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alfanator · 6 July 2014, 06:10 AM

I purchased my first Daytona in the early 00's, a white dial with the new in-house movement from an AD at retail price. Took it home, put it on my wrist and quickly decided that it had too many shiny surfaces. Flipped it and leisurely hunted for a black one.

It was not till about mid 00's that i found a black one. Put it on my wrist and again decided it had too many shiny surfaces and tucked it into the safe. I wore it on and off for the next few years. But always thought it was too shiny and back to the safe it went.

Finally took it to my local Rolex certified watchmaker to have him brush the lugs and PCLs. The watch transformed and i wore it more often and rotated primarily between that and a red sub for more than a year.

-This is an early version of the 116520 made the first 5 years with Mark 1 dial, skinny hands, earlier 78490 clasp and pre-blue oxide parachrom mainspring (as confirmed by watch maker).
-Notice that the manual shows a silver mainspring (last pic).
-SN is F1126xx.

Movement
-The movement is very accurate and reliable (+/-1 second a day)
-The winding is silky smooth and precise.
-Actuating the chrono buttons are crisp.
-This is perhaps the best chronograph I have experienced. I have had a gaggle of Lemanias, Valjouxs, Universals and Zeniths in various cases...Omegas, JLCs, IWCs, Zenith over the years. This movement and case combo is heads and shoulders above those.

Case
-Aside from the polished lugs, the case is bullet proof.
-Screw down chrono buttons are a little bit of a hassle.

Bracelet
-Much better than the old bracelets, the clasp is great and the micro adjustment is very handy.
-PCLs are scratch magnets, took care of that.

Dial
-I would have preferred a Matte dial like the new Exp 2 or SD 4k.
-It is busy and the skinny Mk1 hands are difficult to read.
-I often find myself getting lost admiring the balance of the design when i glance for the time. Only to look at it again to actually check the time

Overall
Less shiny would have been better.
But the movement and design makes up for the over bling.

It is starting to develop some patina from daily wear and the sub dials appear to be bronzing a little. The former is easy to remedy its next regular service, the latter might be the beginning of something great.

6 July 2014, 06:10 AM	#1
alfanator "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Seattle/Shanghai Posts: 134	SS Daytona 116520 Long Term Review I purchased my first Daytona in the early 00's, a white dial with the new in-house movement from an AD at retail price. Took it home, put it on my wrist and quickly decided that it had too many shiny surfaces. Flipped it and leisurely hunted for a black one. It was not till about mid 00's that i found a black one. Put it on my wrist and again decided it had too many shiny surfaces and tucked it into the safe. I wore it on and off for the next few years. But always thought it was too shiny and back to the safe it went. Finally took it to my local Rolex certified watchmaker to have him brush the lugs and PCLs. The watch transformed and i wore it more often and rotated primarily between that and a red sub for more than a year. -This is an early version of the 116520 made the first 5 years with Mark 1 dial, skinny hands, earlier 78490 clasp and pre-blue oxide parachrom mainspring (as confirmed by watch maker). -Notice that the manual shows a silver mainspring (last pic). -SN is F1126xx. Movement -The movement is very accurate and reliable (+/-1 second a day) -The winding is silky smooth and precise. -Actuating the chrono buttons are crisp. -This is perhaps the best chronograph I have experienced. I have had a gaggle of Lemanias, Valjouxs, Universals and Zeniths in various cases...Omegas, JLCs, IWCs, Zenith over the years. This movement and case combo is heads and shoulders above those. Case -Aside from the polished lugs, the case is bullet proof. -Screw down chrono buttons are a little bit of a hassle. Bracelet -Much better than the old bracelets, the clasp is great and the micro adjustment is very handy. -PCLs are scratch magnets, took care of that. Dial -I would have preferred a Matte dial like the new Exp 2 or SD 4k. -It is busy and the skinny Mk1 hands are difficult to read. -I often find myself getting lost admiring the balance of the design when i glance for the time. Only to look at it again to actually check the time Overall Less shiny would have been better. But the movement and design makes up for the over bling. It is starting to develop some patina from daily wear and the sub dials appear to be bronzing a little. The former is easy to remedy its next regular service, the latter might be the beginning of something great.