Rolex might be content to keep things relatively classical with their own takes on the iconic Daytona, but for some real performance style you can’t beat carbon. And in Designa Individual’s custom take on the subject matter, there’s definitely no lacking for carbon. Now though, the custom specialist has added the kind of touch collectors break auction records for: a tropical dial.
This isn’t some faded, sun-aged defect of a dial; the Designa Individual Rolex Daytona Tropical extends the natural grain of the carbon fibre that makes up the 40mm case across the whole dial. The result’s not quite the same as a classical tropical dial, but the overall, organic look’s much the same.
The otherwise unalleviated black and grey is lifted by chunky, blue-outlined indexes with bright orange hands, all very high-octane and racey. The same goes for the Daytona’s signature tachymeter, again using a combination of sky blue and orange indexes engraved into the bezel.
As this is an aesthetic twist rather than a mechanical one, you can expect the same Rolex excellence inside the watch. That means the superb calibre 4130 with its Parachrom hairspring, 72-hour power reserve and -2 / +2 second a day accuracy.
With a blacked-out crown and pusher – and fitted to a particularly cool aqua and orange-stitched strap – the Designa Individual Rolex Daytona Tropical isn’t going to win over any die-hard Rolex purists. But if you’re looking for a version that puts the racing in racing watch – and evokes a serious collectors piece – this might well be the modded Rolex for you.
Price & Specs:
Model: Designa Individual Carbon Daytona Tropical
Case/Dial: 40mm diameter, oyster, carbon fibre, black
Water resistance: 50m (5 bar)
Movement: Calibre 4130, automatic, chronograph
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 72h (3 days)
Functions: Centre hours, minutes, seconds, small seconds at 6 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock
Strap: Hand-made nato-nylon
Price/availability: €44,990, limited to 3 pieces
More details at Designa Individual.
