Rolex Daytona Ref. 16520 - 'Zenith P-Serial'

The Rolex Daytona has long been one of the most desirable chronographs in production, which is funny for a model that was initially off to a slow sales start! While early Daytona models were always undergoing changes to reference numbers and dial configurations - the one thing they had in common was their manually wound movements. Every Daytona variant was based on the iconic Valjoux 72 chronograph, until 1988. That was when Rolex borrowed another iconic calibre to upgrade the model from manually wound to automatic. That movement? The Zenith El Primero.

Rolex decided to outsource for their movement in this reference using the Zenith 400 movement originally manufactured for the Zenith “El-Primero.” They used this movement as the basis and then fortified it, performing approximately 200 modifications to the base movement to meet the expectations prestigious of the brand. This created the workhorse Rolex 4030 movement that was put in production for an era of 12 years. In this reference, Rolex also incorporated the more resilient sapphire crystals, a contributing factor to the increased depth rating guaranteed at 100m or 330ft.

This rare and desirable P Serial / 2000 example is the end of the line for the 16520 reference. It features a rare and highly desirable black gloss dial. The dial gives a wonderful effect and profound depth and really adds to the sporting nature of the watch. The dial is in immaculate condition and has an equally well preserved case, which is still fitted to its factory Oyster Bracelet. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a beautiful and quite coveted vintage Daytona.

*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting.