Daytona Mystique

[Maiden]

Look back on this forum 7 or 8 years ago and it was a ladies watch. Needed to be 42mm and needed a date. The 16710 was discontinued in 2006 because it was a dog and no one wanted it. Now look at things. HYPE and FOMO plain and simple.

[Mystro]

[QUOTE=Mike I;11857038]Why is the Daytona the most sought after Rolex?[/QUOTE]

The SS Daytona was the first Rolex model I know that was released in small enough numbers to never see a display case for 3 decades. So this predates any of the current hype or any internet influence. This is back when every other model could easily be purchased sitting in a display case at a discount. Today the Daytona is the model some love to hate because it’s simply the tip of the spear of the Rolex brand.

Let’s look beyond social media speculation and hype and look at it from a watch enthusiast position, the 4130 movement is THE best Rolex movement that is in production and will go down in history as one of the best movements Rolex has ever produced. (PERIOD)

[Driver8]

The 4130 movement is superb, and it's the only chronograph in the Rolex lineup, which makes it unique in that regard.

Outside of that however, if you look at the history of the model then the Daytona has had something of a chequered past in terms of desirability. They weren't big sellers AT ALL back in the day, so it seems Rolex experimented with reduced production numbers and over the course of many years, minor revisions, and then a sudden explosion of social media, they're in demand like nothing else. No matter what anyone says, outside of WIS and die-hard Rolex fans, the current MASSIVE levels of demand are 99.9% driven by hype and FOMO.

On a personal level, the aesthetics of it just aren't for me - the dial is very nice and clean, and I like the no-date as I hate 4:30 date positions you usually get on tri-compax chronos, but it wears way too small on my wrist, and the asymmetric lugs on the SS models are IMO (and I'm sorry to say it) terrible. I just can't unsee it.

[Jmbarrack]

I think that its size plays a factor.

It's one of the few 40mm Rolex professional models that look good on all wrist sizes. It's also one of the smaller in house cal. chronographs you can buy. Not much out there in terms of a wearable chronograph.

[OrangeSport]

Originally Posted by Driver8

the asymmetric lugs on the SS models are IMO (and I'm sorry to say it) terrible. I just can't unsee it.

Along with the fugly sub dial numbering..

[interestedinwatches]

Originally Posted by Chester01

I’ve owned a couple in my time. Looks like the back of a CD. The PCL, shiny ceramic, refrigerator white dial (black dial is definitely more muted) Look at they compared to the Zenith SS Daytona-it’s quite different. Not sure why they turned a tool watch as it was in the early 80’s into the Yacht-master.

I felt it so flashy I gave mine to my wife. I recall walking in Princeton one day and a dude, like no joke 15 feet out looks at me and says nice watch. That may be what others want to hear, but not me. Not long after passed it onto my wife.


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Ceramic bezels and PCLs are on the majority of Rolex watches so in my opinion calling it excessively flashy is a bit exaggerated as it's not more excessive than most Rolex models. I have the Panda Daytona and the egg white dial is not something I'd call flashy at all either. It's just a matte paper white... It's not even sunburst. But yeah I guess Rolex as a brand is not for you anymore? The only less flashy watches are probably the Explorer line.

[Mystro]

Here is a popular perspective on “why”.

https://youtu.be/lcEOLZZpjlo

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by interestedinwatches

Ceramic bezels and PCLs are on the majority of Rolex watches so in my opinion calling it excessively flashy is a bit exaggerated as it's not more excessive than most Rolex models. I have the Panda Daytona and the egg white dial is not something I'd call flashy at all either. It's just a matte paper white... It's not even sunburst. But yeah I guess Rolex as a brand is not for you anymore? The only less flashy watches are probably the Explorer line.

For myself my Rolex is a 16610 from 1997 and most of the Rolex I have owned were preceramic, and it will stay that way as I simply have 0 interest in the 6 digit models and turned down the ceramic Daytona in late 2016. I mean my tastes have changed, but to some degree someone spotting a Daytona accurately 15 feet out, I mean that’s some objective data (not great but something) that it’s suffice to say, noticeable. I do like the explorer II line but the size increase I’m not comfortable with.


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[JasH]

Originally Posted by Mike I

Why is the Daytona the most sought after Rolex?

Daytona is the first Rolex I ever bought, many years ago. I just liked the design, and the motorsport connection just added to it.

[Roger Lococco]

Originally Posted by padi56

Hardly a complex movement fact the Daytona cal 4130 has fewer parts that most all chronograph movements and built to be serviced quite easy. But agree about the hype and I would rate the cal 4130 movement in the top 5 of all chronograph movements ever made to date. As for low production well its been going since 2000 and now almost 22 years old, so there must be quite a few thousand or million plus of them in this world today.

What are the other 4 - 5 top chrono movements?

[OverGeared]

Its astronomical status is a combination of all the stuff people have already mentioned: hype, fomo, marketing, influencer crap, status symbol, the Newman auction, low availability, speculator-driven grey market, etc etc.

But what makes it genuinely special is that it's an undeniably terrific timepiece. Leaving aside its aesthetics (which are subjective anyway) I just can't get over the 4130's technical accomplishments. 72hrs of power, 12hr chrono, vertical clutch, automatic, 100m water resistance, 4hz... in a tough-as-hell case that's only 12.2mm thick? Are you kidding me??

In 20 or 50 years, pop culture may or may not give a rat's you-know-what about the Daytona anymore, but that won't matter because it will still be an outstanding watch.

[inadeje]

I disagree with the majority of these comments. Padi is spot on though. The mystique surrounding the Daytona isn’t a contemporary outcome. The SS Daytona has been very tough to purchase for as long as I can remember, at least for the past +25 years. Back in the zenith 90s I tried to purchase a SS for over a year to no avail, finally settling upon a TT Zenith. During the 4 digit days, the watch was unloved, languishing in AD windows forever. In my view this is the primary reason why the 4 digits are so expensive. Few were sold and thus few manufactured. While off topic, for the same reasons the YMII will be the next super hot model once it’s discontinued. The blend of few sold and few manufactured will send the prices stratospheric.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by Roger Lococco

What are the other 4 - 5 top chrono movements?

Piguet 1185 aka AP 2385