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 N, S, 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”. Much like its moniker of the dark lord, the present ref. 16520 bears a dial with tropical registers that is so intense which reminds one of Darth Vader's armour. Boasting strong case proportion, well-defined lugs and a “N” serial, the present example is an early specimen from circa 1992. Furthermore it is complete with its full set of accessories with a guarantee stamped by an Italian retailer.
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.
