I bought a new random series stainless steel Daytona on Wednesday.
After reading The Rolex Magazine Issue #1 that I recently received, I was convinced that I needed a Daytona in my collection.
A visit to a Rolex AD sealed the deal. After a nice conversation with the owner of the store, I asked if they had a new 116520 available. He excused himself and went into his back room/safe and returned with 2 Daytonas, a black dial and a white dial 116520, both unopened in the clear plastic shipping containers. They were fresh inventory and both had random serial numbers.
I spent some time admiring them and asked which of the 2 dials was in greater demand for his customers. He told me that the demand was about the same for both dials. As expected, he also mentioned that they were fortunate to have both in stock for the Holidays.
I thanked him for showing me and mentioned I would like to buy one but had been offered an attractive price by another Rolex AD where I previously purchased several new Rolexes.
Once again he excused himself and checked with his business partner. A couple of minutes later, he returned and informed me that they would accept the price that I had been offered.
They were extremely cordial and thanked me several times for my purchase while the bracelet was being sized.
I am delighted to have a stainless steel Daytona in my collection once again, especially since it was purchased new with my name on the warranty card. Certainly it is one of the most recognized Rolex icons along with the Sub Date, GMT-Master II, Datejust and Day-Date.
Addressing a couple of the points in the original post of this thread in the spirit of constructive dialogue, I have the following thoughts.
1) NO DATE. Yes, no surprise there. Since I do not plan to wear my Daytona everyday, I prefer that I can simply wind the crown a few times, set the time and the Daytona is ready to go.
2) TIME IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. This is dependent upon the viewing angle and light source. When the watch is on my wrist, I look at the dial at about a 60 degree angle and I find it very easy to tell the time.
3) WATCH DOES NOT POP. Bland/understated is fine for me although I find the polished surfaces make the Daytona far from bland for my eyes. What makes the Daytona "pop" for me is having it on my wrist and my own personal appreciation for it instead of any attention it may get from someone across the room.
4) DON'T LIKE THE BEZEL. Love them or hate them, the bezel and screw down pushers are the iconic elements of the Daytona design.
My suggestion is to give yourself a chance to bond with the Daytona. If you don't, it is still one of the easiest Rolex models to resell and recover your "investment".
Happy 50th Anniversary Daytona!
