Rolex Daytona 'Panna', Reference 116520 | A stainless steel chronograph...
Dial: cream
Calibre: cal. 4130 automatic, 44 jewels
Movement number: C0'120'808
Case: stainless steel, screw-down case back
Case number: Y'379'526
Closure: stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet and folding clasp
Size: 40 mm diameter, bracelet circumference approximately 185 mm
Signed: case, dial and movement
Accessories: Rolex guarantee, instruction manual, document holder, COSC hang tag and presentation box with outer packaging
Catalogue Note:
The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 marked an important turning point in the history of the model when it was introduced in 2000. Replacing the celebrated “Zenith” Daytona reference 16520, it retained the familiar 40 mm stainless-steel architecture while introducing the calibre 4130, Rolex’s first entirely in-house automatic chronograph movement. The new calibre also resulted in a subtle reorganisation of the dial, most visibly through the repositioning of the subsidiary seconds register to 6 o’clock and the slightly raised chronograph registers at 3 and 9. Produced until 2016, the reference 116520 would become one of the longest-running modern Daytonas, yet its earliest examples have developed a character entirely their own.
The present watch belongs to a small and highly prized group of early white dial examples whose dials have naturally transformed from their original stark white to a rich ivory or cream colour. Affectionately known among collectors as “Panna”, Italian for cream, research suggests that the colour change resulted from the composition of certain batches of white dial paint used during a brief production period, although the precise cause has never been officially confirmed by Rolex. Importantly, not every dial from these serial ranges develops the effect, making strongly coloured examples considerably more difficult to encounter.
The present example displays the phenomenon to exceptional effect, its dial having evolved well beyond off-white to an intense, warm cream tone that immediately distinguishes it from a conventional reference 116520. Beneath this remarkable dial is the automatic calibre 4130, whose introduction established the mechanical architecture that would underpin the Daytona for more than two decades. Accompanied by its original accessories, the present watch brings together the technical significance of the earliest reference 116520 with one of the most celebrated natural dial variations of the modern Rolex era, a compelling example of how an unintended change can transform a familiar Daytona into something altogether rarer and more individual.
Dial: cream
Calibre: cal. 4130 automatic, 44 jewels
Movement number: C0'120'808
Case: stainless steel, screw-down case back
Case number: Y'379'526
Closure: stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet and folding clasp
Size: 40 mm diameter, bracelet circumference approximately 185 mm
Signed: case, dial and movement
Accessories: Rolex guarantee, instruction manual, document holder, COSC hang tag and presentation box with outer packaging
Catalogue Note:
The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 marked an important turning point in the history of the model when it was introduced in 2000. Replacing the celebrated “Zenith” Daytona reference 16520, it retained the familiar 40 mm stainless-steel architecture while introducing the calibre 4130, Rolex’s first entirely in-house automatic chronograph movement. The new calibre also resulted in a subtle reorganisation of the dial, most visibly through the repositioning of the subsidiary seconds register to 6 o’clock and the slightly raised chronograph registers at 3 and 9. Produced until 2016, the reference 116520 would become one of the longest-running modern Daytonas, yet its earliest examples have developed a character entirely their own.
The present watch belongs to a small and highly prized group of early white dial examples whose dials have naturally transformed from their original stark white to a rich ivory or cream colour. Affectionately known among collectors as “Panna”, Italian for cream, research suggests that the colour change resulted from the composition of certain batches of white dial paint used during a brief production period, although the precise cause has never been officially confirmed by Rolex. Importantly, not every dial from these serial ranges develops the effect, making strongly coloured examples considerably more difficult to encounter.
The present example displays the phenomenon to exceptional effect, its dial having evolved well beyond off-white to an intense, warm cream tone that immediately distinguishes it from a conventional reference 116520. Beneath this remarkable dial is the automatic calibre 4130, whose introduction established the mechanical architecture that would underpin the Daytona for more than two decades. Accompanied by its original accessories, the present watch brings together the technical significance of the earliest reference 116520 with one of the most celebrated natural dial variations of the modern Rolex era, a compelling example of how an unintended change can transform a familiar Daytona into something altogether rarer and more individual.
