Rolex Now Has Another Legendary Daytona Thanks to Jannik Sinner

The best nicknames are never forced. But this surprising Rolex reference now feels like a prime candidate for a new community-approved moniker.

Side view of a rose gold Rolex watch case with three crown buttons and a black strap against a blue background.Rolex

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Jannik Sinner lifted the Wimbledon trophy for the second consecutive year on July 12, and for eagle-eyed watch fans, the most surprising detail wasn’t the serves or his footwork that got him there — it was the timepiece he put on his wrist to celebrate.

As documented by Rolex’s own Instagram, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference he wore to celebrate his 2025 title was there again in 2026, marking what’s surprisingly the second time a relatively obscure version of the Crown’s flagship chronograph has appeared in back-to-back Wimbledon victories.  

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Unlike the yellow-gold, meteorite-dial Daytona Carlos Alcaraz wore in 2023 and 2024, though, Sinner’s 126515LN isn’t a discontinued rarity. It’s still in Rolex’s current lineup — and, until recently, was one of its more overlooked Daytona references in watch collecting circles.

That may no longer be the case. With the kind of global spotlight no ad campaign could replicate, this watch suddenly feels like a prime candidate to join the ranks of Daytonas remembered by a nickname rather than a reference number.

Reaching nickname status?

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona watch with rose gold case, black subdials, and black rubber strap.
The Reference 126515LN is the watch Jannik Sinner wore to back-to-back Wimbledon titles in 2025 and 2026 — a rose gold Daytona with a black ceramic bezel and Sundust and bright black dial that reads as quiet luxury.
Rolex

The 126515LN pairs Rolex’s proprietary Everose gold — a rose gold alloy engineered to resist fading — with a black Cerachrom bezel and a rich “Sundust” and bright black dial.

It’s a warm, confident configuration that reads more as quiet luxury, at least compared to yellow-gold versions of the watch, making it a piece that works equally well at lifetime achievement award celebrations as it does a lifetime’s worth of nice dinners.

Yet despite its striking looks and elevated details, its lacked in attention compared to many other Daytona references, especially those known by nicknames.

Rolexes, and the Daytona line, in particular, have a deep tradition of community-given pet names.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona wristwatch with a gold case, black bezel marked with units per hour, and a light blue dial featuring three black subdials. The watch has gold hour markers and hands, and is paired with a black rubber strap. The watch is worn on a wrist with a light blue shirt cuff and dark jacket sleeve visible.
Though he wore a diferent version of the Daytona during his own back-to-back Wimbledon titles, this modern version of the Daytona has earned the nickanme the the “Alacraz” after Carlos Alacraz wore it after winning the French Open.
Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Some have evolved as simple descriptive shorthand for the watch’s look, as with the ‘Panda’ and ‘Ghost’, or, more unfortunately, the ‘Pikachu’.

The name ‘Wimbledon’ is also already off the table for this reason. The Datejust Wimbledon dial — with its slate-grey sunray face and green-outlined Roman numerals — has long since earned its label thanks to its aesthetic association with the tournament’s color palette and the Crown’s long role as a sponsor of the prestigious tournament.

Two Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust watches side by side, one with a green dial and fluted bezel on a Jubilee bracelet, the other with a grey dial and smooth bezel on an Oyster bracelet.
Wimbledon is already a nickname in the Rolex canon, referring to versions of the Rolex Datejust with a grey dial and dark green Roman numerals (shown right).
Rolex

But of course, the most famous Daytona references of all are named after the man who helped make them famous, Paul Newman, and in more recent years, a slew of other Daytona references have also earned nicknames based on their famous fans.

Yellow gold Daytona references with green dials are often generally described in watch circles as John Mayer Daytonas, based on the musician’s well-documented obsession with the color combo.

And even in the sport of tennis, Carlos Alcaraz has proved that the court is a legitimate stage for a Daytona to earn a nickname as the ‘Alcaraz’, even if he’s worn other references more often during major wins.

As such, calling the 126515LN the ‘Sinner’ feels like the most likely bet. The precedent is there. And it does have a nice ring to it.

Then again, maybe nothing sticks.

Roger Federer’s blue sapphire Daytona — an off-catalog gem-set ref. worth an estimated $1.5 million, isn’t known by his name. Neither is Scottie Scheffler’s far more obtainable, though now-discontinued Coral Red Oyster Perpetual, which he frequently wears.

Nickname or not, though, after two Wimbledon wins, the 126515LN no longer needs an introduction.

Availability and pricing

Rolex watch with black rubber strap and silver dial in an open green and beige Rolex box.
The 126515LN officially costs $44,800. But as with all iterations of the Rolex Daytona, buying one from a Rolex authorized dealer is nearly impossible. And demand for this reference should only go up thanks to its association with Sinner.
Rolex

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in Everose gold, Reference 126515LN, carries an official retail price of $44,800.

Of course, that number is largely academic. Daytonas at authorized dealers are famously difficult to source under any circumstances.

Jannick Sinner putting a reference this squarely in the public eye for the second consecutive July certainly won’t make getting this version of the sports watch any easier.

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