Rolex has confirmed that Phillips will auction four unique Cosmograph Daytona watches in London on September 28, 2026. The watches will be sold individually as four separate lots rather than as a set, a first for the brand working with an auction house on this kind of charity project.
Each Daytona shares the same Cosmograph Daytona platform but is built around a different season, using a distinct combination of precious metal, gemstones and color. Rolex says the quartet demonstrates the brand's expertise in gemsetting.
The first pairs a platinum case with lapis, giving it a deep blue character. The second uses yellow gold with mookaite and chrysoprase, introducing warmer tones and a more varied palette; Rolex mixes its own yellow gold from 18k gold cast in its own foundry.
The third is cased in white gold and set with chrysoprase and lepidolite, a color profile distinct from both the platinum and yellow gold pieces. The fourth combines turquoise and ruby with Everose gold, Rolex's own proprietary rose gold alloy, the most contrasting pairing of the four.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit two organizations. The Federer Foundation supports early and foundational education for children in southern Africa and Switzerland, and Re:wild protects and restores ecosystems worldwide. The project is part of Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Why a charity sale fits Rolex's own structure
Rolex is itself the product of a charitable structure: since Wilsdorf's death in 1960, the company has belonged to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a charitable trust rather than private shareholders. The foundation directs the brand's profits toward charitable causes around the world, the same purpose behind this Daytona sale.
The watches were reportedly first intended for private sale as a complete four-watch set, with reports at the time citing a price around CHF 4 million and considerable interest from buyers. Rolex chose instead to auction the pieces individually, a move likely intended to maximize the funds raised for the two charities.
We rank Rolex above Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet on our list of the best luxury watch brands, calling it the standard other watchmakers are measured against, and noting that references like the Daytona already trade above retail on the secondary market.
Rolex's regular catalogue already includes gem-set and unusual Daytonas: the Rainbow Daytona, its bezel set with a graduated arc of sapphires, and a separate model with a dial cut from meteorite.
A standard Cosmograph Daytona in Rolex's current catalogue costs between $13,400 and $39,440, or price on request for the rarest versions, a fraction of the price once rumored for the full charity set.
Phillips, the house handling this September sale, also holds the record for the most expensive Rolex ever sold: Paul Newman's Daytona hammered for $17.8 million at auction, dwarfing the price once rumored for the full four-watch set.
The Cosmograph Daytona was built for racing
The Cosmograph Daytona was built for professional racing drivers and named after the racetrack in Daytona Beach, Florida, debuting in 1963. Rolex later developed Cerachrom, the ceramic material used on the watch's bezel, first for the Daytona before extending it across the rest of the catalogue.
Unique, one-off examples like these four rarely reach the secondary or auction market outside dedicated charity sales. Rolex first revealed the project without a sale date or gemstone details during Geneva Watch Days 2026, leaving the specifics confirmed only with this announcement.
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Images: Rolex
