A $400,000 Rolex Daytona And The Best Watches I've Seen In 2021: A Buyer's Guide

Watches Tonight host Tim Mosso recounts the best watches he's seen in 2021. As the year draws to a close, it's time to reflect. Tim leads with the stunning Rolex Daytona "Rainbow" and proceeds to name two versions of the famous Rolex chronograph among the most impressive watches in recent memory. The Cosmograph Daytona is no lightweight, but tonight's lineup goes far beyond stainless steel Rolex sports watches. The Rolex Daytona 116599RBOW launched at Baselworld 2012, and it became an instant cult watch. Crafted from white gold and studded with diamonds and sapphires, the white gold Daytona with the rainbow bezel was destined to become one of the rarest Rolex watches of all time. Entirely hand-crafted, this gem-set chronograph includes a bezel of sapphires with the full spectrum of rainbow colors. Unlike many luxury watches such as those from Hublot, the Rolex "Rainbow" Daytona uses true natural sapphires. Due to the challenge of sourcing the correct shades of colored sapphire, the Rolex 116599 and its yellow gold companion reference 116598 were discontinued after short production runs. In addition to the sapphire-set bezel, the Rolex Daytona "rainbow" includes diamond-paved lugs and crown guards. Unlike all other aspects of Rolex watchmaking, the process of setting gems remains artisanal. The diamond-set case of this Daytona was produced in low volume by Rolex jewelers who specialize in setting gems to precious metal. Inboard of the rainbow bezel, Rolex adds diamonds to