Rolex Turns the Daytona Into a Four-Season Set
Rolex has unveiled four unique Cosmograph Daytona watches unlike anything in its standard collection.
Known collectively as The Four Seasons, the four one-of-one watches reinterpret the Daytona through natural-stone dials, precious metals and extensive gem-setting, with each piece designed around the colors and atmosphere of a different season.
The watches will be offered by Phillips in London on September 28, 2026, as four individual lots. Rolex says all proceeds from the sale will benefit two organizations: the Federer Foundation, founded by Roger Federer, and Re:wild, the conservation organization co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio.
The project forms part of Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, through which the company supports organizations and projects focused on exploration, environmental conservation, ocean protection and wilderness preservation.
Four Daytonas, Four Seasons
Each watch represents one season through a different combination of case metal, natural stone and gemstones.
All four share Rolex calibre 4131, approximately 72 hours of power reserve and Superlative Chronometer certification.
Each also features 54 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the lugs and crown guards, totaling approximately 0.86 carats per watch.
Spring
The Spring Daytona is crafted in 18 ct white gold.
Its dial is made from chrysoprase with lepidolite counters.
The bezel is set with 36 trapeze-cut purple sapphires totaling approximately 5.57 carats.
Its hour markers consist of eight baguette-cut purple sapphires and three square-cut purple sapphires set in 18 ct white gold.
The result is a vivid combination of green and purple that gives Spring perhaps the freshest color palette of the four watches.
Summer
Summer uses an 18 ct Everose gold case.
Its dial is crafted from turquoise with counters made from heart of ruby.
The bezel is set with 36 trapeze-cut pink sapphires totaling approximately 4.32 carats.
The hour markers use eight baguette-cut pink sapphires and three square-cut pink sapphires set in 18 ct pink gold.
The turquoise, pink sapphire and Everose combination makes Summer arguably the most immediately recognizable of the four.
Autumn
The Autumn Daytona is produced in 18 ct yellow gold.
Its dial is crafted from mookaite with chrysoprase counters.
The bezel contains 36 trapeze-cut green tourmalines totaling approximately 4.32 carats.
Eight baguette-cut green tourmalines and three square-cut green tourmalines serve as the hour markers, set in 18 ct yellow gold.
The combination of mookaite, yellow gold and green tourmaline gives Autumn the warmest and most earth-toned appearance in the collection.
Winter
Winter is housed in 950 platinum.
Its dial is crafted from blue opal with lapis lazuli counters.
The bezel is set with 36 trapeze-cut sapphires arranged in a blue-to-fuchsia gradient, totaling approximately 5.57 carats.
Its hour markers are eight baguette-cut diamonds and three square-cut diamonds set in 18 ct white gold.
With platinum, blue opal, lapis lazuli, diamonds and a gradient sapphire bezel, Winter is arguably the most elaborate execution of the group.
More Than Four Rare Daytonas
The rarity is obvious: Rolex describes each of the four watches as unique.
But the more interesting part may be that Rolex chose the Cosmograph Daytona as the platform for such an expressive project.
The Daytona has spent decades associated with motorsport, precision timing and one of the most recognizable chronograph designs in modern watchmaking.
The Four Seasons watches take that familiar architecture in a dramatically different direction.
Natural-stone dials, vividly colored gemstones, diamond-set cases and precious metals transform the Daytona into something closer to a showcase of Rolex’s gem-setting capabilities.
Rolex says each watch is intended to evoke the atmosphere and beauty of its respective season while reflecting the natural cycle of time and life.
That makes The Four Seasons unusual on two levels: these are unique Rolex watches, but they are also being used specifically to raise money for charitable causes rather than entering the standard commercial collection.
Federer, DiCaprio and the Charitable Mission
The auction benefits two organizations associated with longtime Rolex Testimonees Roger Federer and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Federer Foundation was established in 2003 and focuses on early and foundational learning for children in Southern Africa and Switzerland.
Re:wild works alongside Indigenous Peoples, local communities and conservation organizations to protect and restore wild ecosystems around the world.
Rolex says the missions of both organizations align with the goals of its broader Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour described the project as an example of measuring excellence not only through product quality, but also through positive impact.
All proceeds from the September 28 sale are set to benefit the two organizations.
What Could These Watches Be Worth?
For now, that question does not have an official answer.
Rolex’s published material does not provide pre-sale estimates for the four lots, and WristActivity is not treating speculative figures circulating around the watches as official auction estimates.
That distinction matters.
Unique Rolex watches already occupy a very different collector environment from ordinary production references.
Add the Daytona name, natural-stone dials, extensive gem-setting, charity provenance and a Phillips auction, and there is every reason to expect serious collector interest.
But until formal estimates are published or the watches actually cross the block, their ultimate market value remains unknown.
The September 28 auction will provide the first real answer.
