Rolex Daytona Ref. 16520 'Zenith' - Box & Papers

The Rolex Daytona model, since its initial release, has been at the forefront of the market as the most desirable chronograph in production. Prior to the introduction of the Zenith movement, all previous Rolex chronographs were manual wind. Not until 1988 did Rolex release the Ref. 165XX, which features an automatic "self-winding" movement for their headliner sports watch. 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 Wilsdorf group. 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.

The example that we have here is from circa 1997 and features a crisp, seemingly flawless white dial with contrasting black subsidiary register rings, "Daytona" printed in red just above the 6 o'clock register, and applied Tritium-filled indices with a matching handset. The case exhibits signs of a light previous polishing, retaining thick lugs and shows only one small scuff on the bottom left lug profile. The matching Oyster bracelet and stainless steel tachymeter bezel also shows only light wear to match the case.

Rounding out this package: this piece comes with its inner and outer boxes and punched papers.

These neo-vintage pieces still present exceptional value in todays market and are becoming a modern classic in a big way.