For sports fans, the month of March means the start of the famous NCAA ‘March Madness’ basketball tournament, but that doesn’t mean that watch collectors can’t also enjoy the competitive spirit this month! Bob’s Watches will be hosting our very own ‘Watch Madness’ tournament, and all of you are invited to participate in the fun for a chance to win – and yes, there will be a prize!
BRACKETS ARE NOW CLOSED! – As of 3/17 at 11:59 PM PST.
Matchup results will be updated daily. Voting will be done via our Instagram stories. Please check back here for updates.
Watch Madness Champion – Rolex Daytona Reference 116500LN
Daytona 116500LN Key Features:
– Production Years: 2016 – Present
– Case Size: 40mm
– Materials: Oystersteel (904L Stainless Steel)
– Functions: Time w/ Running Seconds, 12-Hour Chronograph
– Dial: White or Black w/ Luminou Hour Markers
– Bezel: Fixed, Black Ceramic w/ Tachymeter Scale
– Crystal: Sapphire (Flat)
– Movement: Rolex Caliber 4130
– Water Resistance: 100 Meters / 330 Feet
– Strap/Bracelet: Oyster Bracelet
Click here for our ultimate buying guide on the Rolex Daytona.
The votes are in and a champion has been crowned – the winner of Watch Madness 2021 is the Rolex Daytona reference 116500LN!
Going into the quarter-finals, the only four watches left were a vintage “Paul Newman” Daytona ref. 6239, “Kermit” Submariner ref. 16610LV, a Day-Date 40 ref. 228238, and the steel and ceramic Daytona ref. 116500LN. The “Kermit” Submariner took on the Day-Date 40, while the two Rolex Daytona models went head-to-head in a vintage vs. modern Rolex chronograph showdown.
The popularity of stainless steel sports watches proved too much for the Day-Date to overcome, and the yellow gold Rolex President was knocked out by the fan-favorite 50th Anniversary “Kermit” Submariner. As for the head-to-head Rolex racing chronograph matchup, vintage Paul Newman Daytona watches may reign supreme when it comes to collectibility and record-setting auction prices, but in terms of overall popularity and the top pick among our followers, it was ultimately the modern stainless steel and Cerachrom reference 116500LN that received the most votes.
Going into the finals, it was the reference 16610LV “Kermit” Submariner up against the reference 116500LN Daytona – a watch that has been continuously sold-out at retailers ever since it was first announced almost a full five years ago. While the Rolex Submariner is a true classic and easily one of the hottest watches in the world, the immense popularity of the stainless steel Daytona and the momentum it carried after knocking out its vintage Paul Newman Dial counterpart in the Final Four round ultimately proved too much for the “Kermit” to overcome.
When the dust had settled, the Daytona ref. 116500LN was the only watch left standing, making Rolex’s ultra-desirable chronograph the champion of our Watch Madness tournament!
Watch Madness – Matchups & Results
Below are the Watch Madness matchups and results for each category:
The Championship
Championship Matchup:
– Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 16610LV (“Kermit”)
Final Four
Final Four Matchups:
– Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN vs. Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 (Paul Newman Dial)
– Rolex Day-Date 40 President ref. 228238 vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 16610LV (“Kermit”)
Sports Watches
Sports Watches – Region Winner:
– Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN
Sports Watches – Round 3 (Region Final):
– Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN vs. Patek Philippe Nautilus
Sports Watches – Round 2:
– Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 124060
– Patek Philippe Nautilus vs. Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch
Sports Watches – Round 1:
– Rolex Daytona ref. 116500LN vs. Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126710BLRO
– Rolex Submariner ref. 124060 vs. Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570
– Patek Philippe Nautilus vs. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
– Tudor Pelagos vs. Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch
Vintage Watches
Vintage Watches – Region Winner:
– Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 (Paul Newman Dial)
Vintage Watches – Round 3 (Region Final):
– Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 (Paul Newman Dial) vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 (Red Sub Dial)
Vintage Watches – Round 2:
– Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16758 (Brown Dial and Bezel) vs. Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 (Paul Newman Dial)
– Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 (Red Sub Dial) vs. Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655 (“Steve McQueen”)
Vintage Watches – Round 1:
– Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 (Tropical Blue Dial) vs. Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16758 (Brown Dial and Bezel)
– Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 (Paul Newman Dial) vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 6538 (Ghost Bezel and 2-Line Dial)
– Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 (Gilt Dial and Pepsi Bezel) vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 (Red Sub Dial)
– Rolex Explorer ref. 1016 (Gilt Dial) vs. Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655 (“Steve McQueen”)
Dress Watches
Dress Watches – Region Winner:
– Rolex Day-Date 40 President ref. 228238
Dress Watches – Round 3 (Region Final):
– Rolex Day-Date 40 President ref. 228238 vs. Rolex Day-Date 36 ref. 118139
Dress Watches – Round 2:
– Patek Philippe Calatrava vs. Rolex Day-Date 40 President ref. 228238
– Rolex Cellini ref. 50509 vs. Rolex Day-Date 36 ref. 118139
Dress Watches – Round 1:
– Patek Philippe Calatrava vs. Cartier Tank
– Rolex Day-Date 40 President ref. 228238 vs. Patek Philippe Annual Calendar ref. 5146G
– Rolex Cellini ref. 50509 vs. Omega Constellation Globemaster
– Rolex Day-Date 36 ref. 118139 vs. Rolex Datejust 41 ref. 126333
Wildcard Watches
Wildcard Watches – Region Winner:
– Rolex Submariner ref. 16610LV (“Kermit”)
Wildcard Watches – Round 3 (Region Final):
– Rolex Submariner ref. 16610LV (“Kermit”) vs. Rolex Yacht-Master II ref. 116688
Wildcard Watches – Round 2:
– Rolex Sky-Dweller ref. 326934 vs. Rolex Submariner ref. 16610LV (“Kermit”)
– Rolex Yacht-Master II ref. 116688 vs. Tudor Black Bay GMT
Wildcard Watches – Round 1:
– Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5960P vs. Rolex Sky-Dweller ref. 326934
– Rolex Submariner ref. 16610LV (“Kermit”) vs. Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 ref. 126000 (Turquoise Blue Dial)
– Rolex Yacht-Master II ref. 116688 vs. Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M GMT
– Tudor Black Bay GMT vs. Omega Seamaster Diver 300M
Watch Madness – How It Works
Just like March Madness, there will be a series of head-to-head match-ups between some of the top luxury watches in the industry. We will be selecting a total of 32 timepieces that will be featured in Watch Madness, and just like the structure of the famous NCAA basketball tournament, the competing watches will be spread across four different categories: sports watches, dress watches, vintage watches, and wildcard watches.
We will be announcing the 32 competing watches on ‘Selection Sunday’ (3/14), and then opening it up to you so that you can set and submit your brackets. The competition will run from March 14th until April 5th, and voting will be done exclusively via Instagram on the Bob’s Watches Story.
Each day of the tournament, we will be updating this article with the results from the previous day’s matchups so that you can follow along and check the status of your bracket. The final will take place on 4/5 and the winners of Watch Madness will be notified via email the following day so that they can claim their prize.
Important Dates
3/14 – Selection Sunday: The competing watches will be announced and brackets will be open and available for submission.
3/17 – Final day to submit brackets. All brackets must be submitted by 11:59 pm (Pacific).
3/18 – Start of voting for Watch Madness. All voting will take place on the Bob’s Watches Instagram Story.
4/5 – Final matchup of Watch Madness; last day of voting.
4/6 – Winners of Watch Madness announced.
Setting Your Bracket
Watch Madness brackets will be made available on ‘Selection Sunday’ (3/14), and submission for brackets will be open until midnight on Wednesday, 3/17. Brackets will be done exclusively online, and we will be posting a link on Selection Sunday that will take you directly to a page where you can fill out your picks and submit them.
You will be able to access the link to fill out your bracket either from this page directly or from any of our social media channels once it becomes available on Selection Sunday. Additionally, if you are a subscriber to our email newsletter, we will be sending you a direct link to the page where you can fill out and submit your Watch Madness bracket.
Winners and The Prize
Possibly the best part about our Watch Madness tournament is that there will be more than one winner. Rather than having a single person win and receive a prize, any participant who correctly guesses the winners from each of the four different timepiece categories will win, and there is no limit to the number of winners for Watch Madness, so if you get it right, you will receive a prize.
So, what is the prize? Any participant who submits a bracket that includes the correct watches that will compete in the Final Four of the tournament will receive a $200 coupon toward the purchase of any watch on our site that is priced at $4k or higher and the coupon will be valid for 30 days from the date that it is issued.
How to Follow the Results
Throughout the Watch Madness tournament, we will be updating this page with the results of the matchups from the previous day, along with posting them to our social media channels. If you want to see the full results and post-match analysis, bookmark this page so that you can easily circle back to it and see the watches that won.
It’s up to you to choose which luxury watches do you think will make it to the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four, so don’t forget to vote and pick the one that will come out on top to win the 2021 Watch Madness tournament!
