45
Rolex
Ref. 16520
Cosmograph Daytona "Floating Dial"
An incredibly rare and collectible stainless steel automatic chronograph wristwatch with "porcelaine" dial, 200 uph bezel, warranty, service invoice and Tiffany box; retailed by Tiffany & Co.
Full-Cataloguing
- Automatic, chronograph
- Incredibly rare example with white porcelain dial signed by Tiffany, one of two known
- Offered with original warranty and box
In celebration of the Daytona’s 25th anniversary, Rolex released its first self-winding chronograph model, the reference 16520, at Baselworld 1988. Technically impressive, it was powered by the automatic Zenith El Primero calibre, which was substantially modified by Rolex. It was also the first Daytona to be fitted with a sapphire crystal, and with a larger case diameter measuring 40 mm. Originally equipped with the rare 200 graduation bezel (such as in this example), later it would bear a bezel calibrated to 400 units. Over the years, this milestone timepiece has become a collectors’ favorite - and the present example is without a doubt one of the most remarkable specimens of the model to ever surface.
The collector will immediately notice this is a floating dial. As opposed to later examples, the Cosmograph script is set further apart from the first four lines of text, as if floating away toward the middle of the dial. Floating dials lasted for a very short time before being updated to “4 liner” dials, which eliminate the “officially certified” line (a decision soon subverted with the reintroduction of the 5 lines of script, albeit without floating lines).
Found usually on R serial numbers, floating dials are already enormously collectible, but a second glance will reveal the unmistakeable sheen of a “porcelain” dial. The glossy effect of these dials is rendered with layers of paint granting superb depth, enormous attractiveness and, consequently, very high collectability of these variations.
And yet the show goes on, as further examination reveals the presence of the Tiffany signature on the dial, raising the piece to vertiginous collecting heights: only one other white porcelain 16520 with Tiffany signature is known to the public.
The presence not only of the full set of papers, but even of a Rolex service warranty dated October 2025 (and thus effective until October 2027) complete this head-spinning lot.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.