This Platinum UK AAA Replica Rolex ‘Zenith’ Daytona With a Turquoise Dial, One Of Just Five, Sold for £2.3 Million at Auction

When it comes to perfect fake Rolex Daytonas, there’s the Paul Newman and then there’s everything else. As this past weekend proved, though, “everything else” is still wildly impressive.

An ultra-rare “Zenith” Rolex Daytona Ref. 16516 fake for sale UK with a turquoise dial sold for a jaw-dropping $3.1 million (around £2.3 million) at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Important Watch sale on Friday. Not only did the one-of-five timepiece smash pre-sale estimates, it also has planted itself firmly in the middle of the list of the most valuable AAA replica Rolexes of all time.

The watch, a cheap fake Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, is one of just five “Zenith” examples that former Rolex chief executive Patrick Heiniger had made in 1998, according to the auction house. Each of the limited-edition watches from the set features a 40mm case made of platinum. They’re nicknamed “Zenith” because they’re powered by that brand’s famed 4030 caliber, which was based on the Zenith El Primero movement. Swiss made replica Rolex replaced this automatic movement in 2000 with its own in-house automatic chronograph movement.

But what really makes the “Zenith” so special is the exotic material used for each dial, which is said to be unique to each copy watch. This particular example has a turquoise mineral stone dial so brilliant it almost glows. Its vibrancy is offset by an alligator leather strap with a platinum clasp. The luxury replica Rolex Ref. 16516 is a true beauty and it’s easy to see why it sold for more than six times its $515,000 (around £370,400) pre-auction estimate.

As shocking as its gavel price may be, the Swiss movement replica Rolex watches UK aren’t even the most expensive entrant in the ultra-limited series. That title belongs to a “Zenith” with a lapis lazuli hardstone dial that sold for around £2.35 million last July at another Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale. The first known “Zenith” sold at auction for around £633,600 in 2018, while the other two have yet to hit the market.

Its sale is a good reminder that while stainless steel fake watches online may have reigned supreme on the auction block over the last few years, other metals—like gold—still have plenty of appeal for collectors looking for rare super clone watches.