Rolex Daytona 116519 'Sodalite'

Sold
Sold
  • Free worldwide delivery

We like to say that white gold is stealth wealth, but that qualification doesn’t really apply to diamond-set stone dial Daytona; does it?While it may look like steel to the undiscerning eye, the case and bracelet are crafted from 18k white gold and it’s noticeable as soon as you feel the heft on your wrist.This ref. 116519 features a bright-blue sodalite stone dial. A number of details give the dial a ton of depth. Just look at those magnificent recessed sub-dials, an incredible feat of precision engineering given the brittleness of natural stones. On the hour markers we find brilliant-cut diamond indexes with 18k white gold surroundings and applied 18k white gold Arabic numerals on the quarters.The watch comes on a beautiful new royal blue alligator leather Rolex strap with an 18k white gold Rolex folding clasp. The watch dates back to 2001 and is in great overall condition, though you should know that there are some scratches here and there on the case and clasp.

Introduction

Rolex Cosmograph DaytonaRolex started making chronographs in the 1930s, but it was only in 1963 that a named product line was introduced: the Cosmograph. In some early advertisements, Rolex referred to the watch as the ‘Le Mans’ after the famous race track in France, although the name never appeared on the dial. After a few years, the line was officially renamed Cosmograph Daytona, after the racetrack in Florida.The most noticeable difference between these Cosmograph (Daytona) models and earlier Rolex chronographs was the tachymeter scale (used for measuring distance and speed) that was moved from its traditional placement on the dial to the bezel. Furthermore, the dial was updated with the introduction of contrasting sub-dials.It's hard to imagine now, but Daytonas received little love after their release. Most Daytonas languished in dealer displays for years and only started to get noticed by Italian collectors and dealers in the late 1980s. Nowadays, Daytonas are among the most sought after Rolex models, fetching prices from $20,000 for modern ones to many millions for rare vintage references. A big contrast with the $210 list price when it was first released!

Shipping

Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped within the Netherlands by Registered Mail through the Dutch carrier PostNL and for other countries by Fedex. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For most destinations tracking is available.