Bezel Dayton 116500 / 116520

[duc888]

Hello,

first my apologies if the question was asked many times before but I did not find the right answer yet.
Quick question....are the bezels interchangeable?

Thank you

[padi56]

Originally Posted by duc888

Hello,

first my apologies if the question was asked many times before but I did not find the right answer yet.
Quick question....are the bezels interchangeable?

Thank you

Yes cannot see why not basically the same watch, but extremely difficult or even impossible to source a genuine Rolex ceramic insert.

[duc888]

Thank you for the kind reply.
And do not be angry with me but I´m thinking it the other way round.
So putting a steel bezel on a ceramic Daytona

[padi56]

Originally Posted by duc888

Thank you for the kind reply.
And do not be angry with me but I´m thinking it the other way round.
So putting a steel bezel on a ceramic Daytona

Not a fan of either myself much prefer my 6263 and not a fan of polished bezels ceramic does nothing for me.Now if they ever brought out a retro looking 6263 with the cal 4130 movement then perhaps I could be interested.

[037]

Originally Posted by duc888

Thank you for the kind reply.
And do not be angry with me but I´m thinking it the other way round.
So putting a steel bezel on a ceramic Daytona

Yes, that should work.

Originally Posted by padi56

Now if they ever brought out a retro looking 6263 with the cal 4130 movement then perhaps I could be interested.

That would be awesome, especially with no lug guards and a black ceramic bezel with stainless edge.

[duc888]

I have some doubts due to this recent posted picture in another thread.....the C bezel seems to be a little wider, doesn´t it?

[037]

Width won't matter. The ceramic bezel hangs over the case a bit. What matters is the inner ring where the bezel presses onto the case. I'm 99.9% sure that the 116520 and 116500 case dimensions are identical in all locations.

Have you considered selling your 116500 and getting a 16520 Zenith Daytona instead? The white dial versions had black rings on the sub dials. Later ones (1998~2000) had Luminova dials that glowed green. You'd also get brushed lug tops.

Just a thought.

[duc888]

I´m not a real fan of buying watches on the second market so that wouldn´t be an option. I just had this consioderation about swapping the bezel because they are not expensive and I could switch between two absolut different looks.
Sent my AD yesterday a message about this topic and the quick response was that she even does not know but she wants to ask because now she´s also interested in answering this question. If I get the answer I will post it immediately

[037]

Perfect. Good luck and keep us posted!

[duc888]

So here´s the news. My AD told me that it should work but.....it is not allowed for an AD to do this because this would be a "reference change" and as she said Rolex would not be amused if they would find it out.
Since my Daytona has still years of warranty I will not try it with an independent watchmaker. We have to postpone this experiment

[037]

Correct. You'd have to go through an independent with a Rolex parts account or find the part through the marketplace here on TRF. The latter might be the easiest. I've seen stainless Daytona bezels for sale a few times.

[duc888]

Yes they are not hard to find and not too expensive. But I will let this idea in my mind for the moment when the Daytona is not in the warranty time anymore.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by 037

Correct. You'd have to go through an independent with a Rolex parts account or find the part through the marketplace here on TRF. The latter might be the easiest. I've seen stainless Daytona bezels for sale a few times.

If the independent sells you the part and does the change he risks losing his parts account if Rolex finds out.

[Phrank]

Yes, there was a thread by a member who swapped out the SS bezel for a authentic ceramic bezel he sourced, here:

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=599798

And I found an aftermarket bezel, when it arrived I just dropped it on top to check it out here:

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=603128

[037]

Originally Posted by SearChart

If the independent sells you the part and does the change he risks losing his parts account if Rolex finds out.

You're right. I was thinking in terms of sourcing the part separately for installation by an independent. They can't order a stainless bezel for a ceramic watch anyway.

[duc888]

Oh, perhaps I have expressed myself misunderstandably but the purpose was to buy a stainless steel bezel from a vintage parts seller and let an independent do the changing.
So in that case Rolex would never know and that should be no problem or do I overlook something?

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by duc888

Oh, perhaps I have expressed myself misunderstandably but the purpose was to buy a stainless steel bezel from a vintage parts seller and let an independent do the changing.
So in that case Rolex would never know and that should be no problem or do I overlook something?

If the independent has a parts account with Rolex and does this swap regardless of where the bezel comes from he is breaking Rolex rules.

[037]

Originally Posted by SearChart

If the independent has a parts account with Rolex and does this swap regardless of where the bezel comes from he is breaking Rolex rules.

Interesting. That's the first I've heard this. How does Rolex view parts swapping on vintage pieces? Is there an expiration on which watches they do and don't care about?

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by 037

Interesting. That's the first I've heard this. How does Rolex view parts swapping on vintage pieces? Is there an expiration on which watches they do and don't care about?

No it is about exchanging parts on different model numbers, like a steel bezel on a ceramic Daytona or vice versa.
Simply doing the swap even though you didn't provide the parts is not allowed and can get you into trouble if Rolex ever finds out.

[037]

Originally Posted by SearChart

No it is about exchanging parts on different model numbers, like a steel bezel on a ceramic Daytona or vice versa.
Simply doing the swap even though you didn't provide the parts is not allowed and can get you into trouble if Rolex ever finds out.

Great info, thanks. Good to know for future reference.

[duc888]

Really very interesting and I did not know it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.