Reference 116520, the updated Rolex Daytona

The Rolex Daytona is probably one the most desired and recognizable luxury watches in the world. Its racing heritage combined with stunning looks makes it easy to understand why. Of all the Daytonas the stainless steel examples are the most sought after. The full steel Daytona comes in two dial colors; white or black. Below you can read our complete inside-out review on the Rolex Daytona 116520 with black “chromalight” dial.

The inside
Inside the Rolex Daytona 116520 we find the in-house produced Rolex caliber 4130. The caliber is an automatic winding movement and is composed of 290 parts and contains 44 jewels! The movement beats at a rate of 28.800 vph. The approximate power reserve is 72 hours or 66 hours when the chronograph is running. The caliber 4130 is the first in housed produced automatic chronograph movement from Rolex. The previous reference, ref 16520 was based on the Zenith El Primero movement. Making this was a real important step forward for Rolex.

The outside
The case of the watch measures 40mm in diameter and is made entirely from stainless steel. It has a solid caseback (like all Rolex watches) and is water resistant to a depth of 100m. The time can be adjusted by unscrewing the triplock crown. The chronograph can be started and stopped with the two screw-down pusher buttons. The case is fitted on the iconic Rolex Oyster bracelet, this 3 piece bracelet has been the standard bracelet for the Daytona since the launch of the model. The outside links are finished with a nice brushing and the center links are polished. The double locking folding oysterlock clasp keeps the watch attached to your wrist safely. A cool new feature on this oyster bracelet is the 5mm easylink extension that allows you to make a small adjustment without using a bracelet tool. On top of the case we find the tachymeter scale which helps you calculate the traveled distance over a measured time period (of course we all use this daily).

The Dial
The real centerpiece of the watch: the black dial. The dial has a deep glossy black color with applied 18k white gold indexes that indicate the hour positions. The indexes are filled with “Chromalight” that lights up blue in the dark (earlier versions of the 116520 still had Superluminova lume that glows green). Surrounding the hour markers we find the minute track that helps with accurately reading the elapsed chronograph time. The dial has 3 sub-dials that are surrounded by silver rings. The sub-dial at the 3 o’clock position indicates the elapsed chronograph minutes, at 6 we find the elapsed hours. And at 9 o’clock the normal (not chronograph) seconds are displayed.
The regular time is indicated by the two hands that are also filled with Chromalight. The long arrow hand indicates the chronograph seconds.
And of course as we know from Rolex the dial proudly bears the coronet or crown logo.

The Daytona is one of the most iconic watches Rolex has produced. And this reference 116520 is no exception. It’s a little more flashy than its predecessors but still perfectly balanced. Despite its price it can be a great everyday watch, it's robust and right for almost any occasion.

Rolex Daytona 116520 specs:
- Production from 2000-2016
- 40mm case diameter
- Stainless steel
- Functions: time, 12hr chronograph with running seconds
- Dial: Black or White with superluminova or chromalight
- Bezel: Stainless steel with Tachymeter scale
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Movement: Automatic cal. 4130
- Water Resistance: 100m or 330 ft
- Bracelet: Oyster bracelet with folding clasp