Everyone is well aware of the collectability of vintage four-digit Daytona references and of course we are quite familiar with the unavailability of modern ceramic Daytonas at Rolex dealerships. But the venerable 5-digit Daytona is the true sleeper hit.

In 1988, Rolex finally retired the vintage 6xxx series Daytonas with the hand wound Valjoux movement and acrylic crystal. Instead, it introduced the completely revamped 16520 Daytona. This second-generation iteration was updated to a modern 40 mm steel case with sapphire crystal, a glossy dial, and a heavily modified Zenith El Primero self-winding movement.

The Zenith-powered Daytonas were produced for just a decade until Rolex, finally we might add, introduced its first in-house chronograph movement in 2000. Due to their short production run, the Zenith Daytonas are in relatively short supply. 

This 16520 dates back to 1999 and is one of the very last iterations of the Zenith Daytona, a so-called ‘A-series’. A hallmark of these late 16520s is the use of (non-radioactive) Luminova luminous compound on the dial and in the handset (as evidenced by the “Swiss Made” marking at the 6 o’clock position), as opposed to the (radioactive) tritium compound used on earlier versions. The watch also comes with the correct MKIII bezel, which includes the engraved “units per hour” at the 1 o’clock position as well as the “240” marking, while the “225” and “250” markings are excluded.

This beauty features a glossy black dial and comes on a sporty Oyster bracelet with the polished center links and a secure fliplock clasp.