Curated · Authenticated · Pre-owned
John Mayer
The John Mayer is the yellow gold Rolex Daytona reference 126508 with a green dial, named after the musician and collector who made it famous on his podcast appearances. It is one of the few modern nicknames attached to a person rather than a colour, and it stuck immediately. The green is deep enough to read as black in most light, which is part of why it works on gold.
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Pre-owned Rolex John Mayer Daytona
The John Mayer is the green-dial Daytona in yellow gold — the 116508, and the 126508 that followed it. The name comes from the musician, a well-known collector, who championed the watch publicly at a point when a green-dial gold Daytona was a distinctly unfashionable choice.
It is now one of the most requested Daytona dials, which is a reasonable summary of how quickly taste moves in this market.
A dial that changed reputation
Yellow gold Daytonas with green dials sat quietly in the catalogue for years. The association with a single prominent collector, and the enthusiasm with which he talked about it, moved the watch from overlooked to sought after without Rolex changing anything about it. It is one of the clearest examples of a nickname creating demand rather than describing it.
The two references
The 116508 is the earlier one, sharing the 116500LN’s generation of case and movement in solid yellow gold. The 126508 replaced it alongside the wider 2023 Daytona update. Both are 40mm, both have the green lacquer dial, and both come on the gold Oyster bracelet.
What to check
Green lacquer shows handling marks and any restoration more obviously than a matt dial, so inspect it under angled light. Check the gold for wear at the bezel edge, lugs and clasp, confirm the chronograph resets cleanly, and establish the box and papers position before agreeing a price.
Related collections
See the Panda, the meteorite dials, or the full Daytona collection.
Frequently asked questions
The yellow gold Daytona with a green dial — reference 116508, and its successor the 126508.
Because the musician, a prominent watch collector, publicly championed the green-dial gold Daytona when it was still an unpopular choice. The nickname stuck.
No. Rolex has never used it.
40mm, in solid yellow gold.
