In the past and present series, we take a look at the biggest rags-to-riches story the watch industry can offer. The Replica Rolex Daytona has seen the most dramatic shift between the original and the modern — not in style or mechanics, but in popularity.
Watches that are now simply unavailable at retailers were once so rejected that dealers gave them away to almost anyone with a modest of interest. Over the course of more than half a century, the Rolex Daytona has evolved, and public opinion of the watch has completely changed. Today, daytona is considered one of the most important sports watches ever made. So how did we get here from such an unfortunate start?
The first Rolex daytona wasn’t actually called daytona at all. Although Rolex replica has taken some tentative steps in making timepieces since the 1930s, it wasn’t until 1963 that the daytona we know today began to appear in its iconic form.
An early reference, no. 6239, is simply called the fake rolex cosmic map. There’s been a lot of speculation about the origin of the name, with some speculating that it was meant to catch NASA’s eye, perhaps to play a role in the burgeoning space race — which ended with it losing out to omega super. It will be years before it adopts the name Daytona. Daytona, named after the legendary Floridia speedway and endurance RACES held there, soon became a Rolex sponsored event.
In fact, from print ads from this period, we can see that the watch was almost called Le Mans, the famous French circuit; However, it has clearly changed to appeal to a wider north American audience. But that’s not how it works. The 6239, beautiful as it was, was met with great indifference when it was launched.
Originally forged in all-steel, the 37mm replica watch borrows from omega’s practice of moving the tachometer to the bezel of the dial instead of the traditional position on the outside of the dial. It provides excellent readability between the three colors contrast sub-dials. As far as the buying public is concerned, the problem is the movement. There is nothing wrong with the motion itself, the self-winding alternative is still a few years away, but ref. 6239 is just familiar technology, it doesn’t bring anything new.
Inside, the Valjoux 72b ticked along, perhaps the best timing tool of its time, and widely regarded as one of the greatest in history. The 18,000-vph, pillar-wheel controlled mechanism has found a home in other manufacturers’ iconic models, such as the Breitling’s Navitimer and Heuer’s Autavia and Carrera, so its pedigree is blame-free; It just didn’t get the buyers excited.