
Sharon Chan
International Director


HK$550,000 - HK$1,100,000

International Director

Specialist

Senior Business Associate
Consultant
In 2004, Rolex unleashed a predator on the Baselworld stage: the Cosmograph Daytona reference 116598SACO "Leopard", a 40mm 18k yellow-gold chronograph that defies the brand's restraint with unapologetic extravagance. Powered by the in-house Caliber 4130, column wheel movement delivers precision timing, and is encased in a monobloc middle with screw-down back and the standard Daytona 100m of water resistance.
The dial commands attention, with a symmetrical, black-lacquered leopard print on a textured yellow-to-orange gradient base, accented by eight chaton-set diamond hour markers and gold Arabic indices at 15/30/45. Sub dials in matching enamel track elapsed time with surgical accuracy. Encircling it, a bezel ablaze with 36 baguette-cut cognac sapphires evokes a tachymetric scale in fiery amber (calibrated to 400 units/hour). Flanking the lugs, 48 brilliant-cut diamonds claw across the case flanks, amplifying the 18k gold's luster under sapphire crystal.
Paired with a bespoke leopard-print exotic leather strap and 18k yellow-gold deployant clasp, the "Leopard" isn't mere jewelry, it is a truly audacious timepiece that can only be appreciated in person. Limited production and collector frenzy have propelled values beyond $100,000, cementing its status as Rolex's most polarizing icon: technical mastery wrapped in primal opulence.