A very desirable Rolex stainless steel “Zenith” Daytona ref 16520 A2 serial # circa 1999 complete with box and papers.

It’s no secret that over the past two decades, one watch has dominated both the hearts of thousands of collectors, and the watch market as a whole. The Daytona began production in 1963 and has been worn by childhood heros the world over ever since. Though even within what is such a beloved model as a whole, 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 its use of the famous Zenith El Primero caliber, was introduced in 1988, and continued through 1999. There are several popular variations of the Zenith Daytona models, including the “Inverted 6,” “Floating Cosmograph, and “Patrizzi.” But this variant may be the most interesting, as only in the last 2 years of its production of the Zenith, did Rolex switch from using tritium to the use of Luminova as the glowing material on the plots and 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 white dial here is both stunning, and the rarity of the variant cannot be overstated.

Featuring an updated 39mm case, for the first time with crown guards, and also with screw down pushers. This model also used a sapphire crystal for the very first time 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 bracelet is also the correct and original 78390 with 503B end pieces.

Includes original box and papers! Offered with our 1 year warranty of accurate timekeeping and operation.