{"product_id":"rolex-zenith-daytona-transitional-dial-as03176","title":"Rolex \"Zenith\" Daytona Transitional Dial","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy We Love It\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eRolex Daytonas are made in a variety of materials; two-tone, solid gold, platinum, and unobtanium- that is to say, stainless steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOnce the black sheep of the Rolex family, stainless steel Daytonas have become one of the most desirable and sought after wristwatch models in the world. This Reference 16520 comes from the 'Zenith' era, wherein the Calibre 4030 movement was provided by Zenith. These were made only for a little over a decade and offer an interesting chapter in the Daytona story. As a result, these 'Zenith Daytonas' have become incredibly desirable by collectors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe condition and movement makes for a compelling timepiece, but this particular example has another secret up its sleeve. Featuring a 'transitional' dial, this piece shows Tritium markings but actually uses Luminova on indices and handsets. This is an unusual but entirely correct configuration that is only acceptable in a small serial range. As we all know, its small peculiarities such as this in vintage timepieces that lead to big desirability (and bigger prices) in the long run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith near perfect proportions, the 16520 is considered by some to be the perfect Daytona- a balance of sporty tool functionality and luxury.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd while some models have skyrocketed in cost, the price of transitional models of the late 90s- for now at least- have yet to reach their \u003cem\u003ezenith.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDad jokes.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Daytona is Rolex's only Chronograph in current production. Before the Cosmograph and Daytona models, Rolex had produced dressier chronographs since the 1930s, setting the mold for what would ultimately become the single best-known chronograph in the world. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design of the Cosmograph gradually changed, but the Oyster case remained at its heart. A change in dial configuration (mainly a shift from monochrome to the 'panda' color schemes now closely associated with it) along with the removal of the tachymetric scale to the bezel made it a clear sportsman's watch. With the addition of the name Daytona in 1964 (taken from the 24 Hours of Daytona Race which Rolex started sponsoring in 1962), the motorsports association was cemented.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe earliest Daytonas relied on that well known manually-wound workhorse calibre - the Valjoux 72, used by Heuer in both their\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/shop.analogshift.com\/collections\/watches\/products\/heuer-autavia-2446c-gmt\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Heuer Autavia Reference 2446C GMT\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eAutavias\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/shop.analogshift.com\/collections\/watches\/products\/heuer-carrera-2456t-18k-yellow-gold\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Heuer Carrera 18K\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eCarreras\u003c\/a\u003e. But in 1988 Rolex released a Daytona using Zenith's El Primero movement, making the Cosmograph Daytona now worthy of the appellation 'Oyster Perpetual.' These 'Zenith' Daytonas -particularly with the white dial - have gained serious traction over the past decade on the vintage chronograph market, with potential to appreciate in value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStill, Rolex has never been the sort of brand to rely on another company's technology for long, so when the Reference 116520 debuted in 2000 at BaselWorld, it made headlines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result of years of R\u0026amp;D, the movement used in the Reference 116520--the Calibre 4130--was the manufacture's first new in-house caliber in five decades. The Calibre 4130's construction--consisting of a vertical clutch, a larger balance wheel, and fewer screws--made it far more accurate (and more easily-serviced) than any of Rolex's previous self-winding chronograph calibers. While the current generation of in-house calibres might be 'better' movements from a technical perspective, the era of 'Zenith Daytonas' was short lived and from a collectability standpoint, there are few things more tantalizing than a transitional era!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rolex","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":28046098956375,"sku":null,"price":26500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/Rolex_Daytona_AS03176_6.jpg?v=1559851163","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/rolex-zenith-daytona-transitional-dial-as03176","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}