[Devildog]

Originally Posted by SS Oyster

I'd go for the 116500 if I were you.

I have three 1165xx (white, black and PN). My wife has 126515. The very first time she wore it, she dinged and scratched the Everose Bezel surround (ring), which upset her so much that she wouldn't wear it for months.

I'm really happy all of mine as 116s instead of 126s. We ALL know that the very first thing you look at on an old Daytona is the bezel edge to judge condition. Fortunately, Rolex got it right with the mono block Cerachrome bezels on the 116500s and 11651Xs, but IMO screwed up putting that silly ring around the bezel on the new 126s.

Assuming a friction fit between the cerachrome and the metal, that ring should be no "weaker" than the edge of an all metal bezel.

But I agree that other than any aesthetic preference, the appeal of the all cerachrom bezel on the PM cases was its robustness compared to the all PM bezels. The ring negates a lot of the cerachrom upside as the bezel tends to be a high contact point, as you pointed out.