Released in 2000 as a brand new generation of Daytona, Rolex made several subtle changes to the previous “Zenith” Daytona. To begin with, the dial layout had changed slightly, with the running seconds subdial moving from 9 o'clock to 6' clock. Additionally, the subdials were no longer in line with the center of the dial. Instead, they moved up slightly above the middle of the dial (running from 9 to 3 o'clock). Additionally, Rolex gave the new Daytona broader indices to accommodate more lume, longer lugs, and a mirror finish on the case flanks to differentiate the latest generation even further. But, without doubt, the latest generation’s most significant upgrade was Rolex’s new (at the time) in-house automatic cal. 4130 chronograph movement. Designed to be ruthlessly efficient, it has just 201 parts - a 20% decrease on the previous movement, the cal. 4030, making for an even more reliable movement requiring even less servicing. Additionally, with more space free to accommodate a larger mainspring, Rolex increased the cal. 4030's power reserve from 50 to 72 hours in the cal. 4130. All in all, even for a 20+ year old movement, the cal. 4130 is incredible even by today’s standards and fitting for the Daytona’s legendary legacy.

While the current third generation of Daytona has been produced since 2000, not all Daytonas are born equal. Indeed, in 2016 Rolex launched a transitional variant of the Daytona, the ref. 116500. While identical to the previous ref. 116520 in just about every way possible, the new variant was given a black Cerachrom bezel as Rolex migrated from the traditional stainless steel bezels on the older ref. 116520. Scratch-proof and impervious to the elements, these black ceramic bezels silently ushered in a new generation of Daytona, that still straddles the fence as a third-generation model. While functionally identical to the older models, the new ceramic bezel-clad variants indeed feature a touch of modernity that compounds upon their sporty tool watch aesthetic and makes them, even more, utility-driven and iconic.