Explorer 216574 replica

After a long and intense race in the 24 Hours of Rolex Daytona, the winner of each edition receives a Cosmograph Daytona watch made by Rolex as a special prize beyond glory. Fans know that the name “Daytona” comes from Daytona Beach in Florida, USA. With its hard sand that lets high-speed racing cars run and break records, it has been a racing hub since 1903 and will become the Rolex Daytona legend.

Counting the racing achievements on Daytona Beach, perhaps the most talked about is UK driver Sir Malcolm Campbell and his vehicle, the Blue Bird. In March 1935, Campbell drove the Blue Bird to a speed of 330 miles per hour (531 km/h), a record never seen before on Daytona Beach after breaking the land speed record several times. Considering the average speed of reverse driving, he also reached a notable 276 miles per hour (445 kilometers per hour).

As he said in 1932, “Daytona Beach in Florida is the only place I know of that can set a world record for speed on land.” The sand there is as hard as cement, and there’s plenty of space to speed up. Since 1936, Daytona’s half-beach, half-road track has hosted many races, including classic events like the Daytona 200. In 1959, the Daytona International Speedway was completed; corners with a 31-degree slope of more than 10 meters allow drivers to avoid centrifugal force and stay on track, increasing cornering speed.