The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona represents many different things to many different people, but one of the most common reactions to the watch is frustration. How this came to be is a story that goes back decades, all the way to the year 1963, when the first Cosmograph chronograph was introduced. The first Cosmograph, the ref. 6239, wasn't a hit straight out of the gate for Rolex – in fact, it sold sluggishly at first. However, in the 57 years between the launch of the 6239 and the writing of this story, the watch has undergone a tremendous technical evolution as well, making the new version of the Daytona the most advanced chronograph Rolex has ever produced – by a considerable margin.

How, therefore, did the Daytona come to be what it is today, and how can the evolution of the watch help explain its popularity? HODINKEE Editor-In-Chief Jack Forster takes a deep look at the latest version of the purist's Daytona: the steel-on-steel ref. 116500LN.

Read the full story here: https://www.hodinkee.com/artic....les/rolex-daytona-re