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- Rolex has created four unique Cosmograph Daytonas inspired by Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
- Each one combines an 18 ct gold or 950 platinum case with natural-stone dials, coloured gemstones and diamond-set lugs and crown guards.
- All four have now sold at Phillips in London for a combined £37.3 million (USD $49.4 million or roughly AUD $70.7 million), with proceeds benefiting the Federer Foundation and Re:wild.
Rolex unveiled four one-of-one Cosmograph Daytonas, each inspired by a different season, before sending them to auction at Phillips in London on 28 September. The collection sold for a combined total of £37.3 million (USD $49.4 million or roughly AUD $70.7 million), exceeding pre-sale expectations, with all the proceeds going directly to charity.
The Crown makes plenty of rare watches, but Rolex seldom, if ever, publicly confirms that a piece is truly unique. With the Four Seasons collection, it has created four genuinely one-of-one watches, wrapping one of its most recognisable watches four times over with natural stone, coloured gemstones and an enormous amount of precious metal.
Each Daytona follows the same seasonal idea, but the execution changes completely from one watch to the next. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter all get their own colour palette, materials and personality.
How Much Did Each Rolex Four Seasons Daytona Sell For?
Turns out, the USD$10 million pre-sale chatter was a little conservative.
When the four Four Seasons Daytonas went under the hammer at Phillips in London on 28 September, they sold individually for a combined £37.3 million (USD $49.4 million or roughly AUD $70.7 million), with all proceeds going to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild.
Summer brought the biggest result at £10.3 million (roughly AUD $19.5 million), followed closely by Autumn at £10.2 million (AUD $19.3 million) and Winter at £10 million (AUD $18.9 million). Spring came in at the lower end of the four, at a far more reasonable £6.8 million (AUD $12.9 million).
Phillips described the £37.3 million result as the “single largest consignment to a charity auction ever”.
Rolex Made Only One Daytona for Each Season
Across all four seasons, you’ll find a mix of gold and platinum cases, natural-stone dials, gem-set bezels and diamond-set lugs, but the colours and materials change completely depending on the season.
Spring Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona – Key Specs
- Case: 18 ct white gold
- Dial: Chrysoprase with lepidolite counters
- Bezel: 36 purple sapphires, approx. 5.57 ct
- Hour markers: Purple sapphires
- Diamonds: 54 brilliant-cut stones across the lugs and crown guards
As we head into September here in Australia, the Spring Daytona follows suit, featuring an 18 ct white gold case and a green chrysoprase (a bright green stone from the quartz family) dial, paired with purple lepidolite (a purple mineral) chronograph counters. Rolex surrounds it with 36 trapeze-cut purple sapphires totalling about 5.57 carats, with another 11 purple sapphires as the hour markers for good measure.
If you’re looking for a burst of spring on your wrist, this Daytona is blooming with new life. There’s green, purple, and almost every available surface has something colourful to do before the heat rises next season.
Summer Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona – Key Specs
- Case: 18 ct Everose gold
- Dial: Turquoise with heart-of-ruby counters
- Bezel: 36 pink sapphires, approx. 4.32 ct
- Hour markers: Pink sapphires
- Diamonds: 54 brilliant-cut stones across the lugs and crown guards
The Summer Daytona gets considerably warmer, but it’s still just as colourful. The case switches to 18 ct Everose gold around a bright turquoise dial, while the chronograph counters are crafted from heart of ruby. A bezel of 36 pink sapphires surrounds the dial, with matching pink sapphires used for the hour markers.
Autumn Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona – Key Specs
- Case: 18 ct yellow gold
- Dial: Mookaite with chrysoprase counters
- Bezel: 36 green tourmalines, approx. 4.32 ct
- Hour markers: Green tourmalines
- Diamonds: 54 brilliant-cut stones across the lugs and crown guards
With the temperature dropping slightly, we head into Autumn, which might actually be my pick of the seasonal quartet. Rolex uses 18 ct yellow gold with a yellow-orange mookaite (an Australian stone known for earthy reds, yellows and creams) dial and green chrysoprase counters, before adding 36 green tourmalines around the bezel. It’s a pretty wild colour combination that I’d have to see in person to judge how those green tourmalines react to the light against all that yellow gold.
Winter Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona – Key Specs
- Case: 950 platinum
- Dial: Blue opal with lapis lazuli counters
- Bezel: 36 sapphires in a blue-to-fuchsia gradient, approx. 5.57 ct
- Hour markers: Diamonds
- Diamonds: 54 brilliant-cut stones across the lugs and crown guards
Time to turn the heater on; winter is here. With the coldest season of the year, Rolex swaps the gold cases for 950 platinum in the Winter Daytona, bringing the chill with a blue opal dial and lapis lazuli (a deep-blue stone) counters. The bezel uses 36 sapphires arranged in a gradient from blue through to fuchsia. The hour markers, on the other hand, use diamonds rather than coloured gemstones.
Where Is the AUD$70.7 Million Going?
The AUD $70.7 million raised from the Four Seasons Daytona auction will benefit the Federer Foundation and Re:wild. The initiative brings together two of Rolex’s best-known Testimonees.
We all know how good Roger Federer is on the court, but he also established the Federer Foundation in 2003 to support education opportunities for children in Southern Africa and Switzerland. Then there’s Leonardo DiCaprio, who helped launch Re:wild alongside conservation scientists to protect and restore ecosystems worldwide.
Now that the hammer has fallen, there won’t be another Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter in the Rolex catalogue.
At a combined AUD $70.7 million, though, the Four Seasons have done more than show off what Rolex can do with gemstones. The proceeds will now support education through the Federer Foundation and conservation through Re:wild, which feels like a pretty fitting ending for four watches named after the seasons.
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