Entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll spotted wearing a Rolex

Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian billionaire best known for acquiring the Aston Martin Formula One team and reshaping the struggling British automaker, was recently spotted wearing a Rolex Daytona in 18k white gold, reference 116519LN — a model that quietly signals serious horological literacy without resorting to ostentation.

The Daytona 116519LN sits within the current-generation Daytona lineup introduced progressively through the 2010s. Its defining detail is the black Cerachrom bezel in ceramic, a material Rolex adopted for its scratch resistance and long-term color stability, replacing the earlier aluminum inserts. The case measures 40mm in 18k white gold, and the reference runs on the manufacture caliber 4130 — an in-house column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch, offering a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. The 4130 is widely regarded as one of the most robust and accurate chronograph movements in modern Swiss production, requiring fewer components than its predecessor and delivering a cleaner, more linear feel on the pushers.

From a collector standpoint, the 116519LN occupies an interesting niche. Steel Daytonas attract the loudest secondary-market frenzy, but the white gold iteration tends to attract a buyer who wants the mechanical and aesthetic prestige of the Daytona without the social currency of the sports-bracelet version. Paired with a leather strap rather than a Oyster bracelet, the 116519LN reads closer to a dress chronograph than a sports watch — a subtle but important distinction for collectors who track such things.

For Stroll, the choice is contextually coherent. He operates at the intersection of elite motorsport and luxury automotive investment, two worlds where Rolex — the official timekeeper of Formula One — is institutional. Wearing the Daytona is almost expected in that circle; wearing it in white gold rather than steel signals that he is choosing the watch on its own terms rather than chasing a waitlist.

At retail, the Rolex Daytona 116519LN was listed in the range of $36,000–$38,000 USD before Rolex's 2023 price revisions. On the grey market, demand for precious-metal Daytonas remains firm, though considerably less fevered than their steel counterparts, with the 116519LN typically trading at or modestly above retail — a rational premium for a watch built to last generations.