Rolex

The Rolex Daytona reference 116520 is widely considered one of the most iconic watches ever produced, so closely linked with the Rolex name that it has become emblematic of the brand itself. Although the Daytona has a long and storied past, it was not until the debut of the 116520 that the model finally received a fully in-house movement.

First introduced in 1963, the Daytona took its inspiration from the world of motorsport and quickly emerged as Rolex’s flagship chronograph. While not the company’s first chronograph wristwatch, it was the first to feature a tachymeter scale engraved on the bezel rather than printed along the dial’s edge, an innovation that remains central to the design today.

Automatic chronograph movements arrived in 1969, yet Rolex did not adopt a self-winding caliber for the Daytona until 1988. That generation relied on a significantly reworked Zenith El Primero movement. Only in 2000 did Rolex finally unveil an entirely in-house chronograph calibre, making the reference 116520 the first Daytona powered solely by a Rolex-developed movement and signaling the end of the brand’s dependence on outsourced chronograph mechanisms.

Manufactured until 2016, the 116520 preserves the timeless Daytona silhouette while introducing meaningful technical and aesthetic upgrades, most notably its durable in-house movement.