Right On Track

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona has made quite a circuit in its race towards superlativeness.

- John McFaiz

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona is – as the brand calls it – a “guarantee of performance”. And we have to give it to the watchmaker indeed. Fifty odd years since the watch’s launch in 1963, it has been constantly evolving with one main aim – to better its performance, inching inexorably towards unattainable perfection. And the improvements are not just limited to the interior or the exterior. Rolex takes a 360-degree view when it comes to such upgrading projects. The seeds of improvement were planted back in 1963 when the Swiss watchmaker first rolled out the new-generation chronograph.

The Cosmograph was dedicated to racing drivers and formed yet another member of the brand’s Professional category, which already included the Submariner. Watch design then was not as refined as it is today, so legibility for the chronograph functions was a major issue. Rolex, ever the innovator, upped the ante and incorporated groundbreaking design to the watch. The chronograph functions came in either black (on a light coloured dial) or light colours (on a black dial); the tachymetric scale – which measured the average speed over a fixed distance using the chronograph seconds hands – was shifted to the bezel from the dial, giving the face more breathing space.