Rolex Daytona 116528 'Mother of Pearl'

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Christmas is coming and there is no better occasion to offer a full gold Daytona with a rare mother of pearl dial.Stone dial Daytonas are uncommon. While we sold a grossular and a sodalite dial Daytona earlier this year, this is the first time we got our hands on a mother of pearl dial. We love the opaline lustre of the pearl dial because it gives this sporty chronograph an almost dreamlike quality.This ref. 116528 was produced in 2003 and is executed in a luxurious 40mm 18k yellow-gold case with polished lugs. The matching 18k yellow-gold Oyster bracelet features polished center links, a detail that is continued on the solid gold folding clasp. The Mother of Pearl dial has a lovely milky hue and sports applied 18k yellow-gold Arabic numerals (also known as a ‘racing dial’).The reference 116528 features Rolex’ first in-house chronograph movement. The watch is in excellent condition. Aside from a few hairline scratches, you’ll find it to have a sharp case and tight bracelet.

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!

Specifications

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.