News · Rolex

The first Rolesium Rolex Daytona mixes enamel and carbide

Oystersteel and platinum frame a four-plate grand feu enamel dial, an anthracite Cerachrom bezel and visible calibre 4131.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 4 min read · 16 September 2026

• This is the first Cosmograph Daytona in Rolesium, Rolex's combination of Oystersteel and platinum.
• The white grand feu enamel dial uses four ceramic plates, while the new anthracite Cerachrom bezel contains tungsten carbide.
• Calibre 4131 provides a column-wheel, vertical-clutch chronograph and approximately 72 hours of power reserve.

Rolex has produced the first Rolesium Cosmograph Daytona, combining Oystersteel with platinum in a 40 mm chronograph. Announced on 15 September 2026, the watch also introduces an anthracite Cerachrom bezel enriched with tungsten carbide and a white grand feu enamel dial made from separate ceramic plates.

Rolesium reaches the Daytona for the first time

Rolesium is Rolex's term for combining Oystersteel and platinum. The material pairing has long been associated with the Yacht-Master, but this is its first use on a Cosmograph Daytona. The middle case and Oyster bracelet are principally Oystersteel, while platinum appears around the bezel and in the ring that secures the transparent case back.

The arrangement is more restrained than a full precious-metal Daytona. Oystersteel establishes the watch's main colour and working surfaces, while platinum is concentrated at the edges of the case. Those areas catch light differently without dividing the watch into strongly contrasting colours.

A sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating forms the display back. Rolex uses a screwed platinum ring around it, creating a visible precious-metal boundary between the steel middle case and the movement. The front remains protected by sapphire, and the completed Oyster case is rated to 100 metres.

The Triplock crown uses a triple waterproofness system and screws against an integral crown guard. The chronograph pushers also screw down. Those details preserve the modern Daytona's established operating layout even though the material combination is new.

Ceramic and enamel share the dial side

The anthracite Cerachrom bezel is made from zirconia ceramic enriched with tungsten carbide. Rolex says it developed this particular material to create a metallic gleam and has filed a patent application for it. The result is still a ceramic bezel, with the scratch resistance and corrosion resistance associated with Cerachrom, but its surface is intended to read more like metal.

Rolex has also redrawn the tachymetric scale. Its numerals now sit horizontally, referring to the orientation used on the original 1963 Cosmograph Daytona. The recessed graduations, numerals and inscriptions receive a platinum coating through physical vapour deposition.

The white dial uses grand feu enamel, fired at more than 800 degrees Celsius. Instead of applying the enamel to a conventional metal dial, Rolex coats four ceramic plates: one for the main dial and one for each of the three chronograph counters. The plates are fitted to a brass base after firing.

That method gives the dial and counters a related finish without asking one flat enamel surface to perform every visual role. Dark counter surrounds and the anthracite bezel frame the white field, and the separate plates make the construction part of the watch's technical story rather than a colour change alone.

Calibre 4131 remains visible

Calibre 4131 is Rolex's current self-winding Daytona movement. It operates the central chronograph seconds hand and elapsed-time counters through a column wheel and vertical clutch. That combination supports an immediate start and avoids the initial hand jump that can occur with some horizontally coupled chronographs.

The movement includes the Chronergy escapement, a blue Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers. It delivers approximately 72 hours of power reserve and winds through a Perpetual rotor. Rolex decorates its bridges with Rolex Cotes de Geneve, distinguished by a polished groove between the bands.

On this reference, the cut-out oscillating weight is yellow gold. That warm colour is visible through the sapphire back and sits apart from the steel, platinum and anthracite exterior. It is a small visual departure within a watch otherwise built from cool tones.

Rolex's Superlative Chronometer certification applies to the finished watch. For 2026, the brand says the programme adds criteria for magnetic resistance, reliability and sustainability to its tests for precision, waterproofness, automatic winding and power reserve. Rolex specifies a finished-watch rate tolerance of minus two to plus two seconds per day.

The Oyster bracelet keeps the practical hardware

The three-piece Oyster bracelet is made from Oystersteel and uses an Oysterlock folding safety clasp. Rolex also fits its Easylink extension, which allows the wearer to add approximately 5 mm without tools. That is a familiar Daytona feature, retained here while the case metals and dial construction change.

Keeping the bracelet in Oystersteel also controls the amount of platinum used. The precious metal provides visual and structural details around the bezel and back, but the links and clasp remain in the harder-wearing material used for the middle case.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Rolesium price and availability

Rolex announced the Rolesium Cosmograph Daytona on 15 September 2026. The official newsroom page does not state a list price, so buyers will need to confirm pricing and availability with an authorised Rolex retailer.

The release is more than a metal swap. It introduces Rolesium to the Daytona, changes the ceramic composition and tachymeter typography, develops a four-plate grand feu enamel dial and exposes calibre 4131 through a platinum-ringed sapphire back. Each element is familiar in isolation, but Rolex has not previously combined them in this model.