Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1992 Reference No: 16528 Movement No: 43885 Case No: E'322'386, inside caseback stamped 16500 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona, The "Big Blue" Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4030, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 200mm. Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 39mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: Accompanied by punched Rolex guarantee dated July 13,1992, pouch, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
While watches with blue dials have been enjoying immense popularity, it hasn't always been the case, and past market indifference have become in today's markets commercial triumphs.
In the late 1980s, when Rolex introduced its first automatic Daytona, the brand decided to experiment with color schemes beyond the customary black and white. A captivating blue dial, adorned with a mesmerizing sunray pattern, was crafted by Rolex's dial manufacturer, Singer. Regrettably, due to the poor's market response, the production of these dials was halted, resulting in only a limited quantity being made. Despite sharing identical graphics with other Daytona dials of that era, the blue dials were never integrated into the reference 16528. Instead, Rolex gifted them to partners, suppliers, and senior management.
The present reference 16528's striking aesthetics stem from a powerful combination: a lavish yellow gold case in excellent condition and an exquisite blue dial featuring a sunray pattern. This renders it one of the rarest and most exclusive Daytonas ever produced, serving as a crown jewel for discerning Daytona collectors. Further preserved in excellent overall condition, the present timepiece is further accompanied by its punched papers and fitted presentation box.
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.
Ref. 16528 An extremely rare and highly attractive yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with blue dial and bracelet, punched certificate and presentation box
1992 39mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and clasp signed