The Cosmograph Daytona was born as a ‘technical’ watch, traditionally cased in stainless steel. The iconoclastic soul of Rolex however brought to the public gem-set models already in the 1980s - references 6269 and 6270, produced in extremely few examples. In the 1990s, Rolex doubled their efforts and brought forth gem-set versions of their first self-winding Daytona models, fitted with the famed Zenith El-Primero based caliber 4030.

In this 1990s instance, however, Rolex experimented more deeply and realized pieces set with various stones (blue sapphire, ruby, cognac sapphire, to name a few) and with differently cut diamonds: either princess cut or the more impressive baguette-cut diamond, epitomized by this example with emerald-set numerals - one of the most attractive and rare gems found on Daytonas - of the very uncommon reference 16568. The larger stones impart more character to the piece, making it an absolutely unisex statement timepiece in today's fashion.

It is interesting to point out how pavé dials 16568 appear to have been made in at least two batches, an earlier one - to which this watch belongs - bearing serial number around W123750 and a second one bearing number around W176600.

Beyond its beauty, the presence of its original set of accessories and the supreme rarity, the present piece shines - pun intended - also thanks to the perfect record of its history. It comes in fact accompanied also by two service papers, from 2007 and 2014. As an additional delight, the 2007 service is recorded inside the caseback (a practice now discontinued), and the watchmaker even etched under the date the serial number of the case, thus informally linking it to the case body.

A final intellectual note about this watch comes from looking at its paperwork. The serial number of the watch places its production circa 1995. It is however accompanied by a 1997/1998 calendar card, meaning it lingered a good year at Rolex before being shipped to the retailer and packaged. And still, it took 5 years for the authorised dealer to finally sell it in 2002. It brings a smile to one's face to realize that only two decades ago it was difficult to sell something that is now considered one of the pinnacles of its field (gem-set chronographs). And yet, one cannot help but notice that this is a fate often reserved to masterpieces - think of Rolex's Paul Newman dial or Patek Philippe's vintage two-crown worldtime pieces.