Rolex

The Daytona is one of the most desirable lines in the Rolex catalogue today, and the modern Daytona as we know it today took shape in the year 2000 with the launch of the reference 116520 along with the calibre 4130. Reference 116520 was a landmark moment in Rolex history, marking the first ever Daytona made with an in-house automatic movement. The watch was well received since launch, and today prices have skyrocketed due to the current popularity of modern sport Rolexes. 

The present Daytona features what is known as a cream, ‘Panna Cotta’ dial, where the colour of the dial has visibly changed from the original pure white. The change in colour is extremely obvious, and the creamy colour is often considered to be pleasing to the eye. Collectors who desire these ‘Panna Cotta’ dials in the same way as they chase tropical Submariners of the previous century due to the uniqueness of each aged dial, and the rarity of even and visually pleasing ageing as seen on the present watch. This type of tropicalization is seldomly seen, and is only possible on the very first examples of the 116520, produced between 2000 and 2002. The present watch belongs to the P series of the reference, indicating that it belongs to the very first run of 116520 Daytonas produced in the year 2000, a perfect match for the dial and the colour.