**RARE** P-Serial Rolex Zenith Daytona (Ref. 16520) Unpolished Box and Papers

First introduced in 1963 the Rolex Daytona has always been the most sought-after chronograph. Designed with professional racecar drivers in mind, the Daytona’s precision chronograph and tachymeter bezel allowed drivers to accurately measure speeds up to 400 kilometers or miles per hour. The release of the Daytona came just after Rolex had become the official timekeeper of the Daytona racetrack and the name evolved as a way for the brand to highlight their connection to the celebrated race.

The Rolex Daytona model, since its initial release, has been at the forefront of the market as the most desirable chronograph in production. Prior to the introduction of the Zenith movement, all previous Rolex chronographs were a manual wind, and not until 1988 did Rolex release the Ref. 16500, which features an automatic "self-winding" movement for their headliner sports watch. Rolex decided to outsource for their movement in this reference using the Zenith 400 movement originally manufactured for the "Zenith El-Primero. They used this movement as the basis then fortified it, performing approximately 200 modifications to the base movement to meet the prestigious expectations of the Wilsdorf group. This created the workhorse Rolex 4030 movement that was put in production for an era of 12 years. In this reference Rolex also incorporated the more resilient sapphire crystals, being a contributing factor to the increased depth rating guaranteed at 100m or 330ft.

The P-Serial ref. 16520 Daytona examples are extremely desirable as they are the very last executions of the 16520 Daytona reference line. Additionally, they are exceedingly rare due to the very low production numbers nearing the introduction of the next reference iteration of the Rolex Daytona, the 116520 which actually began production in year 2000 as a P- Serial as well. This specific example is truly collectible as it is what we would refer to as a "time capsule" watch. The watch comes with the original boxes in excellent condition with the original warranty papers, original "Ben Bridges" sales receipt, polishing cloth, leather wallet and complete booklets all in excellent condition. The watch itself has only been lightly worn and remains completely in unpolished condition with the case back sticker of the watch still 100% intact.