Released in 1988, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref.16520 was the firm’s first Daytona model to feature a self-winding caliber. As the brands first, the reliable Zenith El Primero based cal. 4030 was considered as one of the best self-winding chronograph movements at the time. Discontinued in 2000, it was replaced by the ref. 116520 featuring Rolex’s first in-house self-winding chronograph movement. Fitted with the last out-sourced caliber, the ref. 16520 commands a higher value today and is very popular among collectors and enthusiasts in the market.

While the entire reference has appreciated in value over the years due to its iconic status being the last ever to feature an out-sourced movement, some examples from various series has proved to separate itself from the rest making them extremely rare and highly sought-after by collectors. In the manufacturing process of the dial, one of the factors contributing to the unique “tropical” effect is the varnish used at the time by Rolex, Zapon. Applied on top of the silvered registers, the varnish for some examples were not applied equally. In 2005, acclaimed Italian auctioneer noticed a difference in the colour of the register originally silver whilst putting together an auction and despite its natural imperfection, the watch was sold for double its estimate, hence examples bearing a S,N,T and W serial with “tropical” brown registers received the attention from collectors. However, usually witnessed with lighter shades of brown, a few examples that has surfaced in the market featured registers in much darker “espresso-like” hue earning its nickname the “Darth Vader”.

The present example is one of those rare birds that has developed a dark and intense espresso-like tropical registers. Bearing a “W” serial, the present example from circa 1995 is offered in excellent overall condition and is further complete with its full set of accessories with a guarantee stamped by a local Hong Kong retailer.