Four seasons, four Cosmograph Daytonas, and just one of each.
Rolex presents “The Four Seasons,” a series of four unique and exclusive Daytona watches that will be featured in a special charity auction organized in London in collaboration with Phillips on September 28, 2026. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter interpret the four seasons through gold, platinum, natural stones, diamonds, and colored gemstones, creating some of the most striking designs ever seen on the brand’s iconic chronograph.
However, there is much more to these four watches. The auction, the first charity initiative of its kind organized by Rolex, will support the Federer Foundation and Re:wild, an organization launched by a group of scientists together with Leonardo DiCaprio. The four Daytona watches will be sold separately, and all proceeds will be donated to the two organizations.
For enthusiasts and collectors, this promises to be a truly extraordinary event. For while the Daytona has held a special place in Rolex’s history and on the international market for decades, coming across four of them crafted as one-of-a-kind pieces opens up an entirely new world.
Rolex Daytona Four Seasons: Four Seasons, Four Unique Pieces
The starting point remains the Cosmograph Daytona, but Rolex uses color and materials to create four profoundly different identities. Each season combines a precious metal with natural stones for the dial, gemstones for the hour markers and bezel, and diamonds set on the lugs and crown guards. This is a particularly elaborate demonstration of the Maison’s expertise in gem-setting, applied to one of its most recognizable watches.
Spring welcomes spring in an 18-karat white gold case, with a chrysoprase dial and lepidolite sub-dials. The bezel is set with 36 trapezoid-cut purple sapphires totaling approximately 5.57 carats, while the hour markers alternate between eight baguette-cut purple sapphires and three square-cut ones. The lugs and crown guards are embellished with 54 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Spring” Edition
With the Summer model, the color scheme changes completely. The case is crafted from 18-karat Everose gold, the dial is turquoise, and the sub-dials are “heart of ruby.” The sapphires turn pink, both for the hour markers and for the 36 trapezoid-cut stones on the bezel. The contrast between the turquoise and the shades of Everose gold creates perhaps the most instantly recognizable combination in the entire series.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Summer” Edition
Autumn, on the other hand, features 18-karat yellow gold and a dial made of mookaite, a natural stone with subtle color variations that lend themselves well to the autumn theme, paired with chrysoprase sub-dials. This time, green tourmalines mark the hours and adorn the bezel, while the 54 diamonds on the lugs and crown guards remain a common feature across all four models.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Autumn” Edition
The collection is rounded out by the Winter, crafted in 950 platinum. The blue opal dial is paired with lapis lazuli sub-dials and diamond hour markers. On the bezel, 36 trapezoid-cut sapphires create a gradient that transitions from blue to fuchsia. It is a particularly rich combination, in which the gemstones and hues seem almost to change character as the light shifts.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Winter” Edition
Behind the dials and precious stones lies the movement of the current generation of the Daytona. All four Four Seasons models are powered by the Rolex 4131 automatic caliber, with a power reserve of approximately 72 hours and Superlative Chronometer certification.
Why These Four Rolex Daytonas Are So Special
It’s not just a matter of materials. Rolex has explored the relationship between natural stones, gem-setting, and color to capture the four seasons through four distinct interpretations of the Daytona. None of the four configurations will be replicated: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are presented by the Maison as one-of-a-kind timepieces.
It’s a detail that inevitably changes the way we look at these watches. The Daytona has built much of its legend over more than sixty years of history, with models, dials, and configurations that have become the focus of research for generations of collectors. The Four Seasons, on the other hand, will be introduced in 2026 with a characteristic already defined from the outset: each one exists as a single piece.
The choice of natural gemstones adds another dimension. Chrysoprase, lepidolite, turquoise, heart of ruby, mookaite, blue opal, and lapis lazuli bring colors, veining, and variations to the dial that are inherent to the materials themselves. Added to this is an extremely intricate setting, featuring sapphires, tourmalines, and diamonds selected to reflect the chromatic identity of each season.
Federer and DiCaprio: Why the Four Daytonas Are Going Up for Auction
The Four Seasons was launched as part of the Perpetual Planet Initiative, through which Rolex supports organizations and projects dedicated to protecting the environment, the oceans, ecosystems, and exploration.
The initiative involves two Rolex Ambassadors, Roger Federer and Leonardo DiCaprio, along with the organizations they support. The Federer Foundation, founded in 2003, works to expand educational opportunities for children in Southern Africa and Switzerland. Re:wild, launched by a group of conservation scientists in collaboration with DiCaprio, works to protect and restore ecosystems by partnering with local communities and organizations active in the field.
Rolex has chosen to entrust the four watches to Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo. The auction will take place in London on Monday, September 28, and each Daytona will be a separate lot. Phillips is presenting it as Rolex’s first charity auction, with all proceeds going to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild.
The charitable and collectible aspects thus come together in an event that is unlikely to be replicated: four watches that are not part of the regular production line, four one-of-a-kind pieces, and a public auction that will, for the first time, reveal the value the market will assign to each of them.
How much are Rolex Daytona Four Seasons watches worth?
That’s probably the question that will be asked about these watches until September 28. And it’s also the one that, as of today, it would be least appropriate to answer.
There is no real point of comparison. The market can offer significant examples of historic Daytona models, exceptionally rare configurations. The Four Seasons, however, belong to a different category: they are four contemporary creations, crafted as one-of-a-kind pieces and presented directly by Rolex as such.
In a charity auction, another dynamic comes into play that makes any traditional estimate even less meaningful. The final price may exceed the watch’s strictly collectible value, because the purpose of the event and the exceptional nature of the occasion add to the purchase.
We can therefore expect significant results. Trying to put a number on it today, however, would risk detracting from the most fascinating question: Which of the four will be the most sought-after by collectors?
Spring with its chrysoprase? Summer’s almost explosive contrast? Autumn’s shades of mookaite? Or Winter’s platinum, blue opal, and lapis lazuli?
On September 28, we’ll have four answers.
The Daytona and auctions: it’s impossible to forget Paul Newman
Then there’s a precedent that makes any major auction dedicated to the Daytona inevitably fascinating.
In 2017, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, Ref. 6239, formerly owned by Paul Newman It fetched $17,752,500 at Phillips, becoming at the time the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction and writing one of the most famous chapters in the history of collecting.
However, it would be wrong to put the Four Seasons on the same level. Paul Newman’s Daytona had built its value through decades of history, provenance, and collector culture. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are brand-new watches, united by a completely different nature.
If anything, the interesting connection lies in the influence the Cosmograph Daytona continues to exert on the international collecting scene. Few watches manage to combine sporting history, recognizability, rarity, and market appeal with the same intensity. The Four Seasons collection now adds four new interpretations to this legacy, ones that could hardly be more different from the Daytona originally designed for race car drivers in the 1960s, while retaining that instantly recognizable silhouette.
On September 28, all eyes will be on London
We’ll inevitably have to talk about the results. How far will Spring go? Which season will be the most sought-after? Will we see a new record set for a modern-day Daytona?
For now, we have four watches that showcase a particularly rare aspect of Rolex’s production. Natural gemstones, fine jewelry, and expert gem-setting craftsmanship come together in the Cosmograph Daytona in four pieces that will remain one-of-a-kind.
And perhaps this is the most fascinating aspect of the Four Seasons. In a few weeks, we’ll know their auction prices, but the names of the new owners may remain out of the spotlight, and the market will inevitably begin to discuss the results.
But when the hammer falls on the final lot, one thing will remain certain: there will be no other Spring, no other Summer, no other Autumn, and no other Winter. Four seasons. Four Daytonas. One for each.
On September 28, for the first time, we’ll find out what it’s like to be the one and only.
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