Rolex GMT-Master II in Oystersteel and yellow gold, black dial, grey and black ceramic bezel with gold numerals, Jubilee bracelet

Rolex Four Seasons Daytona 126595 SARO Auction and Perpetual Padellone M53505: Autumn 2026

by Honeyrock Luxury Editorial on Oct 22 2026

Rolex produced the two most-discussed watch stories of September 2026 within thirteen days: on 15 September it launched the Perpetual Padellone, an annual calendar moonphase led by the Ref. M53505-0002, and on 28 September four unique Daytonas (Refs. 126596 SABV, 126599 SAVL, 126595 SARO and 126598 TML) sold at Phillips in London for £37.3 million, all for charity. One story is about a one-off charity auction result; the other is about a new complication in the permanent catalog. Read together, they show a manufacture that is willing to step outside its usual calendar, and a secondary market that still prices Rolex above retail.

Key facts

Four unique Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Four Seasons" watches sold at Phillips in London on 28 September 2026 for a combined £37.3 million, approximately US$49.5 million.
The top lot of the Rolex Four Seasons auction was "Summer", Ref. 126595 SARO in 18 ct Everose gold, at £10.3 million.
No buyer's premium applied at the Four Seasons auction; Phillips stated that all proceeds go to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild.
SJX reports the £37.3 million total is the largest ever for a charity watch auction, surpassing the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A result of 2019.
Rolex announced the Perpetual Padellone on 15 September 2026: a 39mm annual calendar with moonphase, powered by the new calibre 7190.
US list prices for the Perpetual Padellone are $59,000 (M53505-0002, Everose on leather), $66,200 (M53506-0002, platinum) and $72,800 (M53505-0003, Everose on Settimo bracelet), per Gear Patrol.
The original Rolex Ref. 8171 "Padellone" was a 38mm triple calendar moonphase introduced in 1949; "padellone" is Italian for "big frying pan".
The WatchCharts Rolex index stood at 27,991 as of 30 September 2026: down 0.5% over one month and up 5.2% over one year.

The Four Seasons Daytona auction, lot by lot

The Rolex "Four Seasons" Daytonas are four unique Cosmograph Daytona watches, one per season, made by Rolex and offered in a single charity sale held with Phillips in London on 28 September 2026. Each watch uses a different precious metal, a hardstone dial with contrasting hardstone counters, and a bezel set with 36 trapeze-cut gemstones. According to Phillips, the results were as follows.

Season	Reference	Case	Dial and counters	Bezel	Result
Winter	126596 SABV	950 platinum	Blue opal, lapis lazuli counters	36 trapeze-cut sapphires, blue to fuchsia gradient	£10.0 million
Spring	126599 SAVL	18 ct white gold	Chrysoprase, lepidolite counters	36 trapeze-cut purple sapphires	£6.8 million
Summer	126595 SARO	18 ct Everose gold	Turquoise, ruby counters	36 trapeze-cut pink sapphires	£10.3 million
Autumn	126598 TML	18 ct yellow gold	Mookaite, chrysoprase counters	36 trapeze-cut green tourmalines	£10.2 million
Total	4 lots				£37.3 million

Two structural details matter. First, Phillips stated plainly: "Buyer's premium does not apply to this auction; all proceeds will go to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild." The hammer prices are therefore the full prices paid, which is unusual and makes the numbers cleaner to compare. Second, the beneficiaries: the Federer Foundation, which SJX describes as supporting early education in Southern Africa and Switzerland, and Re:wild, the conservation organization co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant at Phillips, conducted the sale. His statement, published by Phillips:

"This is a historic moment for the world of watchmaking. We are deeply honoured to have played a role in this first-ever charity auction with Rolex and to support the important work of the Federer Foundation and Re:wild."
Aurel Bacs, Phillips, 28 September 2026

Why the £37.3 million result matters

The comparison everyone reached for is Only Watch 2019, where a single steel Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime sold for CHF 31 million. Writing in SJX's takeaways from the sale, JX Su put it directly:

"The sum is the largest tally ever for a charity watch auction of any sort, and also surpasses the US$31 million achieved by the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A in 2019."
JX Su, SJX Watches

The caveat is a fair one: the Patek figure was one watch, the Rolex figure is four. Per lot, the Grandmaster Chime remains the higher number. What the Rolex sale proved is depth of demand. SJX reports more than 40 registered phone bidders, and notes that "despite there being over 250 people in the room, all of the four Daytonas went to phone bidders."

It is also worth being precise about what the sale was not. These are one-of-one gem-set pieces sold for charity, with no buyer's premium and a clear philanthropic motive. They say little about what a production Daytona is worth. Time+Tide highlighted the more interesting point: Rolex openly presenting genuine unique pieces at all, which the publication called "a very un-Rolex thing to do."

The Perpetual Padellone M53505 explained

The Rolex Perpetual Padellone is a 39mm annual calendar with moonphase, launched on 15 September 2026 in Everose gold (M53505) and platinum (M53506), driven by the new in-house calibre 7190. Gear Patrol notes the launch timing itself was unusual: "It's pretty rare these days for Rolex to drop a new watch outside of Watches and Wonders."

Reference	Case	Dial	Strap or bracelet	US price
M53505-0002	18 ct Everose gold, 39mm	Intense white	Matt brown alligator, Dualclasp	$59,000
M53506-0002	950 platinum, 39mm	Ice blue	Matt black alligator, Dualclasp	$66,200
M53505-0003	18 ct Everose gold, 39mm	Intense white	Settimo bracelet, concealed Crownclasp	$72,800

The technical facts, from the Rolex newsroom:

Calibre 7190, exclusive to this model, running at 5 hertz with the silicon Dynapulse escapement and a power reserve of approximately 66 hours.
Superlative Chronometer certification under Rolex's 2026 criteria; water resistance to 50 metres.
The "Haplos" annual calendar system, which Rolex says "consists of only two components coupled to the date mechanism: an additional carrier finger and an annual lever." As Oracle of Time notes, an annual calendar "needs one correction a year, when February turns into March."
Instantaneous calendar change. In Rolex's words: "The changes of date, day and month take place instantaneously at midnight." Rolex says a patent application has been filed for this feature.
Moonphase on a blue enamelled disc that completes one rotation per lunar month of 29.53 days, with the full and new moons cut from meteorite and the new moon treated with a dark blue PVD coating.

Gear Patrol's Johnny Brayson summarized the historical significance in one line: "The two complications have never appeared together on a Rolex before." Oracle of Time calls it "the most complicated watch the Crown has released since the Sky-Dweller in 2012."

Reception has been split. Two Broke Watch Snobs ran its review under the headline "The New Rolex The Internet Hates, But I Seriously Love," with Michael Penate collecting the criticism (the faces on the meteorite moons, the large Arabic numerals at 3 and 9, a busy dial, the price) before arguing in the watch's favor.

Where the "Padellone" name comes from

Rolex says the new watch is named after its complete calendar Ref. 8171, "known to collectors as the 'Padellone'." The Ref. 8171 was introduced in 1949 as a 38mm triple calendar moonphase, with day and month in twin apertures, a pointer date and a moonphase window. Bob's Watches explains the nickname: "Because of the watch's large size of 38mm, it earned the nickname Padellone which means 'big frying pan' in Italian." The same source puts production at approximately 1,000 pieces.

The 8171 is often discussed alongside the Ref. 6062, its contemporary in a waterproof Oyster case; Bezel draws that distinction, noting the 8171 sat outside the Oyster case. The Padellone name belongs to the 8171. Bezel attributes the nickname to Italian dealers, and its analysis frames the naming decision well: "Rolex is acknowledging that a good deal of its own mythology was written by its collectors rather than by its marketing department."

What both stories say about Rolex in 2026

Three patterns connect the auction and the launch.

Rolex is moving outside its usual calendar. The Padellone arrived in September rather than at Watches and Wonders, and Bacs described the Four Seasons sale as the "first-ever charity auction with Rolex." For a brand that historically spoke once a year, two major announcements in one month is a deliberate change of rhythm.

Rolex is engaging with its collector culture directly. Adopting a dealer nickname as an official model name, and producing explicit one-of-one pieces for auction, are both gestures toward the enthusiast community rather than toward the broad retail customer. These are high-end, low-volume products: a precious-metal-only complication starting at $59,000 and four unique watches.

Rolex is extending upward, not outward. Neither story involves steel or entry-level product. The cheapest Perpetual Padellone, at $59,000, costs more than twice the $23,490 asked for a two-tone GMT-Master II on the pre-owned market today.

The secondary market context

The data in the weeks around both stories show a Rolex secondary market that is stable to slightly soft month to month, firmer year on year, and still priced above retail on average.

Measure	Figure	Source and date
WatchCharts Rolex index	27,991 (1M -0.5%, 1Y +5.2%, 5Y -10.5%)	WatchCharts, as of 30 September 2026
WatchCharts overall index	38,518 (1M -0.2%, 1Y +8.3%)	WatchCharts, as of 30 September 2026
Rolex secondary price vs retail	+9.8%	Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts Q2 2026, via WatchPro, 17 July 2026
Rolex secondary sales, H1 2026	$4.3 billion (+43.5%)	EveryWatch, via WatchPro, 4 August 2026
Total secondary market, H1 2026	$10.5 billion (+37%)	EveryWatch, via WatchPro, 4 August 2026

Two readings follow. Rolex's share of the secondary market is large: $4.3 billion of $10.5 billion in the first half, by EveryWatch's measure. And the index is still 10.5% below its level five years ago, which is the honest frame for anyone tempted to read a £10.3 million charity Daytona as a signal for production pieces. The auction tells us about Rolex's brand pull; the index tells us what everyday references are actually changing hands for. For the broader picture, see our pre-owned watch market summer 2026 review.

Rolex at Honeyrock

Neither the Four Seasons Daytonas nor the Perpetual Padellone will reach the pre-owned market in any volume soon. The references that do are the core sports and Oyster models. Two are currently listed at Honeyrock:

GMT-Master II 40mm Two-Tone "Guinness" Ref. 126713GRNR: 2026, Excellent condition, Full Set, listed at $23,490. The 126713GRNR pairs Oystersteel and yellow gold with a grey and black Cerachrom bezel on a Jubilee bracelet. Our GMT-Master II 126713GRNR guide covers the reference in depth.
Oyster Perpetual 31 Yellow Dial Ref. 277200: 2021, Unworn NOS, Full Set, listed at $12,490.

Each piece is examined by Honeyrock's physician-led vetting team before listing and is covered by our lifetime Authenticity Guarantee. For a lighter Rolex story from the same season, read about the Rolex clock at Rockefeller Center.

Frequently asked questions

How much did the Rolex Four Seasons Daytona auction raise?

The Rolex Four Seasons Daytona auction at Phillips London on 28 September 2026 raised £37.3 million, approximately US$49.5 million. No buyer's premium applied, and all proceeds went to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild.

Which Four Seasons Daytona sold for the most?

"Summer", the Rolex Daytona Ref. 126595 SARO in 18 ct Everose gold with a turquoise dial and pink sapphire bezel, was the top lot at £10.3 million. Autumn (126598 TML) made £10.2 million, Winter (126596 SABV) £10.0 million and Spring (126599 SAVL) £6.8 million.

Is the Rolex Four Seasons auction a record?

SJX reports the £37.3 million total is the largest ever for a charity watch auction, surpassing the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A sold at Only Watch in 2019. That Patek result was for a single watch, while the Rolex total covers four.

How much is the Rolex Perpetual Padellone?

Gear Patrol reports US prices of $59,000 for the Perpetual Padellone M53505-0002 in Everose gold on leather, $66,200 for the platinum M53506-0002, and $72,800 for the Everose M53505-0003 on the Settimo bracelet.

What does Padellone mean in Rolex terms?

Padellone is Italian for "big frying pan", the collector nickname for the 38mm Rolex Ref. 8171 triple calendar moonphase introduced in 1949. Rolex adopted the name officially for the Perpetual Padellone annual calendar in September 2026.

Is the Rolex Perpetual Padellone a perpetual calendar?

No. Despite the name, the Rolex Perpetual Padellone is an annual calendar: it needs one manual correction a year, when February turns into March. "Perpetual" refers to the Perpetual collection and the self-winding Perpetual rotor Rolex introduced in 1931, not to a perpetual calendar.

Sources

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