One of the hottest and most sought-after releases in recent years was the reference 116500 Daytona in stainless steel with black Cerachrom bezel. With the exception of its bezel, the new Daytona 116500 was virtually identical to almost any other modern, stainless steel Daytona. However, the aesthetic impact of the black Cerachrom bezel is significant, and the presence of a solid black ring around the face of the watch completely changes the overall appearance of the new ref. 116500 Daytona.Additionally, the new black Cerachrom bezel is more than a little reminiscent of the black acrylic bezels that were fitted to several vintage Daytona chronograph references manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s, such as the reference 6241 and the reference 6263. Although the two materials are significantly different in a multitude of different ways, the black Cerachrom bezel on the new 116500 Daytona is very much the contemporary equivalent of the black acrylic bezel that can be found on a number of highly-desirable, vintage Rolex Daytona references.For the most part, Rolex only moves forward with their designs as they continuously work to refine and improve their watches. However, they have been known to occasionally borrow small design elements from some of their early watches, and implement them into the latest incarnations of their ever-evolving timepieces. Sometimes these design elements get re-imagined or modernized to reflect advancements and improvements in available materials and technologies (like the Cerachrom bezel on the Daytona). Other times, like in the instance of the 24-hour hand on the new Explorer II, these vintage-inspired, design traits get pulled right off a page from a 1970s Rolex catalog and get placed on a watch currently in production.
