The platinum-cased Rolex Daytona is reference 116506. Rolex introduced this Daytona in 2013 to mark the model’s 50th anniversary, pairing a platinum case and bracelet with an ice-blue dial and a brown Cerachrom ceramic bezel.
Reference 116506 is widely nicknamed the “Platona.” Its platinum construction distinguishes it from nearby references made in other precious metals. Reference 116509 is an 18-karat white-gold Daytona, while reference 116518 is a yellow-gold model, so those numbers are plausible-looking but incorrect alternatives.
The 116506 belongs to the third Daytona generation, launched in 2000. That generation was significant because Rolex replaced the earlier Zenith-based automatic movement with its own in-house Calibre 4130. The watch retained the Daytona’s 40 mm case format and chronograph layout.
The reference number identifies the specific configuration, not merely the Daytona family. In Rolex terminology, the material code and model reference work together, which is why the platinum version has its own number rather than sharing the reference used by gold or steel variants.