Rolex Daytona "Zenith" ref.16528 Diamond Dial from 1995

The story begins in 1988 at Baselworld when Rolex unveiled the new incarnation and most significant redesign of its flagship sports watch, the automatic Daytona. The 16520 Daytona announced the introduction of a new 40mm case and a sapphire crystal. This was Rolex's first automatic-winding chronograph.

Rolex's new Daytona was powered by a highly modified Zenith "El Primero" movement, the Calibre 400, which formed the basis of the new Rolex 4030 movement. Due to its very demanding standards, Rolex made more than 200 modifications to the base caliber. The movement had a power reserve of 52 hours and featured 31 jewels, a Breguet free-sprung balance spring, and most importantly, the automatic rotor. This movement served Rolex well for 12 years until Rolex launched its own in-house movement, the Calibre 4130, which powered the new generation of 116520 watches.

This piece, which we have the pleasure of offering to our friends and collectors today, is none other than my personal favorite variation of the 1652x, the solid gold 16528 with diamond index, a watch that could be tacky or sophisticated and tasteful, its all about the person who is wearing it, that's whats really cool about this watch.

Model: Daytona
Reference: 16528
Year of manufacture: 1995
Serial number: W-Serial
Material: Steel
Dimensions: 40mm
Crystal material: Sapphire
Luminescent material: Tritium
Caliber: cal.4030
Type of movement: Automatic
Extension measurement: 20mm
Bracelet: 12 links
Box/Papers: watch only
Mechanical Function Guarantee: 6 months