Brand:
Rolex
Model:
Daytona
Year:
1996
Reference:
16520
Original Box:
Included
Original Papers:
Included
Service Papers:
Included
Warranty:
12 months
Overall Condition:
Very Good
Wear level Case:
Barely visible
Wear level Caseback:
Barely visible
Wear level Dial:
None
Wear level Crystal:
None
Wear level Bezel:
Barely visible
Wear level Bracelet Clasp:
Barely visible
Movement Type:
Automatic
Caliber:
4030
Power Reserve:
50 hours
Case Material:
Steel
Case Diameter:
40 mm
Bezel Material:
Steel
Crystal:
Sapphire crystal
Dial Color:
White
Bracelet Material:
Steel
Bracelet Color:
Steel
Clasp Type:
Fold clasp
Clasp Material:
Steel
Functions:
Chronograph, Screw-Down Crown, Luminous hands, Luminous indices, Tachymeter
The Daytona appeared in 1963 as a hand wound chronograph, and for twenty five years that was how it stayed. In 1988 the reference 16520 replaced the manual 6263 with Rolex’s first automatic Daytona, a 40mm steel watch with a sapphire crystal and a movement based on the Zenith El Primero. It was made until 2000, and it is the Daytona that many collectors regard as the start of the modern line.
The story of the movement is the part that is easy to miss. The El Primero was designed to beat at 36,000 vibrations per hour, and Rolex modified it and regulated it to 28,800, trading a little precision for a gentler life for the lubricants. This watch is a white dial with black registers and the tritium print of its period, and it was serviced by Rolex in 2009, which means that the movement has been looked after by the house that rebuilt it.