BT Factory Rolex Daytona 116500 Review

Hi everyone, I’m John. Today, I am presenting you with a watch comparison and review of one very familiar model: the Rolex Daytona Panda Day. Official model number: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona M116500LN-0001 (Panda Day).

This write-up of a refurbished Panda Day comes a little late. Well, there are just too many online write-ups of this mythical watch already, and of these, the quality produced by clean factories is of course the best. Since the clean factory was seized, if you really want to own a good Panda Daytona 116500, the two best shops to purchase a Rolex Panda Day nowadays are BT and VS.

This Panda Day of VS factory is poorly constructed. After all, the clean factory’s quality was quite good then, so it was hard to capture market share. Naturally, VS was penny-pinching on this model and worked harder on other models. The just out Rolex Panda Daytona of BT factory was okay, but once the clean factory launched the new dial version, it lost the competitive advantage and could only give way on price. For case modifications, the best-loved Daytona factory is BT, as it also uses a clean factory ceramic bezel and a real Dandong 4130 movement.

This Rolex Daytona Panda Daytona 116500 has been case back modified by a BT factory, the dial has been replaced, buffed hands, and high-gloss lens.

Perhaps the color of the dial and the problem of the hands require differences in details or sensory perception, but misaligned BT factory mirrors are most apparent when looked at from the side. This can be observed on the video comparison review, and here is the following photo showing a side view with an installed high-lens mirror. It would appear this eliminates the BT factory misalignment and is closer to the original.

Another point is that a high-lens mirror permits viewing of the dial with no obstruction of reflections, and with no apparent blocking of light by a large reflection. This can’t be done even with a factory-fresh clean, and only is possible with a replacement dial. This plays a big role in the degree of restoration, so most replica watchmakers advise that a high-lens mirror must be employed in place of the dial.

The hands become buffed because:

Good steel, highly polished

The curves of the hand are precisely the same as the original, and the end of the hand is smooth

The luminosity grooves have a finer edge work, and the hue of the luminosity is precisely the same as the original

The hands also are more textured, heavy, and three-dimensional

The minute and hour hands and chronograph hand are on parallel center axes, and center axis perforations in the hands have the same shape

Simply put, replacing the replacement dial is to reduce color variations and achieve optimal color alignment.

In the picture below, where, under the same lighting conditions, the BT factory and clean factory dials are evidently cooler white, while the factory N dial is pretty yellower white. The replacement dial is a warm milky white only. Sure enough, a head-to-head comparison, the color of the replacement dial is nearest to the original, and the appearance is nearest to the original.

Since the customer has chosen to refurbish the dial through a replacement, they are no longer comparing to a spotless factory. While the craftsmanship of a spotless factory Panda Di is already superb, it remains a replica. A refurbished “replacement dial” is made to be taken to the same level as the original. Therefore, a replica dial of a BT factory Panda Di is nearly the same as the authentic and it is difficult to discern the authenticity under regular wear.

When the lights are off, each watch emits a blue glow, which makes people feel very comfortable. Yet the replacement dial of the BT factory Panda Di and its polished hands glow more strongly and slightly transparently, with a halo over the case and crystal, a phenomenon known to aficionados of watches accustomed to original Rolexes.

Also, in low lighting, replacement dial and original factory dial color temperature contrast is even more dramatic. It is not an exaggeration to say that this Rolex Panda Di replacement dial is absolutely spectacular!