1996 Rolex Daytona 16520 – An Owner’s Perspective

(written by my friend Tim from far far away)

I had been looking for a Zenith powered Rolex Daytona for many years. I like the design of the watch in both black and white dial but as I live in Australia, they do not come on the market very often.

I prefer the Zenith powered Daytona, calibre 4030; because the 12 hour totaliser is at the 6 position. I believe that this layout on chronographs capable of recording elapsed hours to be the most logical as you read the smallest to largest time display totalisers from left to right and top to bottom. You read the one at 9, then three then six on a three totaliser chronograph. The Universal Geneve 281, Valjoux 72 (and variants), Lemania 321, Excelsior Park 40 and Venus 178 are examples of classical chronograph movements made in the past which share this mechanical layout. I do not understand the reasoning behind the running seconds and the elapsed hours swapping positions on Rolex Daytonas from 2000 onwards.

I was fortunate to be in a position to buy this watch as it came with a “full set.” In watch collecting parlance, we mean inner and outer box, warranty papers, instruction manual, sales tags and any additional inclusions a manufacturer will include in the presentation box which are superfluous and do not interact with the wearing of the watch.

In the example here, I have:

• A calendar card for 1996 and 1997 (Watch was sold in September 1996)
• Instruction booklet and explanation booklet of Rolex professional series models
• Outer box with stickers noting original price of £3120 and the model, 16520 with white dial and 78390 bracelet.

• One plastic “wax seal” hang tag inside inner box and one clear plastic bezel protector
• Rolex Service card from 2001 and extra bracelet link
• One warranty booklet with translations in multiple languages
• Chronometer attestation and guarantee. Rolex Daytona hang tag. Serial number typed on sticker on obverse side. Neither is replaceable by factory by request.
• Watch
• Brown pillow covered by polishing cloth

I like the watch because it has the historical aspects to it. The Zenith base movement was the first integrated automatic chronograph; which was released in 1969 in the El Primero. It has the old fashioned way of stopping the seconds hand, by applying tension via the crown, instead of a brake lever activated when the crown is pulled to the time setting position. One of the things I don’t like about the Zenith powered Daytonas is the use of a horizontal clutch, which allows the ‘hop’ when the chronograph is engaged. The vertical clutch on the newer 4130 powered Daytonas eliminates this by design. Chronographs with horizontal clutches also have the amplitude drop when the chronograph is engaged and although it can display 11 hours and 59 minutes of elapsed time, the additional wear compared to a vertical clutch can get expensive to repair. However, this is the charm of an older watch.

The 16520 marked a change in direction for Rolex Daytona watches to be more than just tool watches for a specific purpose. The polished bracelet links give it a more formal appearance than the reference 78350 brushed finish bracelets and 571 endlinks fitted to its predescessor, the 6265. You can see that the clasp differs on a Sea Dweller 16600 (right) as well.

I find that the polished bracelet picks up hairline scratches quite easily which are more obvious than on the brushed clasp of the Sea Dweller. Notice that the 16600 has a longer clasp to accommodate its extension link blades. The Rolex coronet features on the Daytona’s Fliplock, which is another point of difference. I like this as it shows flair. A 16520 Daytona should have its bracelet secured with 503B endlinks, which are hollow, in case you’re wondering.

I was asked if I would buy this watch again if I had an opportunity. I would, because it is an interesting watch to own, and the ownership experience is trouble free. The thing about correctly maintained Rolex watches is that they are set and forget watches. You can wear one all day and everyday and not have to worry if you look after it. The white dial with tritium indexes distinguishes among almost all of the other Rolex watches I’ve owned, as most had black dials. The only other white dial Rolex I’ve had was a Milgauss. If you unscrew the pushpieces, as if to operate the chronograph; they look like the round spring loaded chronograph caps of the 1960s chronographs released by everyone from Heuer to Zenith. And when you screw them down, of course you get the 100m of water resistance.