SOLD

Rolex Daytona 16523 from 1998

Up for sale is this Rolex “Zenith” Daytona 16523 with a delightful white dial, steel case and an astonishing gold bezel. This watch is working perfectly, recently inspected by my jeweler. The Rolex Daytona began its official existence in 1964, when the brand began sponsoring the famed car races in Daytona, Florida. Rolex chose to replace the Daytona’s hand-wound movement with an automatic movement just over two decades after it first debuted. They launched the Ref. 16500 series in 1988, which included the Rolex Daytona Ref. 16523. There was something that made these models particularly special, and it wasn’t just that they had an automatic movement. It was the Zenith El Primero automatic chronograph movement. The El Primero was not only the first but also the best automatic chronograph movement at the time. So, when Rolex was searching for an automatic chronograph movement for the Daytona, Zenith approached them. Rolex agreed that if Zenith could revive the production of the El Primero, they’d form a partnership. Zenith presented the first updated variation of the El Primero, the caliber 4030, in 1986. Rolex requested about 200 modifications before landing on a version that reached their rigorous production standards for the all-new Daytona. Just two years later, they unveiled the 16500 series, which included the Ref. 16523 in steel/gold. The release of the brand new Daytona was an immediate victory. In particular, the Ref. 16523 quickly became one of the most highly sought after models for the brand, especially since it was only produced in limited quantities because of the outsourced movement.

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