Hi All,

Anyone here own a 116500? I'm seriously contemplating buying one but curious to get some current owner feedback. I'm mostly a vintage guy so this would be my first modern buy in years if I did go this route.

Kind regards,
Mike

 

What sort of feedback are you looking for? Movement? Size? Aesthetic? These vary from person to person. Would be nice to get some idea of what you’re trying to compare. Size is a little bigger than most vintage watches.
If based on value retention, then I’m sure you can see it’s the hottest sports watch in the lineup.

 

I've had both dial variants of the 116500. In the end I couldn't warm up to either one, though I preferred the white to the black. Both were sold off with no regrets. They are beautiful watches but they have a dressed up look about them that was very flashy. I am more of a casual guy and I still preferred my old Speedmaster to both of them. If you can get either one at MSRP it's worth trying them out, but they are not worth the premium, IMO.

 

not a fun of ceramic bezel. Doesn't do it for me.
with taht being said, if you can get one for retail, i think it's a great watch to own

 

long discussion of my purchase of a ceramic daytona here

https://omegaforums.net/threads/going-over-to-the-dark-side-116500ln.90789/

i only own this and a bb58 for modern watches and i wear the daytona a ton. . nearly the perfect modern watch for me

 

I had a black dialled 116500. For me, the Daytona is the best of the 6 digits as it is quite close to the 5’s in size. Cracking watch. I bought mine grey and paid a premium (got it all back when I sold) and just got a bit bored with the black on black all the time as I like a splash of colour.

Other than that, it’s a fabulous watch. I think if I had my time again, however, I’d go with the 116520 As I think I prefer the steel bezel look despite all of ceramics benefits.

 

maybe i'm crazy but i really can't get excited about black dialed daytonas. any of them--vintage or new

 

I think the issue is that Rolex does lots of nice black dials - many far less expensive. For a Daytona, I’d go white but I’m not the hugest fan of white dials.

I had a lot of funds invested in my black 500 and it was my thoughts above which partially led me to trade it for a 16710 with all the bezels which gives me my black kick if I want it in a similar size but also a splash of colour

 

agreed

for me. . rolex gilt dials (sub or gmt) are just out of this world amazing. there are many black dialed reverse panda dials i like more than a daytona (movado and heuer come to mind. or even a ulysses nardin 7536

the silver dial daytonas though. . .

 

I've had three modern Daytonas over the last 25 years and have sold them off for various reasons, and then eventually regretted doing so. Last week I visited my jeweler in St Thomas, VI where I've bought a lot of diamond jewelry over the years. He pulled out a BNIB Rolex Daytona with black dial, with stickers all in place that he had bought from AD down the street. He made me a package deal along with the Oris Star Wars LE set which includes the Darth Vader watch. Couldn't pass it all up, it is hard to ignore a Daytona when one is offered to you. Above retail, yes, but not crazily so. All of my Daytonas have been lighter dials, and I like the black dial with the black bezel. But it just depends on what you like, no right or wrong.

 

I too have mostly been a vintage Rolex guy. 1675/5513 are watches that are so much more enjoyable than the modern maxi cases.

However, I've really fallen in love with the modern Daytona. It's a perfect proportion and case is on par with the 5513. I've also been pleasantly surprised by the ceramic bezel and how much depth it actually had in difference lighting. Online pictures will always show a deep black bezel, but I've found it changes anywhere from a light gray to a pure black.

As much as I like it, I don't think paying above retail is the way to go.

 

I too am a vintage guy and can attest that only after wearing the 116500 with zero f’s did I come to appreciate it. It is an awesome watch on the wrist and as long as you get past banging up the bracelet and onto the actual durability of the watch, you’ll be good. It’s smaller on the wrist than I had imagined (not typical of modern watches) and still has awesome presence. My advice is to get it and wear the piss out of it.

 

I've owned both black and white .... twice. (Just have white now.) A personal preference on color choice. White pops nicely, but it's so, so white, like toothpaste. Wish it had a little silver in the dial, like my old 6263. Black is sleeker, not as sporty, but the legibility is not great. Both look cool on leather, especially if the PCLs on the bracelet bother you.

Can't go wrong either way, as long as you have the funds, of course. If you're a mostly vintage guy, it's probably the Rolex that reminds me the most of a vintage version.