Incoming Daytona 16520 Safe Queen

[swish77]

Haven’t had a vintage Rolex incoming in a while, but I had a very cool one last week, a T-serial safe queen 16520 Daytona from the original owner, with everything from new, down to the case-back sticker, original serial hang tag and AD purchase receipt.

I had been on the hunt for a 16520 (black only) to replace one I sold two years ago to fund a car purchase, and found a bad listing online from a seller in San Francisco (no watch forums), with a vague description and weak photos. I asked for additional info and better photos, and I couldn’t believe it. It looked almost brand new, but the story also sounded like a watch cliché. The seller was the original owner who bought it new for $6,500 (including tax) from the AD in 1997 as his “special” watch, but said he wore it only a handful of times and then stuck it in a safe. The watch has never been polished nor serviced. It’s not NOS, and has a couple of minor hairlines, but it's otherwise pristine, with a mint, super tight bracelet (and correct "Z1" bracelet code). After verifying the story (numerous phone calls and a couple of videos), I knew I needed to buy it.

The original owner isn’t a watch guy, but he had Googled prices, so he knew rough current values of 16520s, although there really aren’t many full sets in this like-new condition on the market as a comparison. We negotiated what I felt was a fair price for a private transaction and he accepted. Problem was, how do you complete a big-money deal with a stranger on the other side of the States who has no watch-forum references and doesn’t care about mine? So, he says, “I’ll jump on a red eye to New York and we can do the transaction in person.” Wait, what? Yes, indeed. Three days later he flew cross country and met me at a Chase bank in NYC. I examined the watch for about 30 minutes in the lobby (blacklight, bracelet off, accessories scrutinized, movement check, serial number verification, etc …) and paid him. Done! He flew back to San Fran the same day.

After seeing so many 16520s through the years, it’s great to have one with perfect original factory brushing on the lugs and a confirmed unpolished case and bezel. The tritium has turned a lovely cream color that matches the patina on the sub-dials, and the bezel is razor sharp with perfect paint. Made me realize that so many Daytonas that dealers list as unpolished, are in fact polished. (Nothing new). I removed the case back sticker to preserve it, sized the bracelet, and have been wearing the watch for the last week. Amazingly, it still functions perfectly and is only plus 2 seconds a day, although after 26 years, I’ll need to have it serviced soon.