You may know by now that the vintage 1:1 fake Rolex Daytona world is a nuanced one, especially as we got close to the end of the 20th century. There are numerous iterations throughout this period, and notably, a lot of those fell within the 16520 reference category. While the stainless steel perfect replica Rolex 16520 was introduced in 1988, there are good reasons why it should be on this list.
For a start, it dominated the ’90s, with production finally ceasing in the year 2000, and within that period, around eight different versions of the watch existed, each with their own subtle differences. Most of them were dial-related, such as the DAYTONA text with or without serifs, inverted 6 in the subdial, alternative typefaces and positions, and the switch from tritium to luminova. There are even the fabled porcelain dial Rolex Daytonas super clone online, which are extremely rare and command the highest prices of all 16520s.
The watch was produced in the period before Swiss made replica Rolex had their own chronograph, and as a result, relied on an extensively modified Zenith El Primero 400 movement. This in itself is highly prized by collectors as it represents the final watch to use an external movement in a Rolex. Arguably, the high quality fake Rolex Zenith 16520s are possibly the most undervalued and overlooked Daytonas on the market, as they are about to hit true vintage status, and if the vintage top quality fake Rolex Daytona market is anything to go by over the last decade, we could be in for an exciting (and expensive) time for these.