At Baselworld 2019 Rolex has launched a highly mysterious, and equally stunning-looking new Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona with the reference 116588TBR. Interestingly, whereas previous enigmatic Daytona models had their respective official nicknames – think of the Rainbow, for example, this particular piece is yet to be given a specific designation beyond its model number. Let us now take a closer look at this seemingly indecipherable new iteration of the inimitable Cosmograph Daytona.
Factory gem-set Rolex watches live in their own microcosm within the universe of watches: their quality of execution, aesthetics and exclusivity, mixed with a natural connection to some of the most iconic designs in watchmaking render them truly special and peerless.
The 116588TBR is a natural expansion to this longstanding and established heritage of brilliantly bejeweled Rolex timepieces.
Framing its dial – more on that in a moment – is an 18kt yellow gold bezel fitted with a total of 36 trapeze-cut diamonds.
These diamonds have the serious angularity of baguette-cut stones, but they taper towards the dial, adding a further element of technical and visual complexity.
Each stone is invisibly set, meaning they appear to be securing one another – and that, in fact, is more or less the case.
The bezel needs to be specially prepared, and the stones cut with extremely stringent tolerances to ensure they fit together perfectly and securely, when the last diamond is inserted after the 35 that had come before it. As is the case with most things invisible: doing it in this most subtle way is indeed the most challenging.
The dial of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona 116588TBR is where things get well and truly fascinating. Rolex does not officially specify what this pattern stands for, nor what it is inspired by, hence adding another layer of mysterious playfulness. 18K yellow gold cascades through a sea of black lacquer, carrying brilliant-cut diamonds where it goes. The pattern is symmetrical, although not without its decided irregularities. Once more closely inspected it will become apparent, how some “arms” of the pattern are narrower or wider, than their mirrored counterpart.
Eight brilliant-cut diamonds, framed in 18K yellow gold, make up the hour indices outside the 15, 30, 45 and 60-minute locations, each of which have their Arabic numeral – or Rolex Crown – markers hand-applied. The Daytona’s immediately recognizable triple sub-dials float like islands in this fantastic dial: their black, concentric lined frames and gold, sunburst brushed interiors add a touch of contrast, legibility and unhindered functionality – feats every Daytona has been celebrated for.
The overall impression, as per normal for a Rolex watch, is much greater than the sum of the parts that compose it. On the wrist, the 40-millimeter-wide Cosmograph Daytona, crafted from 18K yellow gold and framed in trapeze-cut diamonds, looks amazing, amusing and, perhaps for some, positively intimidating. It is a complex timepiece both the horological and the gemological sense – one only Rolex could dare conceive and realize.
We would be delighted to present you the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona collection in our Authorized Rolex Petite Geneve Petrovic boutiques in Budapest, Belgrade and Porto Montenegro.
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