Short on time? 2023 was the Daytona's 60th birthday, and Rolex marked it with the 126500LN and the calibre 4131. The GMT-Master II got a new two-tone, the 126713GRNR in yellow Rolesor with a grey and black bezel. And in June, Rolex launched the Le Mans Daytona 126529LN for the race's centenary, with a 24-hour chronograph. All three are in our safe.
The 60th-Anniversary Daytona
Rolex launched the 126500LN at Watches & Wonders 2023, replacing the 116500LN. Same 40mm case and ceramic bezel, but with a thin steel edge around the bezel, reshaped lugs, a refined dial and the new calibre 4131. It's evolution, not revolution. We compared the two generations side by side.
A New Grey for the GMT-Master II
The 126713GRNR brought yellow Rolesor back to the GMT-Master II, with a grey and black Cerachrom bezel, a shade of grey Rolex hadn't used on the GMT-Master II before. It comes on the Jubilee bracelet only and uses the calibre 3285. It's the most "classic Rolex" of the current GMT line-up. More in our 126713GRNR guide.
The Le Mans Daytona
In June 2023, for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex released the 126529LN in white gold. It's the only modern Daytona that can time a full 24 hours, thanks to its dedicated calibre 4132, and it has a red "100" on the bezel and a Paul Newman-style dial. It was gone by April 2024, which makes it one of the shortest-lived modern Rolex references. More in our Le Mans guide.
Looking Back
2023 was a confident year for Rolex. A careful update to its most famous chronograph, a new colour for its travel watch, and a short-run special that collectors still talk about.
In the safe from 2023's releases: a 2025 Daytona 126500LN, an unworn 126713GRNR and a Le Mans 126529LN.
