The Rainbow Daytona is the gem-set expression of Rolex's racing chronograph, and reference 126595RBOW is its current generation in Everose gold. Rolex does not list the Rainbow in its public catalog, and it is produced in small numbers because its bezel depends on sapphires matched precisely enough to pass through the full color spectrum without a visible break. The first Rainbow models appeared in 2012 in yellow and white gold, the Everose version followed in 2018 as reference 116595RBOW, and reference 126595RBOW arrived with the 2023 renewal of the Daytona line, carrying the Rainbow's gem-setting onto the updated case and movement. This is the black dial version, the alternative to the diamond-paved dial, and it lets the color of the bezel and hour markers stand out against a dark lacquer ground.
The case measures 40mm and is made from Everose gold, Rolex's own pink gold alloy. Its bezel carries baguette-cut sapphires graduated through red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet in a continuous sequence, taking the place of the tachymeter scale found on most Daytonas. Brilliant-cut diamonds are set along the lugs and crown guards, adding white light on either side of the bezel's color. The dial is black lacquer, and its hour markers are baguette-cut sapphires matched to the bezel, so the rainbow runs around the dial as well as around its edge. On the earlier yellow and white gold Rainbow models, the hour markers on the black dial were diamonds; the Everose line introduced the colored sapphire markers that this reference retains. The three chronograph counters are in pink gold with a crystallized finish, which gives them a textured, slightly speckled surface that echoes the case metal, and the hands are Everose gold. The screw-down crown and pushers sit between the diamond-set crown guards. The watch is fitted to an Everose gold Oyster bracelet, closing on an Oysterlock folding safety clasp. Against so much gem-setting, the black lacquer dial keeps the chronograph legible and stops the stones from overwhelming the instrument.
The Daytona is a chronograph, and the Rainbow keeps every part of that function intact beneath its stones. The central seconds hand is started and stopped with the pushers, and the counters record elapsed minutes and hours, with the 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, the 12-hour counter at 9 o'clock and the running seconds at 6 o'clock. The movement is Rolex's own self-winding chronograph, from the generation introduced across the Daytona line in 2023. What the Rainbow gives up is the tachymeter scale, since its bezel is given over entirely to sapphires, which makes the chronograph a practical timer rather than a tool for measuring speed. The pushers screw down when not in use, as on every modern Daytona, and the case retains the Oyster construction of the steel and gold models. The gem-setting is a factory execution by Rolex, and that factory origin separates the Rainbow from the many aftermarket imitations built on standard Daytonas. In daily use, the 126595RBOW functions exactly as a standard Daytona does, and that combination of full chronograph function with jewelry-level setting is what defines the Rainbow.
Rolex introduced the Daytona in 1963 as a chronograph for racing drivers, and over six decades it became one of the brand's most closely followed sports models. Gem-set Daytonas have appeared throughout that period, and the Rainbow, launched in 2012, introduced the bezel of sapphires graduated through the full spectrum that defines the model. The original yellow and white gold versions were discontinued, and in 2018 Rolex reintroduced the concept in Everose gold with reference 116595RBOW, adding colored sapphire hour markers to match the bezel. When Rolex renewed the Daytona in 2023, with a refined case and a new generation of movement, the Everose Rainbow was carried forward as reference 126595RBOW. Throughout, Rolex has kept the Rainbow off its public catalog, so it is never presented alongside the standard Daytona references. The model has also attracted a wide following beyond watch collecting, which has made its sapphire bezel one of the more recognizable designs in the Rolex catalog. Against that background, reference 126595RBOW continues a line Rolex has chosen to keep rare rather than expand.
The black dial version of reference 126595RBOW appeals to the collector who wants the Rainbow's color to lead. Against black lacquer, the sapphire hour markers and bezel read with maximum contrast, and the pink gold counters add warmth without competing with the stones, whereas the diamond-paved dial turns the whole face into gem-setting. The black dial is the closer of the two to the traditional Daytona look, and it keeps the chronograph clearly legible, which makes it the more practical choice for everyday wear. It suits owners of steel and gold Daytonas who want the model at its most elaborate, and collectors of gem-set Rolex references who value a factory Rainbow over the aftermarket versions that imitate it. As an off-catalog piece made in small numbers, the 126595RBOW rarely becomes available, and the black dial is the version that most directly continues the Everose Rainbow Rolex introduced in 2018.
