Rolex Charity Auction Raises Nearly $50M

By JCK News Desk | September 29, 2026

The four unique Rolex Daytona watches created for Rolex’s first charity auction brought in a combined £37.3 million ($49.5 million) during a Phillips sale in London on September 28, with proceeds benefiting the Federer Foundation and Re:wild. The total marks the largest single consignment ever sold at a charity auction, according to Phillips.

The auction featured four gem-set, one-of-a-kind versions of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, each inspired by a different season and made with precious metals, colored gemstones, diamonds, and stone dials.

The highest price of the evening was achieved by the Summer model in Everose gold, which sold for £10.3 million ($13.65 million). The Autumn watch followed at £10.2 million ($13.52 million), while the Winter version brought £10 million ($13.2 million). The Spring model sold for £6.8 million ($9 million).

The results far exceeded the expectations of many industry observers and instantly placed the sale among the most significant watch auctions ever conducted. Hodinkee noted that the auction’s $49.4 million total surpassed the combined value of many landmark single-watch sales and will likely become a reference point for future high-end watch auctions.

The watches were auctioned individually by Phillips senior consultant Aurel Bacs, who called the event a “historic moment for the world of watchmaking” in a statement released after the sale. According to Phillips, Rolex chose to sell the watches through a public auction rather than place them privately with collectors, directing all proceeds to charity.

GQ reported that the sale attracted some of the world’s most prominent collectors, describing the event as one of the most anticipated watch auctions in recent memory. Proceeds were split equally between the education-focused Federer Foundation, founded by Roger Federer, and the environmental organization Re:wild, cofounded by Leonardo DiCaprio.

For Rolex, the result underscores the enduring strength of the Daytona in the collectors market. Nearly a decade after Phillips sold Paul Newman’s personal Daytona for a then-record $17.75 million, the brand has now added another milestone to auction history, this time in support of charitable causes.

The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.

(Top, clockwise from top left: Rolex’s one-of-a-kind Spring, Summer, Winter, and Autumn watches; photos courtesy of Phillips)