Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 2000 Reference No: 116519 Case No: P490700 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona Beach Material: 18k white gold and yellow mother-of-pearl Calibre: Automatic, 4130, 44 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Yellow Rolex reptile leather strap Clasp/Buckle: 18k white gold Rolex twinlock folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 39 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed
Catalogue Essay
Presented in excellent overall condition, this Daytona Beach wristwatch features a yellow mother-of-pearl dial and a corresponding Rolex reptile leather strap. Due to the colourful and unusual nature of the Beach series of Daytona, they have risen in terms of collectability and value in recent years.
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.