The Rolex Daytona Panda is the nickname for Cosmograph Daytona references with a white dial and black chronograph counters, a high-contrast look collectors compare to a panda’s face.
The current production model is reference 126500LN, powered by Rolex’s in-house Calibre 4131. Retail price in Saudi Arabia starts at 74,700 SAR, VAT included, though genuine examples routinely trade well above that on the secondary market.
Key facts
- Current reference: 126500LN
- Movement: Calibre 4131, self-winding chronograph
- Case: 40 mm Oystersteel
- Water resistance: 100 metres
- Power reserve: approximately 72 hours
- Production status: current
- Nickname origin: unofficial, coined by collectors, not a Rolex model name
What Is the Rolex Daytona Panda?
A Panda Daytona is any Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a white dial and black subdials, a pairing collectors nicknamed after the animal’s face. Rolex has never used the word “Panda” on a dial, a box, or a price list.
The name grew out of watch forums and auction catalogues in the years after reference 16520 appeared in 1988, then stuck to every white-dial Daytona that followed.
The contrast exists for a practical reason. The Cosmograph Daytona was built in 1963 for endurance racing, and its tachymetric scale (the ring of numbers on the bezel used to calculate speed) only works if the chronograph subdials are easy to read at a glance.
Black counters on a white face solved that problem long before it became a style statement, which is why the same clarity still appeals to buyers who want one watch for both the racetrack and the boardroom.
Rolex Daytona Panda Models & Reference Numbers Explained
Five references span six decades of the Panda look, though collectors do not consider all of them equally “true” to the name. Here is how each one earned, or merely borrowed, the nickname.
The Modern Panda: 126500LN & 116500LN
The reference 126500LN is the Panda in current production, introduced in 2023 to mark the Daytona’s sixtieth anniversary. It carries the manufacture Calibre 4131, a bezel ring in polished steel around the black Cerachrom ceramic insert, and subdial rings that Rolex thinned slightly compared with its predecessor.
That predecessor, the 116500LN, ran from 2016 to 2023 and is the reference most people picture when they hear “Panda Daytona.” It was the first modern Cosmograph Daytona to pair a white dial with a full black Cerachrom bezel, and it built the waiting lists that still define the model’s reputation today.
Rolex discontinued it when the 126500LN arrived, though it remains available through the secondary market.
Zenith Panda (16520) & the “Panda-Adjacent” 116520
Reference 16520, produced from 1988 to 2000, was the first automatic Daytona and the one that gave the “Zenith Panda” its name: Rolex modified a Zenith El Primero movement to power it, before developing its own chronograph calibre in 2000. Its steel bezel and 40 mm case set the template every Daytona since has followed.
Its successor, the 116520 (2000 to 2016), is where the Panda story gets less tidy. Rolex’s own in-house Calibre 4130 replaced the Zenith-based movement, but the white-dial version paired its subdials with silver rings rather than solid black, a tone-on-tone look closer to the standard Daytona than a true Panda.
Many collectors treat the 116520 as Panda-adjacent rather than Panda, a distinction worth knowing before you go shopping by nickname alone.
The Paul Newman Panda: References 6239, 6263 & 6265
The earliest Panda-style Daytona is the reference 6239, introduced in 1963 as the very first Cosmograph Daytona. It ran on a hand-wound Valjoux movement, measured 37 mm, and carried an “exotic” dial with art deco numerals and a contrasting outer minute track.
It later became the watch actor and racer Paul Newman wore daily, and today “Daytona Paul Newman” refers to any Daytona from this exotic-dial family, recognisable by its squared subdial markers and bold outer minute track.
Two later references refined the look. The 6263 used a black acrylic bezel insert, while the 6265 replaced it with an engraved steel bezel, and both ran the upgraded Valjoux 727 movement from 1969 until Rolex retired hand-wound Daytonas in 1988.
Surviving examples in original condition are scarce, which is why a Paul Newman Daytona owned by Newman himself set a world auction record for a wristwatch when it sold at Phillips in October 2017 for 17,752,500 dollars, roughly 66.6 million SAR at the current riyal peg. Modern references still nod to that design in the red “Daytona” script above six o’clock.
| Reference | Era / Nickname | Years Produced | Case Size | Movement | Bezel |
| 6239 | Early Paul Newman | 1963 to 1969 | 37 mm | Valjoux 72, hand-wound | Steel, engraved tachymeter |
| 6263 | Paul Newman Panda | 1969 to 1988 | 37 mm | Valjoux 727, hand-wound | Black acrylic insert |
| 6265 | Paul Newman Panda | 1969 to 1988 | 37 mm | Valjoux 727, hand-wound | Engraved steel |
| 16520 | Zenith Panda | 1988 to 2000 | 40 mm | Zenith El Primero-based, Calibre 4030, automatic | Steel |
| 116520 | Panda-adjacent | 2000 to 2016 | 40 mm | Calibre 4130, automatic, in-house | Steel |
| 116500LN | Modern Panda | 2016 to 2023 | 40 mm | Calibre 4130, automatic, in-house | Black Cerachrom ceramic |
| 126500LN | Current Panda | 2023 to present | 40 mm | Calibre 4131, automatic, in-house | Black Cerachrom ceramic |
Table ordered chronologically, oldest to newest. Movement designations aligned with WATCHESPEDIA’s own Rolex Daytona guide.
A note on variations: the Panda configuration most people mean is the white and black dial on an Oystersteel case.
Our own Daytona model guide does not list a Panda-style dial among the current gold or platinum references, which lean toward colours such as ice blue, chocolate, and turquoise instead, so confirm with an authorized retailer before you shop by that assumption.
Collectors also use “Reverse Panda” for the opposite layout, a black dial with white subdials: a related but distinct variant, not another name for the same watch.
How Much Is a Rolex Daytona Panda Worth?
Retail price for the current 126500LN in Saudi Arabia starts at 74,700 SAR, VAT included, the suggested retail price listed by Saddik & Mohamed Attar, an official Rolex retailer in Jeddah. That figure can be revised at any time, and it is not what most buyers actually pay to own one today.
On the secondary market, genuine Panda Daytonas routinely sell above retail. As of mid-2026, resale prices for the current 126500LN typically run from roughly 124,000 to 135,000 SAR (about 33,000 to 36,000 dollars).
The discontinued 116500LN trades in a wider band, roughly 105,000 to 142,500 SAR (about 28,000 to 38,000 dollars), with price depending heavily on condition and whether the original box and papers are included.
The gap between retail and resale is the single biggest reason the Panda Daytona comes up in conversations about watches as investments.
Whether that makes it a good investment depends on what you are optimising for. Scarcity, brand strength, and consistent demand have supported strong resale values over time, but past performance in a collectibles market is not a guarantee of future returns, and this article is not financial advice.
| Reference | Retail Price (SAR) | Secondary Market (approx.) |
| 126500LN (current) | 74,700 SAR | 124,000 to 135,000 SAR (33,000 to 36,000 dollars) |
| 116500LN (discontinued) | N/A, retail discontinued | 105,000 to 142,500 SAR (28,000 to 38,000 dollars) |
Secondary market figures are approximate, converted at the current riyal peg of 3.75 SAR per dollar, and will move with the market. Recheck current listings before publishing or quoting a specific number.
For the full Daytona lineup with every reference and SAR price, current waiting times at Saudi retailers, and where to buy locally, see our Rolex Daytona guide for Saudi Arabia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Rolex Daytona called “Panda”?
Collectors coined the name, not Rolex. The white dial and black chronograph counters on references like the 116500LN and 126500LN resemble a panda’s face, and the nickname has stuck since reference 16520 popularised the look in the late 1980s.
Is the Panda Daytona discontinued?
No. Reference 126500LN is Rolex’s current production Panda Daytona. Its predecessor, the 116500LN, was discontinued in 2023 when the 126500LN replaced it, which is often the source of the confusion.
What is the 2026 Panda Rolex?
As of this writing, the 126500LN remains the latest reference, introduced in 2023 for the Daytona’s sixtieth anniversary. Confirm this against Rolex’s current catalogue, since new references can appear at Watches and Wonders each spring.
What does “LN” mean in the reference number?
“LN” stands for the French “lunette noire,” meaning black bezel. It appears on any Daytona fitted with the black Cerachrom ceramic bezel, Panda dial or otherwise.
Does the Panda dial come in gold?
Not in the current lineup. The Panda look belongs to the Oystersteel references; current gold and platinum Daytonas use colours such as ice blue, chocolate, and turquoise instead. Confirm with an authorized retailer before you shop, since the catalogue does change.
How much is a Rolex Daytona Panda worth?
Retail starts at 74,700 SAR for the current 126500LN, though secondary market prices typically run from roughly 124,000 to 135,000 SAR. See the full Daytona price breakdown in our Saudi Arabia guide, linked above.
In Short
A Panda Daytona is easy to define and harder to own: a white-dial Cosmograph Daytona, from the 1963 reference 6239 to today’s 126500LN, prized as much for its legibility as for its scarcity.
Reference 126500LN remains the one to know if you are buying new, while the Paul Newman references remain the ones collectors chase at auction.
