Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 2009 Reference No: 116520 Case No: V912’369 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4130, 44 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped, max length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: With Rolex International guarantee card stamped by Bucherer AG, Switzerland in 2010, manual, hang tag, and outer packaging
Catalogue Essay
Making a splash at the BaselWorld Fair in 2000, reference 116520 features the in-house movement that Rolex had designed. The result of decades of research and development, the movement used in the reference 116520 — the Caliber 4130 — was in fact the brand’s first new in-house caliber in five decades.
The reference 116520 features a more-than-slight resemblance to its predecessor ref. 16520, but some subtle changes are ostensible to the Rolex connoisseur: the disposition of hour counter and constant second is now inverted, with the hours at 9 o' clock and the seconds at 6. The chronographic indication was also re-designed — minutes on the right, hours on the left, and seconds at 6. Also, the subsidiary counters at 3 and 6 have been moved slightly higher on the dial, bolstering the overall design balance. Finally, the hands are a little wider, for better legibility.
The present is in like-new condition, fresh to the auction market, and accompanied by a Rolex International guarantee card stamped by Bucherer AG, Switzerland in 2010, manual and hang tag.
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.