Reference:116518LN: Difference between revisions

Line 92:

Rolex introduced the reference in March 2017 and Sotheby's cataloguing agrees, describing it as introduced "in March 2017 at the Baselworld fair" together with its white and pink gold counterparts. Rolex's own Baselworld microsite page for the launch model was archived on 3 April 2017.

Dial codes ~~then~~ accumulated ~~across the run rather than arriving~~ in ~~one batch~~. The launch configuration and one variant appear in 2017 and 2018; a broader set of seven codes appears through 2018 and 2019, taking in white, champagne, black and three diamond-set layouts; the meteorite dial and a further diamond-set black dial appear in 2021. Sotheby's dates the meteorite introduction to 2021 and calls it the most sought-after version of the model, which the archived catalogue supports.

Dial codes accumulated in waves. The launch configuration and one variant appear in 2017 and 2018; a broader set of seven codes appears through 2018 and 2019, taking in white, champagne, black and three diamond-set layouts; the meteorite dial and a further diamond-set black dial appear in 2021. Sotheby's dates the meteorite introduction to 2021 and calls it the most sought-after version of the model, which the archived catalogue supports.

The end of production is clean. Rolex's Daytona catalogue still lists the whole 1165xx generation in February 2023 and lists none of it by June 2023; the cal 4131 references replaced them across the board following the announcement on 27 March 2023. Case serials through the run use the random eight-character alphanumeric format with no public year mapping, so guarantee cards and hang tags do the dating work. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers]] for the full key.

Line 109:

[[File:Ref 116518LN meteorite.webp|thumb|right|240px|Meteorite and black, Rolex model code M116518LN-0076, added to the catalogue in 2021.]]

Twelve dial codes are documented across the run, ~~all~~ of them Rolex catalogue ~~options rather than special orders~~. Gem-setting on this reference is factory work: Rolex's own spec grids for four of the codes carry the line "diamonds in 18 ct gold settings".

Twelve dial codes are documented across the run, every one of them a Rolex catalogue option. Gem-setting on this reference is factory work, and Rolex's own spec grids for four of the codes carry the line "diamonds in 18 ct gold settings".

{| class="wikitable"

Line 205:

===Gem-set dials===

Four of the twelve documented dial codes are diamond-set, and all four carry Rolex's own gem-setting line on the spec grid. That matters on a reference where aftermarket setting is common and hard to spot~~: on~~ the 116518LN, champagne, black and white mother-of-pearl bases with diamond hour markers in 18 ct gold settings are catalogue configurations with model codes attached~~, not customisation~~. Anything outside those four codes — pavé, coloured-stone accents, gem-set bezels — needs major-house documentation before it can be read as factory work.

Four of the twelve documented dial codes are diamond-set, and all four carry Rolex's own gem-setting line on the spec grid. That matters on a reference where aftermarket setting is common and hard to spot. On the 116518LN, champagne, black and white mother-of-pearl bases with diamond hour markers in 18 ct gold settings are catalogue configurations with model codes attached. Anything outside those four codes, including pavé, coloured-stone accents and gem-set bezels, needs major-house documentation before it can be read as factory work.

===Price and market behaviour===

Line 211:

Rolex's published US retail figure for the black-dial 116518LN was USD 28,500 as of late 2021. European launch pricing in March 2017 was reported by Monochrome at EUR 25,000 for the yellow gold version against EUR 26,150 for white gold and Everose; the same publication gave EUR 25,250 and EUR 26,350 five months later, after the first of the annual increases that ran through the reference's life.

The 116518LN arrived into the middle of the Daytona allocation era and behaved accordingly. Gold Daytonas on Oysterflex were ~~never as~~ supply-constrained as the steel 116500LN, ~~but~~ the Pikachu developed its own ~~following~~ on the strength of the dial, and the meteorite from 2021 has consistently outrun the standard dials.

The 116518LN arrived into the middle of the Daytona allocation era and behaved accordingly. Gold Daytonas on Oysterflex were less supply-constrained than the steel 116500LN, though the Pikachu developed a following of its own on the strength of the dial, and the meteorite from 2021 has consistently outrun the standard dials.

==Auction record==

The reference is thinly represented at the major houses, which is what a modern gold chronograph in wide production should look like. Most trade happens in retail and marketplace channels ~~rather than in the marquee sales~~.

The reference is thinly represented at the major houses, which is what a modern gold chronograph in wide production should look like. Most of the trade happens in retail and marketplace channels.

{| class="wikitable"

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 Rolex introduced the reference in March 2017 and Sotheby's cataloguing agrees, describing it as introduced "in March 2017 at the Baselworld fair" together with its white and pink gold counterparts. Rolex's own Baselworld microsite page for the launch model was archived on 3 April 2017.
-Dial codes then accumulated across the run rather than arriving in one batch. The launch configuration and one variant appear in 2017 and 2018; a broader set of seven codes appears through 2018 and 2019, taking in white, champagne, black and three diamond-set layouts; the meteorite dial and a further diamond-set black dial appear in 2021. Sotheby's dates the meteorite introduction to 2021 and calls it the most sought-after version of the model, which the archived catalogue supports.
+Dial codes accumulated in waves. The launch configuration and one variant appear in 2017 and 2018; a broader set of seven codes appears through 2018 and 2019, taking in white, champagne, black and three diamond-set layouts; the meteorite dial and a further diamond-set black dial appear in 2021. Sotheby's dates the meteorite introduction to 2021 and calls it the most sought-after version of the model, which the archived catalogue supports.
 The end of production is clean. Rolex's Daytona catalogue still lists the whole 1165xx generation in February 2023 and lists none of it by June 2023; the cal 4131 references replaced them across the board following the announcement on 27 March 2023. Case serials through the run use the random eight-character alphanumeric format with no public year mapping, so guarantee cards and hang tags do the dating work. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers]] for the full key.
@@ Line 109: / Line 109: @@
 [[File:Ref 116518LN meteorite.webp|thumb|right|240px|Meteorite and black, Rolex model code M116518LN-0076, added to the catalogue in 2021.]]
-Twelve dial codes are documented across the run, all of them Rolex catalogue options rather than special orders. Gem-setting on this reference is factory work: Rolex's own spec grids for four of the codes carry the line "diamonds in 18 ct gold settings".
+Twelve dial codes are documented across the run, every one of them a Rolex catalogue option. Gem-setting on this reference is factory work, and Rolex's own spec grids for four of the codes carry the line "diamonds in 18 ct gold settings".
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 205: / Line 205: @@
 ===Gem-set dials===
-Four of the twelve documented dial codes are diamond-set, and all four carry Rolex's own gem-setting line on the spec grid. That matters on a reference where aftermarket setting is common and hard to spot: on the 116518LN, champagne, black and white mother-of-pearl bases with diamond hour markers in 18 ct gold settings are catalogue configurations with model codes attached, not customisation. Anything outside those four codes — pavé, coloured-stone accents, gem-set bezels — needs major-house documentation before it can be read as factory work.
+Four of the twelve documented dial codes are diamond-set, and all four carry Rolex's own gem-setting line on the spec grid. That matters on a reference where aftermarket setting is common and hard to spot. On the 116518LN, champagne, black and white mother-of-pearl bases with diamond hour markers in 18 ct gold settings are catalogue configurations with model codes attached. Anything outside those four codes, including pavé, coloured-stone accents and gem-set bezels, needs major-house documentation before it can be read as factory work.
 ===Price and market behaviour===
@@ Line 211: / Line 211: @@
 Rolex's published US retail figure for the black-dial 116518LN was USD 28,500 as of late 2021. European launch pricing in March 2017 was reported by Monochrome at EUR 25,000 for the yellow gold version against EUR 26,150 for white gold and Everose; the same publication gave EUR 25,250 and EUR 26,350 five months later, after the first of the annual increases that ran through the reference's life.
-The 116518LN arrived into the middle of the Daytona allocation era and behaved accordingly. Gold Daytonas on Oysterflex were never as supply-constrained as the steel 116500LN, but the Pikachu developed its own following on the strength of the dial, and the meteorite from 2021 has consistently outrun the standard dials.
+The 116518LN arrived into the middle of the Daytona allocation era and behaved accordingly. Gold Daytonas on Oysterflex were less supply-constrained than the steel 116500LN, though the Pikachu developed a following of its own on the strength of the dial, and the meteorite from 2021 has consistently outrun the standard dials.
 ==Auction record==
-The reference is thinly represented at the major houses, which is what a modern gold chronograph in wide production should look like. Most trade happens in retail and marketplace channels rather than in the marquee sales.
+The reference is thinly represented at the major houses, which is what a modern gold chronograph in wide production should look like. Most of the trade happens in retail and marketplace channels.
 {| class="wikitable"