Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1991 Reference No: 16528 Movement No: 55'681 Case No: X435057 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4030, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped "193" to the endlinks, max lenght 200mm Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp stamped "78398" and "T12" Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: Accompanied by an additional "inverted 6" white dial with diamond-set numerals, Rolex fitted box, punched guarantee, service invoice and invoice for white dial with diamond indexes.
Catalogue Essay
Launched in the late 1980s, the “new” Daytona with automatic movement immediately became a sensation: waiting lists to become an owner appeared in many retailers (possibly for the first time in horological history, for a sports watch) and a side result of such remarkable success was a rediscovered interest in manually-wound models, marking the beginning of Daytona collecting.
The model was available in steel (ref. 16520), in steel and gold (16523), and the present gold version ref. 16528. By the 1990s, both Rolex as a company and the public perception of the brand had evolved past the original “professional watches company” image and fully embraced the luxury market. As a result, more designs incorporated gemstones as this timepiece demonstrates.
Offered with box and punched guarantee as well as with both white and black dials - allowing for a dramatic change in the appearance of the watch if so the owner decides - it is noteworthy how Rolex managed to incorporate diamond indexes while maintaining overall very sober and masculine dial aesthetics.
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 A fine and attractive yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with "inverted 6" black dial, bracelet, additional "inverted 6" white dial with diamond-set numerals, punched guarantee box and service papers
Circa 1991 40mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and clasp signed