WG Daytona 116509

[Boothy84]

Hi all,

Interested to hear your thoughts on this reference?

I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of my BLNR & Datejust and just having 1 watch, albeit a more expensive piece, most likely precious metal. I think It'll be white gold as I don't want to be too flashy with having a yellow or rose gold piece as my one and only.

Could somebody with a lot more knowledge and experience maybe throw some other ideas out there?

I don't want to be paying over £20,000 FYI.

Thank you

[Solo118]

One of the best watches I have ever had. If you like the GMT that you have already, the 116719 is a fantastic option as well.

[peterskinner]

This sort of thing?
They are a lot nicer to wear than steel, you’d probably like it. However the crazed inflation of steel models is now pushing up prices of the gold models too. Act quickly...


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[TimeToWatch]

Originally Posted by Boothy84

Hi all,

Interested to hear your thoughts on this reference?

I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of my BLNR & Datejust and just having 1 watch, albeit a more expensive piece, most likely precious metal. I think It'll be white gold as I don't want to be too flashy with having a yellow or rose gold piece as my one and only.

Could somebody with a lot more knowledge and experience maybe throw some other ideas out there?

I don't want to be paying over £20,000 FYI.

Thank you

I like the 509, but don’t love it. I feel it’s too monotone and vastly prefer the 116519LN - the ceramic bezel and contrasting oysterflex bracelet make all the difference with this dial. It’s also much more conducive to daily wear. Id go 519 over 509

[oldman2005]

Personally I'd stretch a little bit and go for the ice blue dial platona.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ha...etails-pricing

[Boothy84]

Originally Posted by peterskinner

This sort of thing?
They are a lot nicer to wear than steel, you’d probably like it. However the crazed inflation of steel models is now pushing up prices of the gold models too. Act quickly...


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I wish this was in my price range. If it was this would be THE watch I’d instantly buy, she is a beauty.


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[sensui]

It's an amazing watch with some killer dials. IMO the steel panda is right there with the glacier platinum dials in terms of the best dials for Daytonas for moderns.

[kbutler1]

It’s a grail watch for me, love this dial




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[AlexDimi]

116509 seems to be a heavy watch comparing to 116519ln.
Big advantage of 116509 is that you buy a WG bracelet instead of OF.

I am also between the two and do not know which one to focus. In this price level wrong selection is costly.

[ratty]

I have both the 116509 (currently at Rolex UK) and the 116519.

Obviously the 519 is lighter in weight to wear, but I wear the 509 more. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have bought the 519 as I not keen on the built in end links, I would have bought another 509 and swapped the bracelet for a leather strap without end links. I've tried on the blue dial version as above and I have to say I really like it and can see me getting one in the future.

I also have SS versions of the watch, both 16520 and 116520s and the different weights are quite noticeable and I think make the different models unique to each other to wear.

[mattskybeat]

I pulled the trigger a few months ago and I have not had it off my wrist since. The blue dial in the sunshine is truly amazing. I have a few other watches but I can’t bring myself to take this beauty off





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[Soleless Shoes]

I believe the 116509 would be an ideal piece for a one watch collection. All wrist are unique but most find the shape and weight distribution of the Daytona (both SS and PM) to be very comfortable. I do as well.

[Mr.Rolex1]

Take the upgrade...thank me later

[psv]

Originally Posted by Mr.Rolex1

Take the upgrade...thank me later

this

[BobDyl]

I've owned a couple 116509 over the years. They are great watches but not without disadvantages.

Pros:
- The weight
- The full gold bracelet (I'm not an OF fan)
- The luster (esp white gold, it's just fantastic)
- The slightly larger case/lugs (not on the YG version). Gives it more wrist presence than the SS Daytonas. Actually makes a noticeable difference and we're talking a mere mm or so here or there.

Cons:
- It's soft and will show wear no matter how careful you are. It will, trust me.
- The bezel is especially vulnerable. Never, ever polish that bezel, it will look like hell. It has a sharp bevel on the edge when new. If rounded, it's been polished. And unfortunately, replacement bezels are I understand north of $3K from Rolex. We are a bit spoiled by 904L steel which stays relatively crispy even with serious abuse.
- The above point prevents the 116509 from being a 1-watch/daily IMHO. It's a great companion to a LN or BLNR though that could be a daily.

Not saying don't get it. It's beautiful, especially brand new. But be aware of a limitation or two. Best of luck.

[Boothy84]

Originally Posted by BobDyl

I've owned a couple 116509 over the years. They are great watches but not without disadvantages.

Pros:
- The weight
- The full gold bracelet (I'm not an OF fan)
- The luster (esp white gold, it's just fantastic)
- The slightly larger case/lugs (not on the YG version). Gives it more wrist presence than the SS Daytonas. Actually makes a noticeable difference and we're talking a mere mm or so here or there.

Cons:
- It's soft and will show wear no matter how careful you are. It will, trust me.
- The bezel is especially vulnerable. Never, ever polish that bezel, it will look like hell. It has a sharp bevel on the edge when new. If rounded, it's been polished. And unfortunately, replacement bezels are I understand north of $3K from Rolex. We are a bit spoiled by 904L steel which stays relatively crispy even with serious abuse.
- The above point prevents the 116509 from being a 1-watch/daily IMHO. It's a great companion to a LN or BLNR though that could be a daily.

Not saying don't get it. It's beautiful, especially brand new. But be aware of a limitation or two. Best of luck.

Thanks for your input, with me looking at watches around 2008-2012 what are the tell tale signs of polishing the bezel? I've never actually handled a Daytona in person so I wouldn't know.

Cheers

[glamorama]

Originally Posted by BobDyl

I've owned a couple 116509 over the years. They are great watches but not without disadvantages.

Pros:
- The weight
- The full gold bracelet (I'm not an OF fan)
- The luster (esp white gold, it's just fantastic)
- The slightly larger case/lugs (not on the YG version). Gives it more wrist presence than the SS Daytonas. Actually makes a noticeable difference and we're talking a mere mm or so here or there.

Cons:
- It's soft and will show wear no matter how careful you are. It will, trust me.
- The bezel is especially vulnerable. Never, ever polish that bezel, it will look like hell. It has a sharp bevel on the edge when new. If rounded, it's been polished. And unfortunately, replacement bezels are I understand north of $3K from Rolex. We are a bit spoiled by 904L steel which stays relatively crispy even with serious abuse.
- The above point prevents the 116509 from being a 1-watch/daily IMHO. It's a great companion to a LN or BLNR though that could be a daily.

Not saying don't get it. It's beautiful, especially brand new. But be aware of a limitation or two. Best of luck.

Thanks for sharing the experience of actually owning and using one. Have had similar thoughts as OP, maybe not one and only but as daily.

One thing though, I got a quote of €1300 just for the bezel without labour but if you do it together with a service I guess its included.

[glamorama]

Originally Posted by kbutler1

It’s a grail watch for me, love this dial

[BobDyl]

Originally Posted by Boothy84

Thanks for your input, with me looking at watches around 2008-2012 what are the tell tale signs of polishing the bezel? I've never actually handled a Daytona in person so I wouldn't know.

Cheers

You are welcome. I've attached a couple pics from the Internet to show a new, crispy example vs. a polished bezel. It's pretty obvious - neither the bevel nor the engraved and lacquered numbers survive polishing without looking "melted" (the silver dialed one). If it looks at all like a Salvador Dali painting to you, it's been polished. A high percentage of 116509 listings proclaim "like new" when they've clearly been overpolished. Hold out for a good one.

Originally Posted by glamorama

Thanks for sharing the experience of actually owning and using one. Have had similar thoughts as OP, maybe not one and only but as daily.

One thing though, I got a quote of €1300 just for the bezel without labour but if you do it together with a service I guess its included.

I stand corrected! Thanks for the info.

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by BobDyl

You are welcome. I've attached a couple pics from the Internet to show a new, crispy example vs. a polished bezel. It's pretty obvious - neither the bevel nor the engraved and lacquered numbers survive polishing without looking "melted" (the silver dialed one). If it looks at all like a Salvador Dali painting to you, it's been polished. A high percentage of 116509 listings proclaim "like new" when they've clearly been overpolished. Hold out for a good one.



I stand corrected! Thanks for the info.

My uneducated stab in the dark guess is that next year they go with ceramic dials on the pm models. Really a shame but makes a lot of sense to me.

[GMTSpas]

Originally Posted by peterskinner

This sort of thing?
They are a lot nicer to wear than steel, you’d probably like it. However the crazed inflation of steel models is now pushing up prices of the gold models too. Act quickly...


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This is my favorite Daytona model next to the green dial/yg 116508

[BobDyl]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

My uneducated stab in the dark guess is that next year they go with ceramic dials on the pm models. Really a shame but makes a lot of sense to me.

You're probably right. It's a tradeoff - they would lose some of the aesthetic but wow it would be way tougher and more usable as a daily...

[Boothy84]

Originally Posted by BobDyl

You are welcome. I've attached a couple pics from the Internet to show a new, crispy example vs. a polished bezel. It's pretty obvious - neither the bevel nor the engraved and lacquered numbers survive polishing without looking "melted" (the silver dialed one). If it looks at all like a Salvador Dali painting to you, it's been polished. A high percentage of 116509 listings proclaim "like new" when they've clearly been overpolished. Hold out for a good one.







I stand corrected! Thanks for the info.

What are your thoughts on this bob? This is the watch. It’s a 2005 just been back from RSC. How does the bezel look? It looks slightly rounded to me.






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[BobDyl]

Originally Posted by Boothy84

What are your thoughts on this bob? This is the watch. It’s a 2005 just been back from RSC. How does the bezel look? It looks slightly rounded to me.




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That looks overpolished to me.

[Boothy84]

Originally Posted by BobDyl

That looks overpolished to me.

Would this personally put you off? With my budget being around £19k I can only assume most WG 10 year old Daytona’s will be the same?


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[BobDyl]

Originally Posted by Boothy84

Would this personally put you off? With my budget being around £19k I can only assume most WG 10 year old Daytona’s will be the same?

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I don't know the UK market, but for approx USD $24K I believe you could get something from the era in better cosmetic condition. To be fair, it's hard to see from the one photo and I guess you could take into account the RSC service, so internally you have a new watch. Personally I'd probably keep looking but only you can answer that question...

[AH0RSEY]

i purchased a 116509 from watchfinder just back from RSC Feb this year. its fantastic - its heavier than you think, so make sure you try one on first and older models have the smaller clasp, so its NOT as comfortable as the newer bracelet models....i still have a 600 LN and I wear the 509 daily! its a scratch magnet - get over it! its a watch, itll scratch and RSC will fix it in 5 years or so if you really ding it.

Have to say I flipped a 116523 to get it - dont even compare, I LOVE the stealth of the WG over the Bicolour

oh - I have to say - the prices are going up and up.... I can tell you now, that I got mine from WF at £16k.... F serial, 1 month out of RSC and I although it didnt have a rolex box, well I got loads of those so didnt care. Prices going up - so pull the trigger or regret

[Boothy84]

Originally Posted by AH0RSEY

i purchased a 116509 from watchfinder just back from RSC Feb this year. its fantastic - its heavier than you think, so make sure you try one on first and older models have the smaller clasp, so its NOT as comfortable as the newer bracelet models....i still have a 600 LN and I wear the 509 daily! its a scratch magnet - get over it! its a watch, itll scratch and RSC will fix it in 5 years or so if you really ding it.

Have to say I flipped a 116523 to get it - dont even compare, I LOVE the stealth of the WG over the Bicolour

oh - I have to say - the prices are going up and up.... I can tell you now, that I got mine from WF at £16k.... F serial, 1 month out of RSC and I although it didnt have a rolex box, well I got loads of those so didnt care. Prices going up - so pull the trigger or regret

You don’t work for watchfinder do you?

Your saying all the right things to convince me!! The main thing thats putting me off is me trading in 2017 & 2014 watches for a 14 year old watch, although as has been mentioned it has just been serviced so I guess it shouldn’t be an issue.

It looks great on your wrist!!


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[LarsFS]

Originally Posted by AH0RSEY

i purchased a 116509 from watchfinder just back from RSC Feb this year. its fantastic - its heavier than you think, so make sure you try one on first and older models have the smaller clasp, so its NOT as comfortable as the newer bracelet models....i still have a 600 LN and I wear the 509 daily! its a scratch magnet - get over it! its a watch, itll scratch and RSC will fix it in 5 years or so if you really ding it.

Have to say I flipped a 116523 to get it - dont even compare, I LOVE the stealth of the WG over the Bicolour

oh - I have to say - the prices are going up and up.... I can tell you now, that I got mine from WF at £16k.... F serial, 1 month out of RSC and I although it didnt have a rolex box, well I got loads of those so didnt care. Prices going up - so pull the trigger or regret

We see this too often: Somebody offers a statement of Rolex appreciation as gospel. Nobody knows what will happen. You may believe with all your heart that values will continue to go up, and they may well do so, but you do not [i]know[/] that they will. Of course, if anyone bases their procurement decision on the back of someone else's opinion, whether that opinion is presented as such, or portrayed as fact, then it's their call. I just find that, for me, it leaves a bad taste when someone who bought X is telling someone else that the value of X will continue to go up without providing any sound analysis for it (and even then, it is merely your theory), and I wish this forum would do away with that. But, of course, I recognize that this is simply my opinion.

[LarsFS]

I should also say: That is a very fine looking watch.