Mysterious beauty! The off catalogue Rolex Daytona 116506 'Hindu/Arabic' Dial

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116506 “Hindu-Arabic” Dial.

This is one of the Don’s of the Daytona range, rarely seen but totally recognisable - it’s the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a Hindu-Arabic dial. 

This watch is specifically made for the Middle Eastern market, and rumour has it that it only ever sold through a couple of boutiques in the region.

It is an “off catalogue” piece, which, in short, means that unless you’re one of the brands top clients, you’re not going to see one, unless of course you subscribe O.W ;-) 

All factors combined - there are very few of them out there, and this particular one is going to be visiting the mothership this weekend. 

Daytona’s (and Day-Dates, in fact) with these particular numerals are highly sought after by collectors who seek something that sets their Rolex apart from the standard references. 

This is a reference 116506 with a full platinum case and bracelet which as well as being reassuringly “present” on the wrist is also exceptionally durable as when platinum “scratches” or marks, the metal is displaced rather than lost so wear rate on platinum pieces is minimised in comparison to other precious metals. 

The heavy metal giveaway on these watches is always the ice blue dial which is reserved solely for Rolex platinum pieces. If you see a white gold or steel Rolex sporting an ice blue dial.. its aftermarket so best avoided.

Platinum is also one of the purest metals comprising of 95% platinum and 5% cobalt.

One of its most interesting properties is that despite being a precious metal it is exceptionally durable, more so than gold.
The difference between the two is the way that each metal behaves when scratched, and lets face it, if you wear and love a watch, its going to get scratches.
When you scratch or mark platinum, what you’re actually doing is displacing the metal. It simply moves aside in a furrow without loss. Sounds like a disaster, but with a gold counterpart, you’ll lose metal to scratches and over time (a lot of time, granted) the surface will eventually wear down.

Not so with platinum, the amount you get, is pretty much the amount you’ll be left with despite scuffs and marks. It is much more robust which is why its considered to be boss level.
Not to mention the weight on the wrist, which just feels outright decadent. 

The ice blue dial matches perfectly with the silvery platinum and the numerals create flashes of light across the dial due to their lack of lume and mirror polished finish.The deep chocolate Cerachrom bezel adds a layer of both protection and contrast with the subdial rings. 

Looks-wise, this is an absolute belter of a watch, but, the movement is genuinely something else. 

When Rolex finished its run of “Zenith” Daytonas in 2000, it introduced it introduced the fully in-house calibre 4130 which is, in my opinion, is one of the finest chronograph movements ever built, and not just by Rolex. 

At the time, it was hugely innovative with a 72 hour power reserve thanks to an oversized mainspring barrel - to put that into vague context - it took another 20 years before the 72 hour reserved trickled down to the Submariner range. 

The 4130 is a column wheel chronograph movement with vertical clutch that used 77 fewer parts than the Zenith El Primero, and uses 12 screws as opposed to 40. 

Fewer parts = fewer problems, less maintenance.

The rotor is mounted on ceramic ball bearings for efficiency and decreased maintenance, and the chrono clutch is vertical as opposed to horizontal which completely did away with the “stutter” and lag when starting the timer.

The wheel that deals with the chronograph is skeletonised and instead of the traditional gear teeth that we all know and recognise, the chronograph wheel that drives the seconds in the 4130 uses cantilever spring loaded steel teeth.
These teeth ensure that there is absolutely no backlash when operating the chronograph as the springs make full contact when meshing against the other gear wheels when operating. Flawless micro mechanics. 

Cal 4130 was also the first Rolex movement to receive the Parachrom Hairspring which is made from niobium and zirconium, and is anti magnetic, unaffected by temperature changes and 10 times more resistant to shocks. More to the point, the stability of this new breed of hairspring increased precision enabling +2/-2 timekeeping and superlative chronometer status. 

It was the pinnacle of Rolex engineering at the time and, I still think that it is unrivalled.

It is comparatively simple, elegant, accurate, easy to maintain and even if you don’t maintain it particularly diligently, this movement will run, and run, and run without fault for years. 

It has been “upgraded” now as 2023 saw the launch of its successor, the cal 4230, but as yet, there hasn't been enough time to tell whether or not the new movement is an upgrade. 

Apologies if I’ve bored you with some of the details, but, there is no use in having an aesthetically beautiful watch if the movement beating within isn’t equally well designed.

I am delighted to announce, however, that the looks, and the heart of this Daytona are a match made in Swiss heaven.