Reference 16520 was Rolex’s first Daytona to house an automatic movement (based on a heavily modified Zenith ElPrimero caliber) At the time of launch in 1988, it quickly became a cult classic and garnered an immediate waiting list at Rolex retailers. Today, the Zenith Daytona has become an even more collectible watch due to its rarity, good looks and importance within the history of Rolex.

The degree of desirability of the “Zenith Daytona” varies with the different dial variations that exist, and some iterations - such as the “Floating” ones, or the porcelain dials, or the “Four Liners” - have come to be recognized as supremely collectible timepieces. The most popular being the so called “tropical” dial where the registers have turned darker in color, the most coveted and rarest being by far the “Darth Vader” like the present example that features subdials with dark “espresso-like” hue earning its nickname inspired by the dark Sith lord. Extremely rare as these imperfections are natural occurrences, most examples feature an non uniform change in hue, making examples that are uniformed extremely desirable and scarce.

In the manufacturing process of the dial, one of the factors contributing to the unique “tropical” effect lays on the varnish used at the time by Rolex. Applied on top of the silvered registers, the varnish for some examples were not applied equally and as such the silver section of the subdials changed colors going from a light caramel to black coffee. These changes have been witnessed in watches bearing S,N,T and W serials.

The present example is in extremely well preserved condition, offered with its punched guarantee papers, box, and calendar card, it still features the green sticker on the caseback.
The extreme rarity and superlative condition of the present “Dark Vader” make it a must have for the Daytona collector.