Gold Rolex with a Black Dial: Daytona, Day-Date and Sky-Dweller References

Last reviewed on October 12, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Bizak prices quoted here are asking prices read from our sourced catalogue that day: dated observations, not quotes. Every watch is sourced to order, so availability is confirmed only when we send you the specific piece.

Which gold Rolex models have a black dial?

A black dial in a gold case is one of the strongest contrasts Rolex offers: gold hands and markers read clearly against black, and the dial tones down a watch that would otherwise be all gold. The table lists every solid gold family with a black dial, how to recognise the dial, and the lowest ask for each reference in Bizak's sourced catalogue on October 12, 2026. Every watch is sourced to order: tap a price to open that listing and reserve it with a $200 deposit, credited in full to the price. We then send photos of the specific watch we locate and today's price before you pay the balance.

One name to watch: the 126518LN "Pikachu" has a golden dial with black counters, not a black dial, so it does not belong in this list; our Pikachu guide explains the difference.

Bright black, onyx, mother-of-pearl or diamonds?

Rolex's black comes in several finishes, and on the same reference the dial can move the asking price a long way:

• Black and bright black are the plain versions and most of the table: the Submariner 126618LN and GMT-Master II 126718GRNR have a black dial, the Day-Date 40 228238 and 228239 a bright black one.
• Bright black with a diagonal motif is a finely patterned version of the Day-Date 40 228238 dial. On our list it was the lowest-priced 228238, at $38,129, against $69,201 for the plain bright black.
• Onyx is a natural black stone cut into a dial. The 228238 has also been made with an onyx dial set with baguette diamonds (228238-0059), listed at $56,988.
• Black mother-of-pearl is cut from shell, so its sheen shifts with the light: a Day-Date 36 118238 with a black mother-of-pearl Roman dial was listed at $29,202.
• Diamond-set dials replace the hour markers with diamonds, as on the Daytona 116518 on leather listed at $25,203.

Yellow, Everose or white gold with a black dial?

• Yellow gold gives the classic contrast and the widest choice: every current family in the table has a yellow gold black-dial version. It is also where some of the lowest asks sit: $25,199 for a Day-Date 36 118208 and $25,203 for a Daytona 116518 on leather.
• Everose is Rolex's own 18 ct pink gold, introduced in 2005 and cast in its Geneva foundry. Black appears on the Everose Daytona with Sundust counters (126515LN and 126505), on the GMT-Master II 126715CHNR with a brown and black bezel, on the Yacht-Master 126655 and on the earlier 36 and 41 mm Day-Dates.
• White gold looks like steel from across a room, which makes it the quietest way to wear a gold Rolex. Black-dial choices include the Daytona 126519LN with steel-toned counters, the 116509 with a red-accented Arabic dial, the Submariner 126619LB with a blue bezel, the Day-Date 40 228239 and the Perpetual 1908 52509, listed at $27,120.

The black-dial gold Daytona

Most searches for a gold Rolex with a black face end at the Daytona, and the choice comes down to gold, bracelet and generation. The current yellow gold 126518LN on Oysterflex, with a black Cerachrom bezel, was asked from $40,919 on October 12, 2026 with gold-ringed black counters and from $43,709 with golden counters; the 126508 on a solid gold Oyster bracelet with an engraved gold bezel from $45,012 pre-owned. The previous generation, with the calibre 4130 instead of the 4131 introduced in 2023, is the value route: a pre-owned 116518LN from $33,479, the earlier 116528 on a gold bracelet from $34,409 pre-owned and a 116508 from $44,639. The 116518 on a leather strap, the yellow gold Daytona's strap option before the Oysterflex arrived in 2017, was the lowest black-dial gold Daytona on our list at $25,203 pre-owned, with diamond hour markers.

In Everose, the current 126515LN on Oysterflex was asked from $38,129 pre-owned and the 126505 on a bracelet from $49,289, both black with Sundust counters; the earlier 116515LN and 116505 pair black with pink counters, from $40,999 and $40,919 pre-owned. In white gold the 126519LN (from $39,989) and 126509 (from $48,174) pair black with steel-toned counters. Browse them in our yellow gold Daytona collection and every black-dial version in the black dial Daytona collection; our Rolex Oysterflex guide covers the rubber bracelet.

Black-dial Day-Date

The Day-Date 40 in yellow gold, reference 228238, comes with several black dials in Rolex's catalogue: bright black, bright black with a diagonal motif and bright black set with diamonds, all on the President bracelet with a fluted bezel and the calibre 3255 with about 70 hours of power reserve. It has also been made with an onyx dial set with baguette diamonds. On our list the diagonal-motif dial was the lowest ask at $38,129, against $56,988 for onyx and $69,201 for the plain bright black. In white gold, the 228239 with a bright black dial was asked from $44,175. See the yellow gold Day-Date 40 collection and the wider Day-Date President collection.

For a 36 mm black Day-Date, the previous-generation references are the usual route: the yellow gold 118208 from $25,199 and 118238 from $27,668 pre-owned, the Everose 118235 from $30,272 pre-owned and the white gold 118239 from $31,667, with plain black, Arabic, mother-of-pearl and diamond dials. Before the Day-Date 40 came the 41 mm Day-Date II, made from 2008 to 2015 with the calibre 3156; black-dial examples started at $34,922 pre-owned for a white gold 218239 and $41,400 pre-owned for a yellow gold 218238.

Black-dial Sky-Dweller

The Sky-Dweller adds an annual calendar and a second time zone to a 42 mm case. Rolex introduced it in 2012, and the original yellow gold 326138 came on a leather strap; ours, with a black dial, was asked from $37,200 pre-owned. Later yellow gold versions come on the Oysterflex (326238, then the 336238 with the calibre 9002 from 2023) or on a gold Oyster bracelet (326938, then 336938), and the white gold 336239 pairs a bright black dial with the Oysterflex. Asks started at $38,177 for a 326238, $39,050 for a 336239, $43,450 pre-owned for a 326938, $43,803 for a 336238 and $51,150 for a 336938; browse the yellow gold models in our yellow gold Sky-Dweller collection.

Submariner, GMT-Master II and Yacht-Master in gold

The Submariner 126618LN is the yellow gold Submariner Date: 41 mm, black dial, black Cerachrom bezel, the calibre 3235 with about 70 hours of power reserve, waterproof to 300 metres. The white gold 126619LB pairs the same black dial with a blue Cerachrom bezel; its 40 mm predecessor, the 116619LB, had a blue dial. On October 12 the 126618LN was asked from $42,460 pre-owned, the 126619LB from $39,673 pre-owned and the previous yellow gold 116618LN from $33,342 pre-owned; see our yellow gold and white gold Submariner collections.

The GMT-Master II 126718GRNR is the yellow gold GMT with a black dial, a grey and black Cerachrom bezel, a shade Rolex introduced in 2023, and a gold Jubilee bracelet; Rolex also lists it with a tiger iron dial. The Everose 126715CHNR pairs a black dial with a brown and black bezel on an Oyster bracelet. Before them came the yellow gold 116718LN, launched in 2005 with a green dial as the first GMT-Master II with a Cerachrom bezel insert and also made in black, and the white gold 116719BLRO of 2014, the first with a red and blue Cerachrom bezel, which Rolex made with a black dial until it switched to blue in 2018. Asks on our list: 116718LN from $33,999, 116719BLRO from $38,400, 126715CHNR from $44,385 and 126718GRNR from $47,867, all pre-owned.

The Yacht-Master gives the most casual version of the look: black dials on the Oysterflex in white gold (226659), Everose (126655, intense black) and yellow gold (226658), from $30,999 pre-owned.

Dress watches: Perpetual 1908 and Cellini

The Perpetual 1908, launched at Watches & Wonders 2023, is Rolex's gold dress watch: a 39 mm case in yellow or white gold with a domed and fluted bezel, the calibre 7140 with about 66 hours of power reserve, and a white or black dial. Rolex lists the yellow gold 52508 with an intense black dial on a matt black alligator strap or on the gold Settimo bracelet. On our list the black-dial white gold 52509 was asked from $27,120, the 52508 from $31,320 on the strap and $43,165 on the bracelet; see them all in our Rolex 1908 collection.

The 1908 replaced the Cellini, which Rolex retired when the 1908 arrived in 2023. On our list the Cellini was the least expensive way into a solid gold Rolex with a black dial: a Cellini Time in Everose (50505) or white gold (50509) from $13,848 and $14,136, a Cellini Date with a black guilloché dial from $15,423 pre-owned, and an older white gold Cellini Danaos 4233/9 at $7,301. Browse the Cellini Time collection.

Two-tone alternatives with a black dial

If two-tone counts as a gold Rolex for you, Rolex calls it Rolesor: Oystersteel combined with 18 ct gold, mainly in the bezel, crown and bracelet, and it costs far less than solid gold. On October 12 our list had a yellow Rolesor Submariner 126613LN with a black dial and black bezel from $16,368 pre-owned, a Datejust 41 126333 from $16,089 pre-owned, a GMT-Master II 126713GRNR with the grey and black bezel from $22,377 pre-owned and a Daytona 126503 with golden counters from $24,179. The solid gold Submariner 126618LN, by comparison, was $42,460 pre-owned.

Before you buy a black-dial gold Rolex

• Dial against reference. Aftermarket black and diamond dials are fitted to gold Day-Dates and Daytonas. The dial should be one Rolex offered for that reference, and a diamond dial needs papers that support it.
• Photos over titles. Judge the dial from photos, not a listing title: a golden dial with black counters, like the Pikachu, or a dark stone dial is not a black dial.
• Markers and lume. Applied gold markers should be evenly set; on sports models the lume should glow evenly across markers and hands.
• Case and bracelet. Gold is soft. Look for rounded lug edges from polishing and, on a President or Jubilee, stretch between the links.
• Papers. The warranty card should match the serial and the reference; Rolex does not reissue cards.

Quick answers

Which gold Rolex has a black face?

In solid 18 ct gold: the Cosmograph Daytona (126518LN, 126508, 126515LN, 126505, 126519LN, 126509 and earlier references), the Day-Date 40 228238 and 228239 with earlier 36 mm Day-Dates and the 41 mm Day-Date II, the Sky-Dweller, the Submariner 126618LN and 126619LB, the GMT-Master II 126718GRNR and 126715CHNR, the Yacht-Master 226658, 226659 and 126655, and the Perpetual 1908. The discontinued Cellini dress watches also came with black dials.

Is there a gold Daytona with a black dial?

Yes. The current yellow gold 126518LN on Oysterflex and 126508 on a gold bracelet come with black dials, with gold-ringed black counters or golden counters. In Everose the 126515LN and 126505 pair black with Sundust counters, and in white gold the 126519LN and 126509 pair it with steel-toned counters. On October 12, 2026 the lowest black-dial gold Daytona on our list was a pre-owned 116518 on leather at $25,203.

Does the Rolex Day-Date come with a black dial?

Yes. The yellow gold Day-Date 40 228238 is offered with bright black, bright black diagonal-motif and diamond-set black dials, and has been made with an onyx dial set with baguette diamonds; the white gold 228239 comes in bright black. Earlier 36 mm Day-Dates (118208, 118238, 118235, 118239) and the 41 mm Day-Date II were also made with black dials.

Does Rolex make a gold Submariner with a black dial?

Yes. The yellow gold Submariner 126618LN has a black dial and a black Cerachrom bezel, and the white gold 126619LB a black dial with a blue bezel. The previous yellow gold 116618LN was also black. On October 12, 2026 Bizak listed them from $33,342 for a 116618LN, $39,673 for a 126619LB and $42,460 for a 126618LN, all pre-owned.

What is the cheapest gold Rolex with a black dial?

In solid gold, the discontinued Cellini: on October 12, 2026 Bizak listed a white gold Cellini Danaos 4233/9 at $7,301 and a Cellini Time from $13,848. A plain black Day-Date started at $25,199 for a 36 mm 118208, and a black-dial gold Daytona at $25,203 for a 116518 on leather. If two-tone is acceptable, a Rolesor Datejust 41 126333 with a black dial was $16,089 pre-owned.

How much is a gold Rolex with a black dial?

On October 12, 2026 Bizak's sourced catalogue listed a Day-Date 36 118208 at $25,199, a Perpetual 1908 from $27,120, a Day-Date 40 228238 from $38,129, a Daytona 126518LN from $40,919, a Submariner 126618LN from $42,460 pre-owned and a GMT-Master II 126718GRNR from $47,867 pre-owned, all sourced to order. Diamond-set and gem-set versions cost more.

Is the Rolex "Pikachu" a black-dial Daytona?

No. The "Pikachu" nickname refers to the yellow gold 126518LN with a golden dial and black counters. The black-dial 126518LN has a black dial with gold-ringed black counters or golden counters.

What is the Rolex "John Player Special"?

A collector nickname for the vintage Cosmograph Daytona reference 6241 in yellow gold with a black "Paul Newman" dial, made from about 1966 to 1969. The name comes from the black-and-gold John Player Special Lotus Formula One cars of the 1970s; Phillips notes the watch has no actual relation to the team. A 14K example sold at Phillips for CHF 780,200.

Is a two-tone Rolex with a black dial solid gold?

No. Two-tone Rolex watches are Rolesor: Oystersteel combined with 18 ct gold, mainly in the bezel, crown and bracelet. A yellow Rolesor Submariner 126613LN with a black dial was $16,368 pre-owned on October 12, 2026, against $42,460 for the solid gold 126618LN.

Related reading: Rolex Day-Date buying guide · Rolex Daytona price guide · Rolex Daytona meteorite dial.