Incoming Daytona 16520

[ratty]

Very nice, many congratulations.

[springer]

Congrats Aaron. It looks like a real beauty!

[swish77]

Originally Posted by thanakornl

very nice! you prefer tritium version over the non tritium? why is that?

Good question, and not as clear cut on these classic/neo-vintage Rolexes, even if you're a "tritium or nothing" vintage lover.

I actually looked at a couple A and P serial Daytonas (non-tritium), and the deciding factor was more the overall condition (and price). However, all things considered, I definitely prefer the tritium dials because of the warmth on the hour markers and the hands that develop over time, and that plays off the warmth on the sub-dials. Not as much of an issue on the white dial 16520s, but on the black dials, tritium was the way to go fo me. (Actually not a fan of white dials in general.)

Another difference compared with the white dials, is the way the sub-dials on the black versions change so dramatically in the light. Here's a natural light shot, with partial shadow, with sub-dials that look ivory, compared to the almost beige-brown look in direct sun in the second photo. Looks like a different watch. So cool.(And for the record, no color enhancement/saturation in either shot.)

[Tom1675]

Originally Posted by thanakornl

very nice! you prefer tritium version over the non tritium? why is that?

Congrats, great patina. Some may say you've got a Patrizzi there.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by Tom1675

Congrats, great patina. Some may say you've got a Patrizzi there.

Many thanks. Yeah, I ran into that Patrizzi issue a lot during my search. When you’ve seen and handled dozens of these black 16520s, you see a clear distinction between “normal” patina, and the more extreme Patrizzi patina. Some sellers were asking crazy money for black Daytonas that had nice patina but were not Patrizzi, even though they labeled them as Patrizzi.

For the record, this 16520 is not a Patrizzi dial. It just has very nice patina.

[kip595]

That's a beautiful example, IMHO. This was actually one of the first refs to attract me to the Daytona. :)

[kay13]

A beauty, congratulations.

[Onequik135i]

That dial is a real stunner, congrats on your find.

[thanakornl]

thank you!

[sensui]

Beautiful find. Glad you landed the right zenith eventually.