101st Auction
2019/11/16
Lot 304
Rolex "Oyster Perpetual Superlative Chronometer officially certified Cosmograph Daytona", Movement No. 125739, Case No. T908870, Ref. 16520, Cal. 4030, 41 mm, circa 1997
An automatic wristwatch "COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA" in near mint condition, with so called "Patrizzi Dial", sold in October 1997 - with original box, Rolex leather card holder wallet, original punched certificate and Rolex seal tag
Case: steel, screw back ref. 16500 with green Rolex sticker marked 16520, steel bezel with tachy scale graduated to 400 units per hour, screwed "Triplock" winding crown, screwed chronograph pushers, steel "Oyster" bracelet ref. 78390 with endlinks stamped 503B, Oysterlock folding clasp Z6, bracelet length 165 mm, total length 205 mm. Dial: black.
This classic Rolex timepiece, reference 16520 with the red Daytona logo, has a black dial with applied indexes, stopwatch and a 30-minute and 12-hour counter; the watch is fitted with the legendary Zenith-based calibre 4030, and is called "Rolex Zenith Daytona". The bezel has an engraved tachy scale for direct reading of speed per hour.
The watch is in overall excellent condition and has obviously hardly ever been worn, if at all. The original green Rolex case back sticker is still present and shows the number 16520.
The Patrizzi Dial Daytonas
The original Rolex Daytona Zenith model reference 16520 was an all-steel version with either a black or a white dial available. The dials were updated several times with minute modifications during the model’s lifetime – today, the most valuable dial version among those five distinct "Marks" is the black Mark IV version, which sometimes sell for double the price of a similar white dial example. An even bigger boost in value though is all down to a mishap in the production of the black dials – in 1994/95, Rolex used the organic varnish Zapon as a protective coating on the Daytona dials; however, some time later it was discovered that the lacquer did not provide adequate protection and the silver chapter rings of the subsidiary dials oxidized and turned brown over the years. As these colour changes are progressive and do not stabilize with time, the effect continues and each one of these imperfect dials is now a unique, i.e., very expensive specimen.
The so-called "Patrizzi Dials" take their name from the man who was the first to notice what was happening to these dials - Osvaldo Patrizzi. Patrizzi, a watchmaker and restorer, founded Antiquorum in 1974 and in 2006 he decided to sell his personal collection of fine Rolex timepieces. Part of his collection was a Daytona dating from the mid 1990s and it was then he discovered what was happening to the watch’s face. Patrizzi realised that he had stumbled not only on an interesting eyecatcher in a timepiece that was already in high demand, but that this feature also turned every watch into a unique and particularly attractive object. His Daytona attracted the collectors like bees to a honeypot and it eventually sold for twice the estimated price – and the appeal of the "Patrizzi Dials" has not dwindled since but seems to be increasing still.
An automatic wristwatch "COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA" in near mint condition, with so called "Patrizzi Dial", sold in October 1997 - with original box, Rolex leather card holder wallet, original punched certificate and Rolex seal tag
Case: steel, screw back ref. 16500 with green Rolex sticker marked 16520, steel bezel with tachy scale graduated to 400 units per hour, screwed "Triplock" winding crown, screwed chronograph pushers, steel "Oyster" bracelet ref. 78390 with endlinks stamped 503B, Oysterlock folding clasp Z6, bracelet length 165 mm, total length 205 mm. Dial: black.
This classic Rolex timepiece, reference 16520 with the red Daytona logo, has a black dial with applied indexes, stopwatch and a 30-minute and 12-hour counter; the watch is fitted with the legendary Zenith-based calibre 4030, and is called "Rolex Zenith Daytona". The bezel has an engraved tachy scale for direct reading of speed per hour.
The watch is in overall excellent condition and has obviously hardly ever been worn, if at all. The original green Rolex case back sticker is still present and shows the number 16520.
The Patrizzi Dial Daytonas
The original Rolex Daytona Zenith model reference 16520 was an all-steel version with either a black or a white dial available. The dials were updated several times with minute modifications during the model’s lifetime – today, the most valuable dial version among those five distinct "Marks" is the black Mark IV version, which sometimes sell for double the price of a similar white dial example. An even bigger boost in value though is all down to a mishap in the production of the black dials – in 1994/95, Rolex used the organic varnish Zapon as a protective coating on the Daytona dials; however, some time later it was discovered that the lacquer did not provide adequate protection and the silver chapter rings of the subsidiary dials oxidized and turned brown over the years. As these colour changes are progressive and do not stabilize with time, the effect continues and each one of these imperfect dials is now a unique, i.e., very expensive specimen.
The so-called "Patrizzi Dials" take their name from the man who was the first to notice what was happening to these dials - Osvaldo Patrizzi. Patrizzi, a watchmaker and restorer, founded Antiquorum in 1974 and in 2006 he decided to sell his personal collection of fine Rolex timepieces. Part of his collection was a Daytona dating from the mid 1990s and it was then he discovered what was happening to the watch’s face. Patrizzi realised that he had stumbled not only on an interesting eyecatcher in a timepiece that was already in high demand, but that this feature also turned every watch into a unique and particularly attractive object. His Daytona attracted the collectors like bees to a honeypot and it eventually sold for twice the estimated price – and the appeal of the "Patrizzi Dials" has not dwindled since but seems to be increasing still.
estimated
35.000—45.000 €
Price realized
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