Today marks the beginning of the sale of the Rolex Daytona capsule collection, which we are proud to offer in partnership with Sotheby’s. The auction includes a selection of 13 top-of-the-line timepieces, synonymous with racing, that together outline the history of the Rolex chronograph.
The sale includes early replica watches from the 1940s before Daytona’s launch, together with the coveted Daytona ceramic ring. When Daytona released the watch several years ago, it sparked years of waiting lists. While each of the 13 unusual pieces represents a rare and extremely popular timepiece, here we highlight just a few — each symbolizing a different stage in Daytona’s long and glorious history.
The latest stainless steel Rolex replica to join the brand’s catalog is the reference 116500. By taking design cues from early vintage Daytona models and fusing them with ultra-modern innovations, the ref. 116500 caused an absolute sensation upon its release several years ago. The most obvious change to accompany this new generation of stainless steel Daytona fake watches was the inclusion of a black “Cerachrom” bezel on top of its 40mm Oyster case. The use of a black bezel echoes the design of certain vintage Daytona references that were fitted with black acrylic bezels.
There is a famed in-house Caliber 4130 automatic movement inside the watch which made its debut in 2000. However, Rolex redefined its ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’ parameters in 2015 to guarantee a daily accuracy rating of -2/+2 seconds a day – double that of the constraints set by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. While the stainless steel Daytona 116500 is currently in production at Rolex, finding one at an authorized retailer can take years because of immense waitlists.
1988 was a great milestone year for Rolex chronographs because it was the year that the popular Rolex introduced the very first self-winding Daytona. Powered by the Caliber 4030, which was based on the Zenith El-Primero movement, this family of Daytona watches is commonly referred to as the “Zenith Daytona” among collectors. This generation of Daytona watches remained in production for 12 years until it was interrupted in 2000.
The Rolex Daytona replica was the stainless steel version of the brand’s first generation of automatic chronographs and it was a smash hit just right out of the gate. Proudly modern in design, the Oyster case of this Daytona 16520 grew to a contemporary 40mm in size, included crown guards for the first time, and was fitted with a sapphire crystal instead of acrylic ones.