Rolex Daytona Diamond
Browse 40 mm Cosmograph Daytona references with factory diamond bezels, diamond-set dials, or both, in yellow gold, white gold, Everose and platinum. Show more
The Daytona was built for endurance racing, with a tachymetric scale for reading average speed and a chronograph for timing a stint. The gem-set versions keep that mechanism untouched and change only what sits on top of it — the bezel, the dial, or on a handful of references both at once. Rolex sets these stones in-house using natural, untreated diamonds matched for cut and colour, which is why a factory-set Daytona and an aftermarket one are treated as different watches entirely on the secondary market.
What to Check Before You Buy
- Factory or aftermarket. Rolex gem-setting is recorded in the reference number and on the papers. Stones added afterwards carry no such record, and they take value off the watch rather than adding it.
- Bezel, dial, or both. These are three separate configurations at very different price points, and the reference number tells you which one you are looking at.
- Case metal. Every diamond Daytona in this collection is cased in gold, platinum, or Rolesor steel-and-gold — Rolex does not gem-set a plain Oystersteel Daytona.
- Condition. Stock runs from unworn current-production references to pre-owned examples going back to the 16523.
Browse and filter this collection
Rolex Daytona Diamond Price
At Watch My Diamonds, diamond Rolex Daytona watches range from $21,476 to $451,000 across 16 priced listings.
What moves that number is the configuration, not the age. A pre-owned Rolesor reference with a mother of pearl diamond dial sits at the foot of the range; a gem-set bezel in white or Everose gold multiplies it several times over; and the halo references — the 126555TBR “Giraffe” and the 116595RBOW “Rainbow” — occupy a bracket of their own. Around two thirds of this collection is listed as price on request, so the live range above reflects the priced listings only.
Diamond Bezel, Diamond Dial, or Both
Three different watches share the phrase “diamond Daytona”, and the reference number separates them.
Diamond dial, plain bezel. The most accessible of the three. The chronograph registers and the tachymetric bezel stay exactly as Rolex built them, and the stones sit on the dial, either as hour markers or as a full pavé field. In stock now: the 116503 in Rolesor with a Tahitian mother of pearl diamond dial, the 116519LNG in white gold with a black diamond dial beneath a Cerachrom bezel — LN for lunette noire — and the 116599 in white gold with a pavé dial.
Diamond bezel. Rolex replaces the engraved tachymetric bezel with a gem-set one, which alters the profile of the watch far more than a dial ever does. The 116599RBR in white gold and the 116568BR in yellow gold, its baguette-cut bezel over a green dial, are both here.
Both at once. The rarest configuration and the top of the range. The 126555TBR “Giraffe” in Everose pairs a chestnut brown diamond dial with a diamond bezel.
Two references sit outside that scheme. The 116595RBOW and the 116505 Rainbow set rainbow-coloured sapphire baguettes in the bezel rather than diamonds, with the diamonds moved to the lugs — and the 116589TBR “Eye of the Tiger” carries a gem-set bezel above a striped dial.
Choosing a Diamond Daytona
Black is the most common dial in this collection, and the mother of pearl family is second. Mother of pearl is cut from shell, so no two dials are the same and the colour shifts with the angle — worth seeing in more than one photograph before you commit to one.
Platinum is a special case. The 126506 and the 116506 before it are the only Daytonas Rolex has ever cased in platinum, and the ice blue dial that identifies them is used on no other metal.
Every watch here is 40 mm, the case size the Daytona has carried since 1988. Use the filters above the grid to narrow by dial colour, bracelet, condition and availability, and see our wider Rolex diamond bezel and Rolex Daytona collections for everything either side of this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a Rolex Daytona with diamonds?
The live range across our priced listings is shown in the Rolex Daytona Diamond Price section above, and it is generated from current stock rather than written by hand. The floor is a pre-owned Rolesor example with a diamond dial; the ceiling is a gem-set halo reference in Everose.
Does a diamond bezel add to the value of a Daytona?
A factory diamond bezel does, because Rolex records the gem-setting in the reference number and the accompanying papers, and the supply of those references is far smaller than the supply of standard ones. Diamonds added by a third party do the opposite: they void the factory configuration and most dealers price the watch below an unmodified equivalent.
What is the difference between a diamond dial and a pavé dial?
A diamond dial uses stones in place of the applied hour markers, leaving the dial surface visible between them. A pavé dial is covered edge to edge in small stones set close together, with the markers applied on top. Pavé sits higher in the range and is far less common in the Daytona line.
Is there a stainless steel Daytona with diamonds?
Not in plain Oystersteel. The closest is Rolesor, Rolex’s steel-and-gold combination, which does take factory diamond dials — references 116503 and 116523 are the ones to look for, and both appear in this collection.