ROLEX DAYTONA EXHIBITION FROM JANUARY 4 TO 31, 2017
DISCOVERING A WATCH BORN TO RACE
Bucherer and Rolex invite you to discover the history of a legendary watch, the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, in an exclusive exhibition dedicated to this legendary chronograph and its passionate relationship with the world of motor sports and speed.
Right in the heart of the Golden Triangle of Haute Horlogerie, at 12, boulevard des Capucines, a legendary address of Parisian heritage, the Maison Bucherer presents this event exhibition from January 4 to 31, 2017.
Through a series of panels and interactive content, the exhibition traces the origins and evolution of the Cosmograph Daytona, an iconic watch named
in homage to the speed capital of Florida (USA), home to the world’s greatest racing drivers and speed enthusiasts. Visitors will also be able to admire the new Cosmograph Daytona in 904L steel, equipped with a black ceramic monobloc Cerachrom bezel that combines Rolex’s technological excellence and performance with aesthetic features worthy of the heritage of this unique model.
Created in 1963, the Cosmograph Daytona was born for racing. From the outset, this model has earned its credentials on racetracks the world over for its reliability and performance. It became an icon under the name “Daytona” as one of the most famous chronographs at
.
DAYTONA, WORLD CAPITAL OF SPEED
Before giving its name to one of Rolex’s most emblematic models,
the town of Daytona Beach in Florida forged its own mythology by becoming the Mecca of speed records as early as 1903, on its famous straight beach with sand as hard as concrete. Between 1903 and 1935, 14 world land speed records were set here. Daytona Beach went down in history as the “speed capital of the world”.
In March 1935, British pilot Malcolm Campbell broke all speed records on Daytona beach in his famous Bluebird, reaching a speed of 445 km/h. During this feat, and since 1930, the man who would go down in history as the “King of Speed” wore a Rolex Oyster.
The tradition of motor racing on Daytona Beach continued with the inauguration in 1959 of a permanent hard-surface speedway: Daytona International Speedway. Every year, this giant 4 km-long circuit, with its 31-degree banked corners for breathtaking acceleration, hosts prestigious motor races such as the Daytona 500 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona®. According to the most experienced drivers, this latter 24-hour endurance race, the American equivalent of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is one of the toughest in the world.
THE PILOT’S WATCH
Daytona International Speedway and its exceptional history inspired the Rolex chronograph created in 1963, named Cosmograph Daytona in homage to the famous
circuit. This chronograph of the future takes up one of the challenges of its time, with exceptional legibility of its functions thanks to high-contrast counters and a tachometric scale offset from the dial on the bezel. With its immediately recognizable technical and sporting allure, the Cosmograph Daytona became the drivers’ watch, the ideal instrument for measuring the duration and speed of a race.
In 1963, the Rolex chronograph became the supreme award crowning the winners of the 24 Hours of Daytona, a race inaugurated in 1962 and
renamed the Rolex 24 At Daytona® in 1992. “The watch is the raison d’être of this race,” declared Scott Pruett a few days before winning the 2013 edition with his team for the fifth time. Today, the longest and most prestigious race in the United States, which marks the opening of the international motor racing season, is known to all as “The Rolex”. The Cosmograph
Daytona is also the Official Watch of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the chronograph worn by Rolex Testimonee Tom Kristensen, the only driver to have won the prestigious French race nine times.
More than fifty years after its creation, the Cosmograph Daytona continues to be perfected. Rolex has never changed its policy of
designing and manufacturing a chronograph that meets the brand’s highest standards of sophistication. The success of certain mythical objects sometimes exceeds the expectations of their creators.
Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona
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