Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 2003 Reference No: 116523 Movement No: 0'078'171 Case No: F078027 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona Material: 18k yellow gold and stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, 4130, 44 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold and stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, 175 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: 18k yellow gold and stainless steel Rolex twinlock folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 38.5 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Rolex Attestation de Chronomètre Officiel dated May 2004, sale tag, product literature, leather wallet, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
The reference 116523 was the first steel and gold Daytona to feature the new in-house Rolex caliber 4130. There are also subtle changes in the form of more slender lugs and the hour register switching places with the subsidiary seconds register. In addition, the dial on these references turn from white to ivory, like it has done on the present watch.
Offered in very appealing and original condition, the present Daytona is also complete with its original guarantee 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.