2002 Rolex Daytona Steel & Gold 'Slate' Dial 40mm Unpolished 116523

Here we have a classic 2002 Rolex Daytona Steel & Gold 'Slate' Dial 116523, featuring an unpolished 40mm stainless steel and 18ct yellow gold Oyster asymmetric case that curves over your wrist, with thick, tapered, flat-ended lugs. Its curved steel flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 46mm and a case thickness of 12mm, giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side, we have the characteristic 18ct yellow gold screw-down pushers, and the centre-signed screw-down 18ct yellow gold crown is protected by crown guards. The fixed 18ct yellow gold bezel features a black-filled engraved Tachymeter scale and holds a domed sapphire crystal above a stunning slate grey dial. An outer minute track precisely executed surrounds applied 18ct yellow gold indexes filled with lume, marking the hours. The three 18ct yellow gold registers consist of a 30-minute register, a running seconds register, and a 12-hour register. 18ct yellow gold hands tipped with lume are complemented by an arrow-point chronograph hand. At noon, we have the applied Rolex Crown and printed underneath, ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified Cosmograph’ and below the hands, a red ‘Daytona’ completes the perfectly balanced chronograph, which is expertly put together with all the refinement and craftsmanship you come to expect from Rolex. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 4130, 44 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, Chronometer Certified, released in 2000, it replaced the iconic Zenith El Primero, and this in-house movement has a bi-directional rotor for excellent efficiency and accuracy, Parachrom Blue hairspring, Paraflex shock system and ceramic ball bearings are the first to be used in an automatic anywhere. The watch comes paired with its 20mm steel and 18ct yellow gold 3-link Rolex Oyster bracelet, secured by a Rolex folding Oysterlock safety clasp. All links are included, along with an additional 20mm blue-fitted Everest rubber strap. This watch is sold with an original Rolex box set and Rolex paperwork, with the reference sticker still present on the outer box.

This watch is sold with an original Rolex box set and Rolex paperwork, with the reference sticker still present on the outer box. The watch comes paired with its 20mm steel and 18ct yellow gold 3-link Rolex Oyster bracelet, secured by a Rolex folding Oysterlock safety clasp. All links are included, along with an additional 20mm blue-fitted Everest rubber strap. The watch is from December 2002 and is in worn, unpolished condition, but overall it is in very fair condition with its sticker still on the case back, as you can see. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.

I have always had a soft spot for a two-tone Rolex Daytona, and this configuration of the Slate Grey dial is my personal favourite. This reference 116523 features an unpolished case and bracelet, plus its original box and paperwork, making it a fantastic collectors' set. If you want it looking like new on delivery or collection, just let us know, and we can get it polished for you. But personally, I'd leave it as it is and wear it regularly. Do not hesitate to book an appointment and see this one in the metal for yourself!

Reference : 116523
Movement : Automatic Rolex Cal. 4130
Age : December 2002
Year : 2002
Case Size : 40mm
Case Thickness : 12mm
Lug to Lug : 46mm
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel & 18ct Yellow Gold
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which were installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released the Datejust. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.