Rolex’s standard yellow gold Daytona today is the 40 mm 126508 on a gold bracelet (US retail $55,200) or the 126518LN on an Oysterflex ($42,700). Our sourcing catalogue lists them from $45,012 and $39,524, earlier gold models from $25,203 and steel-and-gold two-tones from $17,669. Every watch is sourced to order: reserve with a $200 deposit, credited to the final price; once it is confirmed, we send watch-specific photos and a current quote before you pay the balance.
Every automatic Daytona since 1988 has a 40 mm case, so the reference number tells you the rest. The last digit is the metal: 8 for yellow gold, 3 for steel and yellow gold. 1265xx models (2023 on) run on calibre 4131 (the Le Mans on its 24-hour version, 4132), 1165xx models (2000 to 2023) on calibre 4130 and 165xx models (1988 to 2000) on calibre 4030, a modified Zenith El Primero. LN marks a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel. Prices are the lowest live Bizak catalogue price for each reference on 19 October 2026; tap a reference to open its listing and reserve it. Our Rolex Daytona price guide covers steel and platinum too.
| Reference | Made | Case, bezel and bracelet | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126508 | 2023 to date | Yellow gold, gold tachymeter bezel, gold Oyster bracelet (US retail $55,200) | $45,012 |
| 126518LN | 2023 to date | Yellow gold, black Cerachrom bezel, Oysterflex (US retail $42,700) | $39,524 |
| 126503 | 2023 to date | Steel and yellow gold (Yellow Rolesor), gold bezel, steel-and-gold bracelet | $24,179 |
| 116508 | 2016 to 2023 | Yellow gold, gold bezel, gold Oyster bracelet; green “John Mayer” dial from $64,169 | $41,849 |
| 116518LN | 2017 to 2023 | Yellow gold, black Cerachrom bezel, Oysterflex | $33,479 |
| 116528 | 2000 to 2016 | Yellow gold, gold bezel, gold Oyster bracelet | $32,549 |
| 116518 | From 2000 | Yellow gold, gold bezel, leather strap | $25,203 |
| 116503 | 2016 to 2023 | Steel and yellow gold, gold bezel, steel-and-gold bracelet | $20,459 |
| 116523 | 2000 to 2016 | Steel and yellow gold, gold bezel, steel-and-gold bracelet | $17,669 |
| 16528 | 1988 to 2000 | Yellow gold, gold bezel, gold bracelet, calibre 4030 | $32,549 |
| 126528LN | 2024 | “Le Mans”: yellow gold, black Cerachrom bezel with a red 100, calibre 4132 | $211,109 |
| 126538TBR | Current | Yellow gold, diamond-set bezel, diamond hour markers, Oysterflex | $156,559 |
| 126598TBR | Current | Yellow gold, diamond-set bezel, diamond hour markers, gold Oyster bracelet (US retail $156,600) | $200,178 |
The two standard yellow gold Daytonas share the 40 mm, 18 ct gold Oyster case, waterproof to 100 m, and calibre 4131, with about 72 hours of power reserve and Rolex’s −2/+2 seconds a day precision. The 126508 has a yellow gold bezel with an engraved tachymetric scale and a solid gold Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock clasp and a 5 mm Easylink extension. Rolex offers it with white, black, golden and bright green dials and with diamond-set dials; the bright green 126508 starts at $77,189.
The 126518LN pairs the same case with a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel and an Oysterflex bracelet: flexible metal blades overmoulded with elastomer, closed by an Oysterlock clasp with a Glidelock extension. It costs $12,500 less at retail and wears lighter. Its dials include the golden dial with black counters that collectors call the “Pikachu” (from $50,219), a meteorite dial (from $92,999) and, since 2025, a turquoise lacquer dial (from $111,599). More Daytonas on rubber are on our Oysterflex Daytona page. Choose the 126508 for the all-gold look and a bracelet; choose the 126518LN for a lighter, sportier watch at a lower price.
Gold Daytonas date from the manually wound era: Sotheby’s estimates that about one in ten of the roughly 40,000 6263 and 6265 Daytonas were made in yellow gold. The automatic gold Daytona arrived in 1988 with the 16528 on a bracelet and the 16518 on leather, both on calibre 4030. In 2000 the 116528 and 116518 moved to Rolex’s own calibre 4130. In 2016 the 116508 replaced the 116528, with wider bezel numerals and triangular markers, and introduced the green dial named after John Mayer: see our 116508 green dial guide and the John Mayer Daytona page. In 2017 the 116518LN and its Everose and white gold siblings became the first Daytonas on an Oysterflex. In 2023 the 126508 and 126518LN took over with calibre 4131, which brings Rolex’s Chronergy escapement.
The previous generation is the cheaper way into solid gold: a 116518 on leather from $25,203, a 116528 from $32,549 and a 116518LN from $33,479, against $39,524 for the cheapest current 126518LN.
Rolex also offers diamond-set dials on the plain references: in the US a 126518LN with one is $44,800 at retail and a 126508 $57,300. The gem-set references replace the tachymetric scale with stones and carry their own reference numbers. The 126598TBR (gold bracelet, US retail $156,600) and the 126538TBR (Oysterflex) have a diamond-set bezel and baguette diamond hour markers. The “Rainbow” 116598RBOW and 126598RBOW have a bezel of baguette sapphires graded through the colours of the rainbow, and the 2019 “Eye of the Tiger” 116588TBR pairs a diamond bezel with a black dial striped in gold and diamonds, on an Oysterflex. On Bizak, factory gem-set examples start at $156,559 (126538TBR), $200,178 (126598TBR), $222,130 (116588TBR), $388,925 (126598RBOW) and $411,999 (116598RBOW). See also the Rainbow Daytona and diamond dial Daytona pages.
A gem-set Daytona priced like a plain gold one almost certainly has aftermarket stones. Listings marked custom are gold Daytonas set with stones after they left Rolex, and they are valued as modified watches.
The 126528LN “Le Mans” of 2024 is the yellow gold version of the Daytona Rolex made in 2023 for the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: a black Cerachrom bezel with a red 100, a sapphire case back and calibre 4132, whose hour counter runs to 24 hours. Phillips notes that it does not appear in Rolex’s catalogue. We list it from $211,109.
The steel and yellow gold Daytona, Rolex’s Yellow Rolesor, combines Oystersteel and yellow gold, with a gold bezel and a steel-and-gold bracelet, and costs far less than solid gold: the current 126503 from $24,179, the 116503 from $20,459 and the 116523 from $17,669. All three are on our steel and yellow gold Daytona page.
If gold means another colour, Rolex makes the same two current models in Everose gold, the 126505 from $49,289 and 126515LN from $38,129 (rose gold Daytona), and in white gold, the 126509 from $48,174 and 126519LN from $39,989 (white gold Daytona).
Found your reference? Open its listing and tap Reserve with $200. Our buyer protection page sets out the deposit terms, and our authentication process explains the inspection before dispatch. More checks are in our guide to buying a Daytona from a grey dealer. Selling or trading a gold Daytona instead? See sell or trade your watch.
Rolex's US retail price is $55,200 for the yellow gold 126508 on its gold bracelet and $42,700 for the 126518LN on an Oysterflex. On Bizak they start at $45,012 and $39,524. Earlier solid gold models start at $25,203 (116518 on leather), $32,549 (116528) and $41,849 (116508), two-tone steel and gold models at $17,669, and factory gem-set references at $156,559.
Both are the current 40 mm yellow gold Daytona with calibre 4131. The 126508 has a yellow gold bezel with an engraved tachymetric scale and a solid gold Oyster bracelet; the 126518LN has a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel and an Oysterflex bracelet, made of flexible metal blades overmoulded with elastomer. The Oysterflex model is $12,500 less at US retail ($42,700 against $55,200) and wears lighter.
Yes. The 116508 was made from 2016 to 2023, when the 126508 replaced it. Both are 40 mm yellow gold Daytonas with a gold bezel and bracelet; the 116508 runs on calibre 4130 and the 126508 on calibre 4131, which brings Rolex's Chronergy escapement. Before the 116508, the yellow gold bracelet model was the 116528 of 2000 to 2016.
The yellow gold 116508 with a green dial, introduced at Baselworld 2016 and nicknamed after the musician John Mayer, who championed it. The current 126508 also comes with a bright green dial. On Bizak the green 116508 starts at $64,169 and the bright green 126508 at $77,189.
Yes. Rolex offers diamond-set dials on the plain references, for example $44,800 for a 126518LN and $57,300 for a 126508 at US retail, and gem-set references with a diamond bezel in place of the tachymetric scale: the 126598TBR on a gold bracelet ($156,600 at retail) and the 126538TBR on an Oysterflex. On Bizak factory gem-set yellow gold Daytonas start at $156,559. A gem-set watch priced like a plain gold one almost certainly has aftermarket stones.
A two-tone Daytona, which Rolex calls Yellow Rolesor, combines Oystersteel and yellow gold: a gold bezel and a steel-and-gold bracelet. A solid gold Daytona such as the 126508 is 18 ct yellow gold, case and bracelet. On Bizak two-tone Daytonas start at $17,669 (116523) and $24,179 for the current 126503, against $45,012 for a current solid gold 126508.
It depends on the reference, the dial and the set. Rolex sets retail prices, not resale prices, and resale values move. Sought-after dials carry the biggest premiums: on Bizak a white-dial 126518LN starts at $39,524, the “Pikachu” dial at $50,219, the meteorite at $92,999 and the turquoise at $111,599. A factory-original watch with its box and papers is easier to resell; aftermarket diamonds or a refinished dial lower its value.
Match the reference engraved between the lugs at 12 o'clock and the serial (on the rehaut of a modern watch) to the papers, check that the dial, hands and bezel are right for the reference, and ask whether any diamonds are factory. Before dispatch, Bizak confirms the specific watch and arranges its inspection, covering the reference and serial, movement, case, dial, bracelet and papers; our authentication process page lists each check.
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