John Mayer, for Hodinkee, on the new Daytona:
To me, and to an existing Daytona owner, this is like a software update to your iPhone. Every time you download a new update you’re not having a new experience with your iPhone, you’re having a new experience with whatever is updated and new, and so I think that’s the difference here. We are experiencing the bezel, and the black sub-dial rings. After that, it’s the same watch we’ve owned.
The “bezel” to which Mayer speaks is the black Cerachrom bezel—new for this reference—which as Benjamin Clymer notes, is the only real differentiator between this 116500LN reference and the 116520 it replaces. Still, what a differences it makes.
My recent infatuation with motorsport seems to have blossomed into a keen interest in mechanical watches. While the fabled “Paul Newman” Daytona’s are all but unobtainable for mere mortals like myself, this new-for-2016 reference takes us that much closer to the best vintage Daytona’s—there’s even a “Panda”-ish dial on the new reference!
