I don’t really ever understand the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona until you own the Zenith version, specially the so called Patrizzi dial.
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Patrizzi dials are found on a very short timeframe, 1994-1995.
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During this timeframe, Singer (alas Rolex chronograph dial maker), used an organic lacquer on the dials that caused them to get a very attractive dark patina, especially (but not limited to) on the subdials.
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This particularity was evident during Osvaldo Patrizzi’s iconic Antiquorum auction in 2006, when this coloration defect was widely observed.
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Every (original) black dial Daytona on this range is a correct Patrizzi Daytona, regardless of how intense is the patina. The patina is not a constant. Beware however of cooked dials! They even come in totally incorrect years and even in the very late 1988 luminova ones! So if you think that a very dark black Zenith dial is the indicator of a Patrizzi, you better improve your due diligence! 🔎🧐

My preference for the “Zenith” Daytona goes beyond this particularity. I love its sleek hands and markers.. the fact that it coms (mostly) with tritium lumen and beyond everything, the fact that the chrono subdials are aligned at 3-9, instead of the in-house Cosmograph, which has subdials a bit higher.

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