Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 2008 Reference No: 116520 Movement No: C0'321'239 Case No: M'907'651 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4130, 44 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 200mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee card dated November 2008, leather wallet, product literature, receipt, presentation box and outer packaging
Catalogue Essay
Launched in 2000, reference 116520 was the first Daytona model to feature a fully in-house caliber. In production for sixteen years, it was eventually replaced by reference 116500, which features a ceramic bezel.
Offered in virtually new old stock condition, the present specimen is an exceedingly well-preserved example, having never seen polishing or any intervention throughout its lifetime. Furthermore, this watch is accompanied by its original guarantee card dated November 2008, along with a sales receipt. Both are stamped with the retailer Ronchi in Milan, Italy.
Founded 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.