The classic Rolex stainless steel Daytona has slowly evolved over the years, but when it first appeared in 1963, it came with a matching steel bezel engraved with its signature tachymetric scale. While the current production stainless steel Daytona now comes with a black Cerachrom bezel, the stainless steel bezel represents Rolex’s original vision for the Daytona and remains an option in the Rolex Daytona collection from the 1960s when the model first appeared until 2016.  
The major difference between the vintage replica Rolex Daytona ref. 6265 and its successor, the 16520, is that the vintage 6265 has a 37 mm case, excluding the crown protector, while the more modern 16520 has a 40 mm case. 16520 has a 40 mm case, almost identical to that of the 116520 model, and has its winding crown flanked by with prominent protectors.
In addition, some key differences can be observed as far as the dial itself is concerned. On all the dials fitted to the vintage Daytona 6265, the chronograph indexes appear in contrasting colors, while the hour markers are applied indices with luminous dots next to them. In contrast, on the dials fitted to the Ref. 16520 and Ref. 116520, the chronograph scales use a ring of contrasting colors rather than being filled entirely with different colors, while the applied hour-markers are filled with luminescence rather than having separate luminous dots placed next to them.
While the external differences between the various stainless steel bezel replica Rolex Daytona watches can all be spotted by the trained eye, arguably one of the most important differences between these three Daytona models is the movement used to power them. While they all measure up to 12 hours of events, the actual movements themselves are all very different.
The Rolex Daytona 6265 is powered by the hand-wound Valjoux 727 movement, which can also be found in a number of other chronographs from manufacturers of the same era.
While the Daytona 16520 and 116520 share many visual similarities and are both self-winding chronographs, the more modern Daytona 116520 is powered by Rolex’s own caliber 4130. Strictly speaking, from a performance standpoint, Rolex’s in-house Cal. However, many watch collectors prefer the vintage reference 16520 because of its important place in Rolex’s history as the brand’s first ever self-winding chronograph.
Whether you choose modern or vintage, all three of these Rolex Daytona stainless steel watches feature matching steel tachymeter bezels and, in addition to no longer being available directly from retailers and boutiques, all three represent fake Rolex’s original vision of its iconic racing chronograph.