It’s no secret that over the past two decades, one watch has dominated the hearts of tens of thousands of collectors and the watch market as a whole. The Daytona began production in 1963 and has been worn by childhood heroes the world over ever since. Now while literally all Daytona models are dear, some specific references begin to rocket ahead of the rest. And over the past 5 years we have seen the absolutely meteoric rise of one such reference, the 16520.

The ref.# 16520, or the “Zenith” Daytona, so named for it’s use of the famous Zenith El Primero caliber, was introduced in 1988. There are several popular variations of the Zenith Daytona models; the “Inverted 6,” the “Floating Cosmograph, the “4 Line,” the “Patrizzi.” And this model is no less distinctive, as only in the last 2 years of its production of the Zenith version, did Rolex switch from using tritium (T SWISS T) to the use of Luminova”Swiss Made” as the glowing material on the plots and the hands.  With production of the Zenith Daytona terminated by 2000, and replaced with the in house movement Daytona, the ref. 116520, that left the Luminova dial Zenith Daytonas with only a two year run. The rarity here cannot be overstated.

On par with the rarity, is the condition this Zenith Daytona is in. The watch is in completely NOS unworn condition, with all stickers and hang tags still on, having never once been removed and including the red sticker under clasp never removed, and plastic bezel protector removed for photos. According to the papers (and the original purchase receipt) this watch was purchased in 2000, it was then left in its box and put in a safe, never leaving until being offered here at WBAW?.

Featuring an updated 39mm case, for the first time with crown guards, and also a first for the use of a sapphire crystal on a Daytona.The bezel of the 16520 is a stainless steel tachymeter, ushering in nearly 30 years of the same. The Daytona wouldn’t see another black bezel, like on the 6263, until the release of the ref# 116500 in 2016. The dial is a beautiful enamel white, with three awesome contrasting black subdial rings.

The further value to collectors is that this example includes the original inner and outer box, the Rolex Oyster and Rolex Daytona booklets, the chronometer hang tag and the serial numbered matching hang tag, and original plastic bezel protector. Even included in this full set is the original sales receipt. Also offered with our 1 year warranty of accurate timekeeping and operation.