From SwissWatchExpo…
Spotlight on: the Steel Rolex Daytona, on the wrists of icons.
The stainless steel Rolex Daytona is the hottest ticket among chronograph watches.
With its ruggedly handsome looks, incredibly reliable reading,
and comfortable hold on the wrist, the Daytona is easily one of the most coveted watches in
the world - and this is exponentially true for the stainless steel models.
The modern iteration of the steel Daytona has gone through four separate generations,
defined mostly by their individual calibers, and one with its modern bezel.
Here's a rundown of each model, as seen on the wrists of the famous.
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The steel Rolex Daytona as we know it today traces its beginnings to the reference
1-6-5-20 released in 1988.
It introduced all the characteristics that we see in today's models - particularly the
40 millimeter case, arrowhead markers, and the contrasting sub dial tracks.
All these changes put the Daytona up to a modern standard, but the most groundbreaking addition was
its movement - the first automatic caliber used for the Daytona, the 40-30. It was based on the
El Primero Caliber 400 made by Zenith, earning this reference the moniker 'Zenith Daytona'.
The quickest way to spot a Zenith Daytona is by looking at the sub dials - the rings are
black on the white dial version, and off-white on the black dial version.
Legendary actor and racer Paul Newman famously wore a Zenith Daytona
as an alternative to his "exotic" dial Daytonas.
The 1-6-5-20 ran for 12 years and had different iterations within that period. Of particular
interest to collectors is the "Patrizzi" dial, whose counters have turned brown.
As is standard practice at Rolex, smaller elements are tweaked slightly throughout production.
Black 1-6-5-20's made between 1994 and 1995
used an organic varnish called Zappon, as a layer of protection for the dial's face.
Cracks on the varnish caused the dial to oxidize, thus giving these models a brown hue.
This development means no two dials are alike, making it even more attractive to collectors.
"Patrizzi" dials got their name from Osvaldo Patrizzi, the founder of premiere auction
house Antiquorum, who first noticed the unique phenomenon. Lamborghini CEO Stephan
Winkelmann wears his Patrizzi Daytona in the boardroom and on the racetrack.
For much of the Daytona's history, it ran on modified third party movements,
but that all changed with the reference 1-1-6-5-20, introduced in 2000.
Although it was not aesthetically different from the previous generation of stainless
steel Daytonas, it presented a major step forward with the
first in-house movement created for the collection, the Caliber 41-30.
This improved the overall reliability of the movement,
and increased its power reserve to 72 hours. NFL star Russell Wilson
and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wear this version of the steel Daytona.
Rolex introduced their patented ceramic bezel, the Cerachrom, to the Daytona collection in 2013.
First used on the platinum and Everose versions of the Daytona, the Cerachrom bezel finally made
its appearance on the steel Daytona in 2016, much to the delight of Rolex fans.
The 2016 Ceramic Daytona is very much the same watch as the previous generation,
though in addition to the black Cerachrom bezel,
the while dial version features black rings instead of silver.
The result is a handsome design that brings back the familiar look of vintage Rolex Daytonas,
albeit with a sleek, scratch- and fade-proof bezel.
Rolex ambassador Roger Federer, John Mayer,
Jay-Z and Dave Navarro were some of the first to sport this highly coveted timepiece.
Did we mention that it also comes in a black dial? The black-on-black treatment of the
bezel and dial serves as the perfect canvas for the silver sub dial rings and luminous markers.
It still runs on the Caliber 41-30, with a superb accuracy of plus 2, minus 2 seconds per day.
David Beckham and Dave Chappelle wear this version of the ceramic steel Daytona.
The stainless steel Rolex Daytona has become the ultimate reference
in chronographs. Which version was your favorite? Tell us the comments section.
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