Rolex Daytona “Salmon” Dial - Prototype

1997-1998

The Singer company, a historic manufacturer of Rolex dials, presented the Geneva-based watchmaker with a dial that collectors today know as the "Salmon" due to its unmistakable color. The dial was created for the reference 16519 and was subjected to Rolex quality control, which validated the specimen submitted. However, despite approval, the dial was never mass-produced and remained at the prototype stage. In the photo below (the source preferred to remain anonymous), you can see the model that passed Rolex's quality control. At the time, Rolex was already focused on the launch of the next generation of Daytonas (references 1165xx, which would be released in 2000) and needed to clear out stocks of dials that it deemed too similar to the "Salmon" dial, such as those in mother-of-pearl (Mother of Pearl).

(ph.: rilogi.com) Rolex Code 3 (Singer)

Extremely limited production

To date, very few examples of the Salmon dial are known: it is estimated that about a dozen exist, plus the example sent to Rolex quality control and a dial without mounting feet that remained in the Singer archives, used for internal cataloging of the model.

Some details of this extremely rare Salmon dial

On the back of the dial, you can see the code 3, which stands for Singer. Other engravings on the back have been intentionally removed from the photo for privacy reasons, as the engraved codes could have revealed the identity of Singer's production manager.
From the images, you can see that each piece has slight differences, for example, in the size of the indexes or the filling of the Arabic numerals. This further confirms the experimental and non-standardized phase of the "Salmon" dial.

An (Almost) Forgotten Legacy

With Rolex abandoning the "Salmon" project, Tudor decided to create – around 2000 – a dial inspired by the style of this prototype. However, despite the similarities, the Tudor dial remains a distant cousin of the original Salmon, lacking the experimental aura and rarity that characterizes the Singer prototype. (ph.Phillips.com)
A dial that never went into production, but which today represents one of the rarest and most fascinating examples of Rolex prototyping, capable of making the hearts of collectors and enthusiasts skip a beat.

Antonello Niceta