The Daytona reference 16520 is among Rolex's most important historic models. Housing a modified Zenith-based caliber 4030, the model was fitted with the first automatic chronograph movement in the firm's history. At the time of its launch in 1988, the watch garnered an immediate waiting list at Rolex retailers. As it often happens with Rolex timepieces, one can notice a subtle but well-defined evolution of the dial design in the early years of the model.

The earliest specimens - such as the present watch - feature five lines of script at 12, but the fifth line, “Cosmograph”, is noticeably more spaced from the 4th line, compared to the spacing between all the other lines. This gives the impression of the word Cosmograph floating away from the rest, thus its nickname “Floating Cosmograph” (or “Staccato”, as it is known to Italian collectors). Given its status as the earliest iteration of the dial and its supreme scarcity, this configuration is considered one of the most collectable versions of the Zenith Daytona.

Elevating the importance of the present watch is an even rarer detail – the coveted Tiffany & Co. signature on the dial below the floating "Cosmograph". The details of any "Tiffany & Co." font are particular and depend on the age of the timepiece; for the R series, the serifs of the "T" almost touch the "i" and the serifs are extra pronounced in the "C" of "Co".

In addition, the watch is preserved in outstanding condition with its original factory caseback sticker still intact. To augment the rarity of the Tiffany & Co. stamp on the dial, this R serial 16520 is accompanied by its original Tiffany & Co. stamped Rolex guarantee paper, and Tiffany outer box.