Entrepreneur Patrizio Bertelli spotted wearing a Rolex

Patrizio Bertelli was photographed dockside in Auckland during one of competitive sailing's most charged moments — Luna Rossa's qualification for the Prada Cup Finals. On his wrist, entirely in keeping with the utilitarian elegance you might expect from one of fashion's most rigorous executives, sat a stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116520 with a black dial.

The reference 116520 represented a watershed for Rolex when it launched in 2000. For the first time, the Daytona was equipped with a movement designed and manufactured entirely in-house: the calibre 4130. A column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch, the 4130 operates at 28,800 vph, offers a 72-hour power reserve, and features just 44 components in its chronograph mechanism — a deliberate reduction in complexity that improves reliability and serviceability. Prior to the 116520, Daytona models had relied on the modified Zenith El Primero ebauche. The shift was significant both technically and symbolically. Production ran from 2000 to 2016, when the 116520 was succeeded by the ceramic-bezel 116500LN.

Among collectors, the 116520 occupies a peculiar and respected position. It lacks the vintage cachet of the Paul Newman-era references and the current hype surrounding the 116500LN, yet it is widely regarded as the purest expression of the modern Daytona — steel case, aluminum bezel insert, and the debut of the 4130. The black-dial variant, with its crisp white sub-registers, is considered the more legible and arguably more classic configuration. Finding an unworn example with original bracelet and papers has become increasingly difficult.

Bertelli's connection to Rolex is contextually appropriate. As CEO of Prada Group and the patron behind Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, he operates at the intersection of precision engineering and design culture — values that map naturally onto the Daytona's own DNA. The chronograph was purpose-built for motorsport timing, and its crossover appeal with elite sporting patronage has never diminished.

On the secondary market, the ref. 116520 in steel with a black dial commands consistent premiums. Grey-market values have stabilized in a range well above original retail, reflecting sustained collector demand for a reference that is no longer in production and increasingly scarce in clean, unpolished condition.