Rolex is preparing to take an unusually public step with the auction of four unique Cosmograph Daytona watches created to represent the four seasons.
The one-of-a-kind pieces will be offered on 28 September 2026, with proceeds benefiting the Roger Federer Foundation and Re:wild, the environmental organisation associated with Leonardo DiCaprio. Both Federer and DiCaprio are long-standing Rolex ambassadors, bringing together watchmaking, philanthropy and international cultural influence in a single project.
Each Daytona has been individually conceived through a distinctive combination of precious metal and gemstones. Spring appears in white gold with purple sapphires, Summer in Everose gold with rubies, Autumn in yellow gold with green tourmalines, and Winter in platinum with diamonds and sapphires.
The four-watch set was first presented at Watches and Wonders in Geneva with a valuation of CHF4 million. Interest has since extended far beyond the traditional collector community, with more than a thousand prospective buyers reportedly expressing interest and private offers said to have reached $10 million.
The sale represents a notable departure for Rolex. The manufacture has traditionally protected its mystique through discretion, controlled production and limited direct participation in the spectacle surrounding the secondary market. A public auction of unique contemporary Rolex creations therefore carries significance well beyond the final price.
The result may establish a new benchmark for a modern Daytona. More importantly, it demonstrates how rarity, cultural relevance and philanthropy can be combined without diminishing the authority of one of watchmaking’s most closely guarded names.
