Like celebrities with only one name, Daytona is a watch superstar. Its official name is Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, but it is better known as Daytona. Daytona has been around for nearly 60 years, and there are many styles to choose from, as well as many of the hottest styles. It was a replica Rolex Daytona, and all the collectors were dumbfounded. Why is that?
Manufactured from the early 1970s to the late 1980s, the Daytona 6263 is one of the last versions of the hand-wound Daytona models ever produced. As such, it brought together all the enhancements Rolex had tinkered with from past versions into one reference. The Daytona 6263 featured a waterproof Oyster case complete with screw-down chronograph pushers borrowed from the ref. 6240, the updated Valjoux 727 of the ref. 6264/6262, and the black tachymeter bezel introduced by the ref. 6241. Whether in steel or gold, with a standard dial or the coveted “Paul Newman” dial, the Daytona ref. 6263 is one that collectors recognize as a grail watch.
In 1988, Rolex finally switched over from Valjoux-based manually wound movements to Zenith El Primero-based automatic movements for the Daytona collection. Along with the new caliber, Rolex also revamped the style of the automatic Daytona to include a bigger case, metal tachymeter-engraved bezels only, and dials with rings around the trio of registers.
The reference model 16520, a stainless steel version of the then-new automatic Daytona, was a hit with consumers from the start, unlike previous hand-wound versions. The “Zenith” Daytona ref. 16520 features a stainless steel 40mm Oyster case with screw-down chronograph pushers, a matching steel Oyster bracelet, and it came with the option of a white or black dial. 
However, all Rolex Daytona 16520 models are popular with collectors because this is the reference that jump-started the automatic Daytona lineup (which would eventually be filled with in-house made movements in 2000).
Rolex typically likes to come out with a special model to mark a milestone anniversary of a collection. And in 2013, fake Rolex introduced the platinum ref. 116506 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Daytona. This was the first platinum Daytona ever offered to the public and the only watch to come fitted with a brown Cerachrom ceramic bezel. There’s also the familiar “ice blue” dial exclusively reserved for platinum Rolex watches, with an option of standard lume filled indexes or baguette-cut diamond hour markers. Added to the watch’s main weight is the full platinum, solid link oyster bracelet. Anniversary Rolex replica watches have long been the focus of Rolex collectors, and platinum toners are no exception.
