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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116528 Daytona}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 116528 — BezelBase
|title=Rolex Daytona 116528 (2000–2016), Production & Dial Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=The 116528 is the full yellow gold in-house Daytona on gold Oyster bracelet — the cal 4130 successor to the Zenith-era 16528. Produced from 2000 to 2016,…
|description=The Rolex 116528 is the 18k yellow-gold Daytona fitted with caliber 4130 and a gold Oyster bracelet. It belongs to the 2000–2016 in-house chronograph generation and is documented with several dial configurations.
|keywords=Rolex, 116528, Daytona, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 116528, Daytona, specifications, reference guide
|type=article
|image=Ref 116528 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528, in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T13:52:27Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:07:22Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] › '''116528'''</small>


<small>[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] → '''116528'''</small>
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 116528 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528, in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold|Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528, in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold]]
</div>


The 116528 is the full yellow gold in-house Daytona on gold Oyster bracelet — the cal 4130 successor to the Zenith-era 16528. Produced from 2000 to 2016, it ran alongside the steel 116520 and the Rolesor 116523 as the gold-bracelet flagship of Rolex’s first in-house chronograph generation. Same 40mm case profile as the 116520, same vertical-clutch column-wheel movement, same 72-hour power reserve — wrapped in 18k yellow gold from bezel to bracelet end link.
The 116528 is the 18k yellow-gold member of the first in-house Daytona generation. It replaced the Zenith-based 16528 around 2000 and uses caliber 4130, the same movement used in the steel 116520 and Rolesor 116523. The reference is documented from 2000 through the introduction of the ceramic-bezel 116508 in 2016. Its standard configuration is a yellow-gold Oyster bracelet with a fixed gold tachymeter bezel.


[[File:Ref 116528 hero.webp|thumb|right|320px|Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528 — white-dial example, 2002 Y-serial (Sotheby's)]]


<span id="core-facts"></span>
<span id="core-facts"></span>
== Core facts ==
==Core facts==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 70: Line 79:
|-
|-
| successor
| successor
| post-2016 ceramic-bezel gold Daytona (out of scope)
| 116508, yellow gold with Cerachrom bezel (2016)
|}
|}


Line 76: Line 85:
== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The 116528 is the full-gold-bracelet variant in the in-house cal 4130 launch. It sits alongside the steel 116520 and the two-tone 116523, both of which also ship on Oyster bracelets and share the same 40mm case profile. Unlike the Zenith era, the in-house generation does not include a white gold Daytona on leather strap in Rolex’s standard catalogue, so the 116528 is the full-gold choice in the cal 4130 line.
The 116528 launched with the 116520 and 116523 as part of the 2000 in-house Daytona family. It kept the full-gold case and bracelet format of the 16528 while replacing the Zenith-based caliber 4030 with caliber 4130 and moving to solid end links. The three references share the 40mm catalogue size and the basic case architecture, but the materials and bracelet references differ.


The predecessor is the [[Reference:16528|16528]] — same full-gold-on-gold-Oyster configuration under cal 4030. The 2000 transition brought the in-house movement, the 72-hour power reserve, and the SEL Oyster bracelet to the full-gold reference; case dimensions, bezel design, and crown position carried over. The successor in the Rolex catalogue is the ceramic-bezel full-gold Daytona that arrived alongside the steel 116500LN in 2016 and sits outside this article’s scope. The 116528 is the last engraved-gold-bezel full-yellow-gold Daytona Rolex produced.
The 116508 followed in 2016 with a Cerachrom bezel. Auction catalogues describe the 116528 as the metal-bezel predecessor, while a 2025 Sotheby's catalogue note says the reference line was updated in 2011. That note is not enough to establish a separate ceramic-bezel 116528 run, so this page treats the 116528 as the engraved-gold-bezel reference and records the catalogue conflict.


<span id="production-outline"></span>
<span id="production-outline"></span>
== Production outline ==
== Production outline ==


Production runs 2000 to 2016, sixteen continuous years. The 116528 tracks the 116520’s production chronology across that span — there is no distinct 116528 generation timeline, only the shared cal 4130 platform with full-gold finishing. The watch opens the in-house era in 2000 alongside the 116520 and 116523.
The documented production window is about 2000–2016. Sotheby's describes a P-serial 116528 as circa 2000 and calls it an early example of the new in-house reference. A later Sotheby's lot is dated circa 2010 and still has the fixed yellow-gold bezel. The 116508, with a Cerachrom bezel, followed in 2016.


The serial format transitions from the letter-prefix system to random alphanumeric in mid-2010 — the cutover that affected the entire Rolex catalogue. Pre-2010 examples carry the conventional letter prefix; from mid-2010 onward the serial is a random eight-character alphanumeric string with no public year mapping. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers]] for the full key. Sotheby’s Important Watches Hong Kong (2021) catalogued a 116528 with case P421022 — a P-serial confirming 2000 first-year cal 4130 production. The Sotheby’s Capsule Collection (2019) catalogued a later black-dial 116528 estimated USD 20,000–30,000. The Sotheby’s Watches Online London sale (2019) catalogued case Y’239’786, a white-dial 116528 estimated GBP 12,000–18,000, with the Y-prefix dating to early 2003.
Serial prefixes can help place an individual watch, but the case number dates the case and the warranty card dates delivery. The page does not turn the P, Y, or random serial examples into a complete year chart.


The lume transitions mid-life. Early 116528 production carries Luminova; Super-Luminova replaces it within the first few years; Chromalight arrives later in the run. The exact cutover years are debated in collector circles, and published sources do not converge on specific dates. Every 116528 sits on the post-tritium side of the 1998–2000 cutover that ended radioactive lume on Rolex Sport models.
The 116528 appears with several factory dial materials and colours, including black, white, champagne, mother-of-pearl, and stone dials. The cited auction record is too small to establish a reliable year-by-year dial or lume changeover. The APH printing error is documented on some 116520 dials; no cited 116528 lot establishes the error as a 116528 feature.
 
The 116528 does not host the APH error dial that defines a portion of 116520 black and white dial production starting around 2009–2010. Phillips’s Logan Baker frames the APH misprint as specific to the steel reference’s dial-printing batch; the 116528’s gold-dial production does not appear in that variant.


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
<span id="movement-notes"></span>
== Movement notes ==
== Movement notes ==


Cal 4130 sits inside every 116528 — the same movement that powers the 116520 and 116523. Vertical-clutch chronograph coupling (no judder on engagement), column-wheel switching rather than cam, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC certification, Parachrom blue hairspring on later production. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement. The mainspring can be replaced without uncasing.
Every documented 116528 uses Rolex caliber 4130. It is an automatic column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch, 44 jewels, a 28,800 vph frequency, and a 72-hour power reserve. The movement is COSC-certified in the 116528 catalogues cited here. It has no date mechanism.
 
The headline detail is shared across the generation: cal 4130 is Rolex’s first wholly in-house chronograph. Thirty-seven years of bought-in chronograph bases — the Valjoux 72 family from 1963, the Zenith El Primero base from 1988 — ended when the 4130 launched in 2000. The 116528 sits at the start of that transition.


For the full caliber lineage and the 4030-to-4130 architecture comparison, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].
Rolex introduced the 4130 in 2000 as its in-house replacement for the Zenith-based 4030 used in the 16520/16528 generation. The movement layout and service details are covered on [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]]. This page keeps to the specifications documented for the reference rather than repeating unverified component-count or service-process claims.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
== Dial map ==
== Dial map ==


The 116528 dial catalogue runs broader than the steel 116520’s, with gold case inviting colour and texture combinations the steel reference does not carry. The variants below are the configurations documented across the production run; market frequency varies sharply from common to scarce.
=== Documented configurations ===
 
Sotheby's 2001-dated example has a white dial. Other auction and catalogue examples show black, champagne, mother-of-pearl, and stone dials, including sodalite. Diamond-set hour markers are also documented. Those are configurations found in the record, not a complete production list.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Dial
! Configuration !! Evidence and limits
! Period
! Distinguishing features
|-
| Champagne with gold markers
| 2000–2016
| Most common 116528 layout; gold-tone sub-dial rings; applied gold five-minute markers
|-
| Black with red Daytona script
| 2000–2016
| Black base with red “Daytona” above the 6 o’clock sub-register; applied gold markers; documented in the Sotheby’s Capsule Collection 2019 lot
|-
| White “Panda” with gold markers
| 2000–2016
| White base with three sub-dials; applied gold hour markers; champagne sub-registers on some examples
|-
| Mother-of-pearl (white)
| mid-to-late production
| White iridescent MOP base; gold luminous surrounds
|-
| Mother-of-pearl (Tahitian)
| mid-to-late production
| Dark Tahitian MOP base with gold surrounds; less common than white MOP
|-
|-
| Sodalite
| Black dial with contrasting sub-dials and red Daytona text || Documented in later auction catalogues; dial details vary by example
| rare
| Deep-blue mineral dial with applied gold markers
|-
|-
| Diamond markers
| White or champagne dial || Documented in early and later 116528 lots; sub-dial colour and marker treatment must be checked on the watch
| mid-to-late production
| Applied diamond hour markers on champagne, black, or white base
|-
|-
| Sapphire markers
| Mother-of-pearl || Documented in auction material, including examples with diamond markers
| mid-to-late production
| Blue sapphire hour markers; documented across the in-house generation
|-
|-
| Pavé / pavé with coloured stones
| Sodalite and other stone dials || Documented as special-order or uncommon configurations; production numbers are not published
| late production
| Factory pavé with ruby or sapphire accents — case-by-case authentication required
|-
|-
| MOP with diamond markers
| Diamond-marker and pavé dials || Found in the 116528 catalogue and auction record; heavy gem-set cases with separate reference numbers should not be folded into 116528
| late production
| MOP base with applied diamond hour markers; stone-and-diamond combination
|}
|}


The “Mexican” red-dial 116528 — a black dial with full-length red Daytona script and red accents — surfaces occasionally in the auction record and is documented in the broader late-production red-dial sub-branch rather than as a distinct standalone variant.
The so-called “Mexican” red dial is described in specialist and auction material as a black dial with prominent red Daytona lettering and accents. It is a reported configuration, but the page does not assign it a production period or volume without a stronger serial-linked record.
 
The Rainbow Daytona is a separate reference, 116598RBOW, rather than a dial branch that can be assumed for an ordinary 116528. As with every modern Rolex, an unusual dial should be checked against the case, movement, warranty papers, and period catalogue material.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


The 116528 case is 40mm in 18k yellow gold — the same nameplate dimension as the steel 116520, though Fratello’s Ben Hodges measured the steel 116520 case at 38.5mm with calipers in 2021 and attributed the discrepancy to Rolex’s steel case-machining tolerances. Whether the gold case runs to the marketed 40mm or tracks the steel’s measured 38.5mm is not separately documented; gold and platinum cases in Rolex’s modern catalogue generally run closer to the nameplate than the steel forgings. Lug-to-lug is documented at 46mm in parallel with the 116523 measurements.
The 116528 is listed as a 40mm 18k yellow-gold Oyster case with a flat sapphire crystal, screw-down crown and pushers, and 100m water resistance. The fixed bezel is engraved yellow gold with a tachymeter scale in the documented metal-bezel examples. It has no date display or Cyclops lens.


The bezel is engraved 18k yellow gold with the tachymetre scale. No aluminium insert, no ceramic — Cerachrom did not arrive on the Daytona until the 116500LN line in 2016, so every 116528 wears the engraved gold bezel through its full run. The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops; the running-seconds sub-dial sits at 6 o’clock. The Triplock crown handles 100m / 330ft water resistance. Screw-down chronograph pushers sit on either side of the crown — they have to be unscrewed before the chronograph can be started, the same trade-off the rest of the 116520-generation carries for the case’s water rating.
The 2025 Sotheby's catalogue describes a circa-2010 116528 with a fixed gold bezel and says the line was updated to Cerachrom in 2011. Other reference guides and the 116528/116508 succession place the ceramic-bezel change in 2016. The catalogue note is retained as a conflict in the source record; it is not used here to create a separate 2011 116528 variant.


<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span>
<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span>
== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==
== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==


The bracelet is the full 18k yellow gold Oyster SEL — same SEL Oyster construction as the steel 116520’s 78490 and the Rolesor 116523’s 78493, with centre and outer links both machined in 18k yellow gold. End links are integral to the bracelet (SEL — solid end links), not a separable stamped piece. The bracelet tracks the same Easylink-equipped Oysterlock clasp architecture as the rest of the cal 4130 generation.
Documented 116528 examples use an 18k yellow-gold Oyster bracelet. The cited Sotheby's lots describe the bracelet and folding clasp, and Rolex bracelet tables associate 78498 with the yellow-gold 116528. A bracelet number dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and replacement bracelets can be fitted during service.
 
The 78490 / 78690 attribution dispute that runs across the steel 116520 literature is documented in that article; see [[Reference:116520]] for the full treatment. The full-gold 116528 bracelet reference is the gold-cast parallel to the steel 78490 rather than carrying its own disputed history, and auction catalogue text generally identifies the bracelet by material rather than by reference number.
 
The clasp is the modern Oysterlock with Easylink 5mm comfort extension — a lever-and-keeper inside the clasp body that gives a five-millimetre micro-adjustment without tools. Easylink arrived on the cal 4130 generation around 2002 to 2003; earliest 116528 production carried the Oysterlock without it. The clasp blade carries a year code — single letter through 2010, then random three-character alphanumeric from 2011 — and on SEL bracelets the date code, part number, and Rolex crown are stamped into the underside of the end link itself rather than the clasp blade alone. See [[Reference:Bracelets]] for the full date-code key.


The Daytona never adopted the Glidelock micro-extension that came to the Submariner-line clasps in 2010. Easylink is the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116528 ever offered.
Solid end links are part of the in-house Daytona generation, but the page does not treat the 78490/78690 discussion for steel watches as a gold-bracelet identification rule. Easylink appears on later examples; early clasp configuration should be checked on the individual watch rather than assigned from the reference alone.


<span id="special-branches"></span>
<span id="special-branches"></span>
== Special branches ==
== Special branches ==
[[File:Ref 116528 clapton-coverage.webp|thumb|right|280px|Eric Clapton's 2014 116528, sold Bishop & Miller April 2017 (Revolution)]]


<span id="eric-claptons-116528"></span>
<span id="eric-claptons-116528"></span>
=== Eric Clapton’s 116528 ===
=== Eric Clapton's 116528 ===


The 116528 best-known provenance is Eric Clapton’s 2014 example, sold at Bishop &amp; Miller (UK) on 21 April 2017 for GBP 28,000 hammer. The watch was re-consigned to Bonhams shortly after and sold a second time in 2017 at the Bonhams Hong Kong watch sale. The Bishop &amp; Miller result was the reference’s headline public transaction of the year and established the celebrity-provenance premium over the generic-market floor Revolution’s coverage placed at around GBP 15,000 for the reference at that time. Clapton’s 116528 was a standard-configuration black-dial gold Daytona; the premium reflected provenance rather than dial variant.
Revolution's 2017 account describes a 2014 18ct yellow-gold 116528 associated with Eric Clapton. The watch had its gold bracelet, an additional rubber strap, box, and papers. Revolution reports a Bishop & Miller sale at £28,000 hammer (£34,000 with premium) and says Bonhams later withdrew a planned lot while provenance images were being sought. The provenance is therefore part of the lot history and should not be treated as proof that Clapton consigned the watch directly.


<span id="tiffany-co.-and-other-double-signed-examples"></span>
<span id="tiffany-co.-and-other-double-signed-examples"></span>
=== Tiffany &amp; Co. and other double-signed examples ===
=== Tiffany & Co. and other double-signed examples ===


Tiffany-signed 116528s appear sporadically at major auction houses, following the broader Tiffany-signed Rolex tradition of the period. Cartier and Vacheron co-signed examples are thinner on the ground than in the Zenith-era 16528 catalogue — by the 2000s, the double-signed Rolex phenomenon had narrowed considerably as retailer dial programmes ended at most of the historical partners. No 116528-specific double-signed lot anchors a market-grade record in the captured research.
Double-signed 116528 dials are reported, but the page's cited sources do not provide enough lot-level evidence to describe a standard Tiffany, Cartier, or Vacheron branch. Treat a retailer signature as an individual-watch claim that needs a clear dial photograph and period provenance.


<span id="mexican-red-dial"></span>
<span id="mexican-red-dial"></span>
=== “Mexican” red dial ===
=== “Mexican” red dial ===


The red-dial 116528 sub-branch — black lacquer dial with red Daytona script in a larger type than the standard red accent — surfaces in the late-production auction record and is attested as a documented variant rather than a one-off. Production volume is not documented.
The black dial with prominent red Daytona lettering is reported in late-generation listings and auction descriptions. Its production volume, serial range, and relationship to other red-accent dials are not established by the cited sources.


<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
== Historical market and auction record ==
== Historical market and auction record ==


The 116528 auction record is anchored by the 2017 Bishop &amp; Miller Clapton sale (GBP 28,000 hammer). Revolution’s 2017 coverage documents the generic-market floor at around GBP 15,000 for a standard-configuration 116528 at that time. Sotheby’s Important Watches Hong Kong (April 2021) catalogued a first-year P421022 example; the Sotheby’s Capsule Collection (2019) catalogued a black-dial 116528 at USD 20,000–30,000; Sotheby’s Watches Online London (2019) catalogued a white-dial example at GBP 12,000–18,000. Together these four lots bracket the reference’s production run with auction-house catalogue text and establish the working price range.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sale !! Year !! Example !! Result or estimate
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches, lot 2150 || 2021 || P421022, circa 2000, white dial, box and papers || estimate HKD 240,000–320,000
|-
| Bishop & Miller, as reported by Revolution || 2017 || 2014 116528 associated with Eric Clapton, gold bracelet and rubber strap || £28,000 hammer; £34,000 with premium
|-
| Sotheby's Fine Watches, lot 6 || 2025 || V646283, circa 2010, black dial with champagne sub-dials and red accents || estimate USD 25,000–50,000
|}
 
These are selected records, not a price guide. The examples differ in date, dial, condition, accessories, and provenance. The Clapton association is a provenance claim with a documented auction history, not a reference-wide premium. The 116508 successor and current market conditions also make direct comparisons across the full 2000–2016 run unsafe.


The 2016 ceramic-bezel transition to the post-116528 full-gold Daytona reset the reference’s market along the same line as the steel 116520 to 116500LN transition. The 116528 became the last engraved-gold-bezel full-yellow-gold Daytona, and used prices on the reference have climbed in the years that followed, particularly for full-set examples with matching box and papers and for the rarer dial variants (MOP, sodalite, diamond markers, “Mexican” red).


Clapton’s example aside, the 116528 does not host the kind of single-artifact record-setting provenance that defines Paul Newman’s 6239 or the Unicorn 6265. It sits as the gold flagship of its generation — collected on material and movement terms rather than on headline provenance.
== Related references ==


<span id="still-open"></span>
* [[Reference:116520|Daytona 116520]], Steel, Cal 4130 (2000–2016)
== Still open ==
* [[Reference:116518|Daytona 116518]], 2000–2015
* [[Reference:116505|Daytona 116505]], Everose Gold (2008–2023)
* [[Reference:116500LN|Daytona 116500LN]], Ceramic Bezel (2016–2023)
* [[Reference:116508|Daytona 116508]], Yellow Gold, Cal 4130 (2016–2023)
* [[Reference:16519|Daytona 16519]], White Gold Zenith (1989–2000)


Documented production totals for the 116528 are not published. Per-dial-variant survival counts would benefit from a dedicated census, particularly for the “Mexican” red-dial sub-branch and the rarer MOP, sodalite, and pavé configurations. The exact cream-lume-to-white-lume cutover year inside the cal 4130 generation is debated; collector consensus places the change in the early-to-mid 2000s but a specific year is not documented.
See also the [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/hard-to-thrill/ Hard to Thrill] — Revolution editorial, Revolution
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/hard-to-thrill/ Hard to Thrill], Revolution editorial, Revolution
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116528-a-yellow Sotheby's — 116528 yellow gold Daytona, Important Watches 2021 (case P421022, P-serial 2000)] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116528-a-yellow Sotheby's, 116528 yellow gold Daytona, Important Watches 2021 (case P421022, P-serial 2000)], Sotheby's
* src-sothebys-116528-capsule-2019
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/fine-watches-5/reference-116528h-daytona-a-yellow-gold-automatic Sotheby's, 116528 yellow gold Daytona, Fine Watches 2025 (circa 2010)], Sotheby's
* src-sothebys-116528-watches-online-2019
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard], Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard] — Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph], Erik Slaven, Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/why-i-bought-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116520/ Why I Bought The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116520], Ben Hodges, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/why-i-bought-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116520/ Why I Bought The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116520] — Ben Hodges, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)], Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)] — Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ Vintage Watch Straps, Rolex bracelet and clasp reference], David Boettcher, vintagewatchstraps.com
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference] — David Boettcher, vintagewatchstraps.com
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'', Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Chevalier Edition — unknown, Morning Tundra


[[Category:Daytona In-House Gen 1]]
[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Drafted]]

Latest revision as of 13:13, 22 September 2026


Daytona › 116528

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528, in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528, in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold

The 116528 is the 18k yellow-gold member of the first in-house Daytona generation. It replaced the Zenith-based 16528 around 2000 and uses caliber 4130, the same movement used in the steel 116520 and Rolesor 116523. The reference is documented from 2000 through the introduction of the ceramic-bezel 116508 in 2016. Its standard configuration is a yellow-gold Oyster bracelet with a fixed gold tachymeter bezel.


Core facts

detail value
reference 116528
family Daytona (Cosmograph, automatic)
production 2000–2016
case 40mm, 18k yellow gold
crystal sapphire (flat)
bezel engraved 18k yellow gold tachymetre
crown Triplock, screw-down, gold
water resistance 100m / 330ft
movement Rolex cal 4130 (first in-house chronograph)
frequency 28,800 vph
jewels 44
power reserve 72 hours
chronometer COSC certified
bracelet 18k yellow gold Oyster, SEL
siblings 116520 (steel), 116523 (Rolesor)
predecessor 16528 (Zenith cal 4030, 1988–2000)
successor 116508, yellow gold with Cerachrom bezel (2016)

Where it sits in the line

The 116528 launched with the 116520 and 116523 as part of the 2000 in-house Daytona family. It kept the full-gold case and bracelet format of the 16528 while replacing the Zenith-based caliber 4030 with caliber 4130 and moving to solid end links. The three references share the 40mm catalogue size and the basic case architecture, but the materials and bracelet references differ.

The 116508 followed in 2016 with a Cerachrom bezel. Auction catalogues describe the 116528 as the metal-bezel predecessor, while a 2025 Sotheby's catalogue note says the reference line was updated in 2011. That note is not enough to establish a separate ceramic-bezel 116528 run, so this page treats the 116528 as the engraved-gold-bezel reference and records the catalogue conflict.

Production outline

The documented production window is about 2000–2016. Sotheby's describes a P-serial 116528 as circa 2000 and calls it an early example of the new in-house reference. A later Sotheby's lot is dated circa 2010 and still has the fixed yellow-gold bezel. The 116508, with a Cerachrom bezel, followed in 2016.

Serial prefixes can help place an individual watch, but the case number dates the case and the warranty card dates delivery. The page does not turn the P, Y, or random serial examples into a complete year chart.

The 116528 appears with several factory dial materials and colours, including black, white, champagne, mother-of-pearl, and stone dials. The cited auction record is too small to establish a reliable year-by-year dial or lume changeover. The APH printing error is documented on some 116520 dials; no cited 116528 lot establishes the error as a 116528 feature.

Movement notes

Every documented 116528 uses Rolex caliber 4130. It is an automatic column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch, 44 jewels, a 28,800 vph frequency, and a 72-hour power reserve. The movement is COSC-certified in the 116528 catalogues cited here. It has no date mechanism.

Rolex introduced the 4130 in 2000 as its in-house replacement for the Zenith-based 4030 used in the 16520/16528 generation. The movement layout and service details are covered on Reference:Movements#cal-4130. This page keeps to the specifications documented for the reference rather than repeating unverified component-count or service-process claims.

Dial map

Documented configurations

Sotheby's 2001-dated example has a white dial. Other auction and catalogue examples show black, champagne, mother-of-pearl, and stone dials, including sodalite. Diamond-set hour markers are also documented. Those are configurations found in the record, not a complete production list.

Configuration Evidence and limits
Black dial with contrasting sub-dials and red Daytona text Documented in later auction catalogues; dial details vary by example
White or champagne dial Documented in early and later 116528 lots; sub-dial colour and marker treatment must be checked on the watch
Mother-of-pearl Documented in auction material, including examples with diamond markers
Sodalite and other stone dials Documented as special-order or uncommon configurations; production numbers are not published
Diamond-marker and pavé dials Found in the 116528 catalogue and auction record; heavy gem-set cases with separate reference numbers should not be folded into 116528

The so-called “Mexican” red dial is described in specialist and auction material as a black dial with prominent red Daytona lettering and accents. It is a reported configuration, but the page does not assign it a production period or volume without a stronger serial-linked record.

The Rainbow Daytona is a separate reference, 116598RBOW, rather than a dial branch that can be assumed for an ordinary 116528. As with every modern Rolex, an unusual dial should be checked against the case, movement, warranty papers, and period catalogue material.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The 116528 is listed as a 40mm 18k yellow-gold Oyster case with a flat sapphire crystal, screw-down crown and pushers, and 100m water resistance. The fixed bezel is engraved yellow gold with a tachymeter scale in the documented metal-bezel examples. It has no date display or Cyclops lens.

The 2025 Sotheby's catalogue describes a circa-2010 116528 with a fixed gold bezel and says the line was updated to Cerachrom in 2011. Other reference guides and the 116528/116508 succession place the ceramic-bezel change in 2016. The catalogue note is retained as a conflict in the source record; it is not used here to create a separate 2011 116528 variant.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Documented 116528 examples use an 18k yellow-gold Oyster bracelet. The cited Sotheby's lots describe the bracelet and folding clasp, and Rolex bracelet tables associate 78498 with the yellow-gold 116528. A bracelet number dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and replacement bracelets can be fitted during service.

Solid end links are part of the in-house Daytona generation, but the page does not treat the 78490/78690 discussion for steel watches as a gold-bracelet identification rule. Easylink appears on later examples; early clasp configuration should be checked on the individual watch rather than assigned from the reference alone.

Special branches

Eric Clapton's 116528

Revolution's 2017 account describes a 2014 18ct yellow-gold 116528 associated with Eric Clapton. The watch had its gold bracelet, an additional rubber strap, box, and papers. Revolution reports a Bishop & Miller sale at £28,000 hammer (£34,000 with premium) and says Bonhams later withdrew a planned lot while provenance images were being sought. The provenance is therefore part of the lot history and should not be treated as proof that Clapton consigned the watch directly.

Tiffany & Co. and other double-signed examples

Double-signed 116528 dials are reported, but the page's cited sources do not provide enough lot-level evidence to describe a standard Tiffany, Cartier, or Vacheron branch. Treat a retailer signature as an individual-watch claim that needs a clear dial photograph and period provenance.

“Mexican” red dial

The black dial with prominent red Daytona lettering is reported in late-generation listings and auction descriptions. Its production volume, serial range, and relationship to other red-accent dials are not established by the cited sources.

Historical market and auction record

Sale Year Example Result or estimate
Sotheby's Important Watches, lot 2150 2021 P421022, circa 2000, white dial, box and papers estimate HKD 240,000–320,000
Bishop & Miller, as reported by Revolution 2017 2014 116528 associated with Eric Clapton, gold bracelet and rubber strap £28,000 hammer; £34,000 with premium
Sotheby's Fine Watches, lot 6 2025 V646283, circa 2010, black dial with champagne sub-dials and red accents estimate USD 25,000–50,000

These are selected records, not a price guide. The examples differ in date, dial, condition, accessories, and provenance. The Clapton association is a provenance claim with a documented auction history, not a reference-wide premium. The 116508 successor and current market conditions also make direct comparisons across the full 2000–2016 run unsafe.


Related references

See also the Daytona family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Sources

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