli counters, was sold for $13.2M.
The "Autumn" Daytona in yellow gold with a mookaite dial and chrysoprase counters fetched $13.5M.
The "Spring" Daytona in white gold was sold for $9M, while the "Summer" Daytona in Everose gold with a turquoise dial and ruby counters went for an impressive $13.65M.
Market impact
Auction compared to landmark sales in the last decade
The auction has been compared to two other landmark sales in the last decade: Paul Newman's own Daytona sold at Phillips for $17.75 million in New York almost nine years ago, and Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 sold for $6.5 million in December 2021.
The sale will likely be a hot topic as upcoming auctions approach, with Phillips and Antiquorum scheduled to sell on November 7-8, followed by Sotheby's on the eighth and Christie's on the ninth.
Brand moves
Rolex's eventful year so far
This year has been eventful for Rolex, starting with the 100th anniversary of the Oyster case. The brand celebrated it at Watches and Wonders with the Oyster Perpetual 100th Anniversary Edition in Rolesor.
Two weeks ago, Rolex also made an off-season release by unveiling the Perpetual Padellone in Milan.
Beyond new launches, Rolex is also supporting its Perpetual Planet Initiative with a $100 million donation to National Geographic's Museum of Exploration and launching season six of Planet Visionaries podcast.