Rolex Daytona

If there ever was a watch that has become a living legend, it has to be the Rolex Daytona. It is so revered and coveted that collectors around the world are willing to wait years and pay exorbitant black market prices for the privilege of wearing this universally acclaimed timepiece around their wrists.

What is really surprising when you see the frenzy surrounding this sought-after object of desire, is that upon its introduction in 1960 the watch, known at the time as the Cosmograph -- a revamped version of the chronograph model launched by Rolex in 1937 -- was not very popular at all.

Actually, the early Daytonas were not even powered by Rolex's own movement but by another manufacturer's. It was only in 2000 that Rolex installed its own chronograph movement in the Daytona, and made a few technical improvements as well, such as downshifting the ticking from 36,000 beats per hour to 28,800.

The watch's popularity started to gain momentum in 1970, when Rolex decided - in, as it turned out, a brilliant stroke of genius- to name this hand-wound, plain chronograph that efficiently calculated the speed and elapsed time, after the Daytona Speedway (for over 15 years, Rolex has sponsored the famed Rolex 24 at Daytona). But it really took off at a breakneck speed in the mid-1980s when photos of Paul Newman wearing the self-winding Daytona model with exotic cream dial, black registers, and a black military-style leather strap, surfaced in the press. A car racing enthusiast himself, Newman was often photographed at racetracks sporting his Daytona. Although he never publicly endorsed the line, the term "Paul Newman Daytona" was coined, but has never been officially used by Rolex.

Robert DeNiro wore a stainless steel Cosmograph Daytona in "15 Minutes," as did Val Kilmer in "Thunderheart." I read somewhere that the Daytona is the most popular celebrity wristwatch in auctions around the world. (see my list of other Hollywood films featuring the watch below)

Is the Daytona for you? It depends. If you are a serious collector or watch connoisseur who appreciates the glamour and the history around the Daytona, then the Daytona might be the right fit. Otherwise, you might consider getting another sturdy, all-terrain model, the Explorer for example.

That only goes to prove that more than two decades after Daytona's spectacular ascent to fame, the rags-to-riches tale is still feeding a phenomenon.