Rolex Daytona

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona is the Rolex chronograph, named for the Florida speedway and made since 1963. BeepWear lists two pre-owned Daytonas, both in steel: a 40mm 116520 at $24,500 and a vintage 37mm 6265 at $69,000. Each was inspected before listing and is photographed as the actual watch.

Which Daytonas are in stock? The 116520 is the steel Daytona Rolex made from 2000 to 2016, the first with the in-house calibre 4130 and the last steel Daytona with a metal tachymeter bezel before ceramic arrived. The 6265 is a manual-wind Daytona from the 1970s and early 1980s: 37mm, screw-down pushers, a steel bezel and the Valjoux-based calibre 727. They are two different watches that happen to share a name.

What does a used Rolex Daytona cost? $24,500 for the 116520 and $69,000 for the 6265 here. The gap is the vintage premium: steel manual-wind Daytonas were made in small numbers and are now collected on dial and condition, while the 116520 was a production watch for sixteen years. Pre-owned steel Daytonas of the 116520 generation generally trade above the price they sold for new, which is unusual for any watch and is the reason the model has a waiting list at retail.

Why does the Daytona cost more than the Submariner? Supply. Rolex makes far fewer chronographs than three-hand watches, the chronograph movement is more complex to build and service, and demand has exceeded production for most of the model’s life. A pre-owned Submariner on this site starts well under the price of the 116520.

Is a vintage 6265 a good buy? It is a collector’s watch, and the questions are different from a modern Rolex. Originality of the dial, hands and bezel matters more than cosmetic perfection; a re-finished dial can halve the value. The movement is hand-wound and should be serviced by a watchmaker who knows the calibre. For buyers who want a Daytona to wear every day, the 116520 is the practical choice; the 6265 is for someone building a collection. Both are listed with the actual photographs so you can judge the watch itself.

What should you check before buying a used Daytona? Run the chronograph: the centre seconds should start cleanly, stop dead and reset exactly to twelve. On the 116520, check that the pushers screw down fully. On the 6265, ask about the dial and the service history before anything else. On either, the reference and serial engraved between the lugs should match the paperwork. Every piece here was inspected before it was listed.

How does BeepWear list and ship these? One listing per watch, with the reference in the title and the current price. Orders ship insured within the United States; the authenticity guarantee, the returns policy and the warranty terms each have their own page. All pre-owned Rolex on the site are on the Rolex page, and the 6265 also appears under vintage Rolex.