RolexDaytona

The life of the Rolex Daytona, currently the doyenne of the vintage watch market and the world’s favourite chronograph, has broadly three generations, defined almost entirely by their individual calibres.

The first wave started in 1963 and went on, fairly unsuccessfully, all the way until 1988, using the manually-wound Valjoux 72 movement. The modern era models, launched in 2000, are fitted with Rolex’s own in-house Cal. 4130 like the hottest chronograph on the market.

In between, there was a 12-year span where the brand’s flagship racer was driven by another third-party mechanism—arguably the first automatic chronograph engine ever made; the El Primero from Swiss neighbours Zenith. It was the first of the Zenith Daytonas, as they became unofficially known, that finally put the watch on the map and started the insatiable feeding frenzy that we associate with the Cosmograph today. With, at long last, the convenience of a self-winding calibre, demand for the Daytona reached epic proportions, and with Rolex’s usual regimented manufacturing efficiency hamstrung by having to rely on an outside concern to build their movements, they found themselves unable to keep up.

Those original Zenith models, the all-steel ref. 16520, came with the option of a black or white dial and, as is standard practice at Rolex, several elements of each were tweaked minutely throughout the watch’s life. In total, there are five distinct ‘Marks’ of the Zenith Daytona’s dial, but among the most valuable today are the black Mark IV versions, prices of which can reach up to twice what you would pay for a similar white dial model.

Even more strangely, the huge gulf in value is all down to a rare and quickly corrected mistake. Enter the Patrizzi…

The black ref. 16520’s made between 1994 and 1995 used an organic varnish, called Zapon, to protect the Daytona’s face. Unrecognized at the time, the lacquer did not provide sufficient coverage and, over the years, the silver outer tracks on the iconic sub dials have oxidized, turning a definite brown colour as they react with UV rays. Even more importantly to collectors, the changes do not stabilize and continue to take effect the older the watch gets.

It means every one of the so-called Patrizzi dials is unique and, in the world of classic Rolex, unique equals expensive. This effect was first thought to affect only watches from 1994 and 1995 but the most recent research has found that this colour change can be found in watches from 1996 and 1997 too, possibly due to the distribution of dial batches over successive years.

So why Patrizzi then? The dials got their name from the first man to recognize the colour changing phenomenon, Osvaldo Patrizzi. Originally a watchmaker and restorer, Patrizzi founded Antiquorum, now one of the premier auction houses specializing in fine timepieces, in 1974. 

When, in 2006, he decided to sell off his Rolex collection, he had one of these mid-Nineties Daytonas among the haul, and it was then that he discovered the discolouration effect. The anomaly was not only an attractive feature on an already highly sought after watch, it also made each individual piece a one-off. Instantly attracting the attention of hardcore collectors, that first example of a Patrizzi dial sold for double its estimate, and it is a trend that is still going strong.

This Patrizzi dial Rolex Daytona 16520 serial U9817** is in good, unpolished condition, showing wear to the case, bezel, lugs and bracelet commensurate with the age and authenticity of a first generation automatic Daytona. The original gloss black, Patrizzi dial with tritium, luminous bar indexes and luminous baton hands is in excellent condition. The watch is complete with Rolex stainless steel Oyster 78390 bracelet with 503B end links and short flip lock clasp with signs of wear. The watch is sold with a contemporaneous Rolex service pouch.

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