The Cosmograph Daytona was designed as the ultimate timing tool for drivers in endurance races. While the central sweep seconds hand allows an accurate reading of 1/8 second, the two counters at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively measure time in hour and minute increments, allowing the driver to map his course times accurately and determine how he must drive in order to achieve victory.

The Daytona’s engraved bezel can be used as a tachymeter to calculate speed by measuring elapsed time over a pre-determined distance. The Cosmograph Daytona is therefore a perfect instrument for measuring speed of up to 400 units per hour whether expressed in kilometres or miles.

At Rolex, form and function work together. Rolex engineers have applied the most advanced technologies to craft the perfect spring to activate the chronograph mechanism when finger pressure is exerted on the pushers. The result is not only reliable operation of the chronograph, but also a crisp, clear "click”, well-known by the wearers of this one-of-a-kind timepiece.

Inside the elegantly designed exterior, the Cosmograph Daytona is a masterpiece of watch making art. The 4130 chronograph calibre movement was conceived and assembled exclusively by Rolex in 2000 for the Cosmograph Daytona and incorporates just 290 components – far fewer than a standard chronograph – making it a much admired symphony of simplicity. It has a 72-hour Power reserve (66 hours if the stopwatch is in use) and, inside, the blue Parachrom hairspring, made from a unique alloy impervious to magnetic fields, gives it up to 10 times more resistance to shocks than conventional hairsprings.