“Panda” refers to any Rolex Daytona pairing a white or silver dial with black chronograph counters. In the current range that means the steel 126500LN with white dial, in production since 2023; before it came the white-dial 116500LN (2016–2023) and the white gold 116509 (introduced around 2004, discontinued 2023). The layout itself dates back to the silver-dial, manual-wind 6263 and 6265 of the 1970s and 1980s.
Why is it called the Panda?
The nickname is simple visual shorthand: dark registers on a light dial resemble the eye patches of a giant panda. The term spread through the vintage-chronograph collecting scene in the 1980s and 1990s and is used across brands — Heuer, Zenith and Omega all made panda-dial chronographs — but the Daytona has become its definitive modern example. When Rolex introduced the ceramic-bezel 116500LN at Baselworld 2016, the white-dial version was labelled the Panda almost immediately, and it consistently out-traded its black-dial sibling on the secondary market. At the peak of the 2022 watch market, the steel Panda Daytona changed hands at roughly three times its official retail price.
References
The panda scheme appears on the following genuine references. Vintage exotic-dial variants — the Paul Newman dials — are treated as a separate collecting category.
| Reference | Years | Key spec | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6263 / 6265 (silver dial) | c. 1971–1988 | Manual-wind Valjoux 727, acrylic or steel bezel | Discontinued |
| 116509 | c. 2004–2023 | 18 ct white gold, calibre 4130, 40 mm | Discontinued |
| 116500LN (white dial) | 2016–2023 | Calibre 4130, black Cerachrom bezel, 40 mm | Discontinued |
| 126500LN (white dial) | 2023–present | Calibre 4131, black Cerachrom bezel, 40 mm | In production |
Super clone availability
Grand Watch Club lists 8 panda-dial models priced from £434 to £1,125. The core of the range is the Daytona — the current 126500LN with white dial and the white gold 116509 with Arabic-numeral dial — joined by a panda-dial Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26331ST for those who want the layout outside Rolex. Pricing reflects two movement tiers: entry-level pieces run dependable Japanese chronograph calibres, while the Swiss tier at the top of the range uses clone movements built on the 4130/4131 architecture, with correspondingly closer chronograph feel. Case dimensions, bezel material and dial furniture follow the genuine references throughout.
- Super Clone Rolex Daytona “Panda” White Dial 126500LN — £434
- Super Clone Rolex Daytona “Reverse Panda” Black Dial 116500LN — £434
- Super Clone Rolex Daytona Panda Dial 116509 Arabic Numberals — £434
- Super Clone Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26331ST Panda Dial Steel 41mm — Japanese movement — £434
- Super Clone Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26331ST Panda Dial Steel 41mm — £1,054
- Super Clone Rolex Daytona “Panda” White Dial 126500LN – Swiss SuperClone — Swiss movement — £1,125
- Super Clone Rolex Daytona “Reverse Panda” Black Dial 116500LN – Swiss SuperClone — Swiss movement — £1,125
- Super Clone Rolex Daytona Panda Dial 116509 Arabic Numberals – Swiss SuperClone — Swiss movement — £1,125