SKU: 24544
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WHAT WE LOVE:
There are few watches in the modern Rolex catalogue that generate the kind of sustained, near-mythical demand that the 116500LN Panda has commanded since its introduction.
The "Panda" name describes exactly what you see: a crisp white main dial paired with contrasting black chronograph registers, a combination so visually striking that it has become the reference point against which every other panda-dial chronograph in the industry is measured. The cushion-shaped applied white gold hour markers sit boldly against the white surface, and Chromalight lume on the hands and indices glows a distinctive blue in darkness. At 40mm — measured by Rolex including the crown guards — the watch actually wears closer to 38.5mm between the lugs, with a 47mm lug-to-lug that allows it to sit comfortably on a genuinely wide range of wrist sizes.
The monobloc Cerachrom bezel is the headline technical achievement of this generation. Introduced with the 116500LN in 2016, it was the first ceramic bezel ever fitted to a steel Daytona — a material upgrade over the aluminium insert used on the previous reference. The tachymeter scale is engraved directly into the ceramic and filled with platinum PVD, producing a bezel that resists scratching and will not fade or discolour under UV exposure the way the older aluminium bezels eventually did. The Oyster bracelet's Glidelock extension system allows tool-free adjustment in 2mm increments — a small but genuinely useful detail for a sport watch designed to be worn through changes in temperature and activity.
WHAT'S INSIDE:
The 116500LN is powered by Rolex's in-house Calibre 4130 — the movement that redefined the Daytona when it was introduced in 2000, replacing the previous Zenith-based architecture with a design developed entirely within Rolex. The 4130 reduced the component count significantly compared to its predecessor, improving long-term reliability, and its slimmer profile created room for a larger mainspring barrel — the source of the watch's impressive 72-hour power reserve, a full day longer than the previous generation offered.
FIVEFORYFIVE SIX MONTHS WARRANTY
