Before the 1960s, perfect replica Rolex housed third-party chronograph movements in Oyster cases. Then the company upped the case size, redesigned the dial and put out the space-age-sounding “Cosmograph.” Shortly thereafter, when the Crown sponsored races at Florida’s famous beach-side track and put its name on the dial, the legend of the UK luxury fake Rolex Daytona was born — though not to much fanfare. That would come later.
Paul Newman’s wife bought him one with a creamy Bauhaus-inspired exotic dial — now called the “Newman” dial — and the famed actor casually gave it to his son-in-law (sometime in the 1980s), who auctioned it off for more than $17 million in 2017. That made this once humble and unpopular high quality replica Daytona variant one of the most expensive wristwatches ever sold.
The auction transformed what was already becoming an increasingly coveted watch into a crazed run on all Daytonas, old and new. Now you can hardly get one at retail, especially in all stainless steel, and the used market for Daytonas of any era in any style or metal with any dial has gone completely berserk. Like so many steel Professional models, the UK online copy Rolex Daytona watches remain in demand and sells far above retail on the secondary market — a remarkable result for what was initially an unremarkable watch.
Since 2023, the Daytona has carried a new movement, 4131, which succeeded the 4130 that debuted in 2000 when best fake Rolex first brought its movements in-house. To see it in all its glory, look no further than the platinum version of the watch (reference 126506), which has a unique (for Rolex) exhibition caseback.
Also launched in 2023 was the Daytona “Le Mans” ref. 126529LN. Created for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the watch was executed in white gold with a red “100” on the bezel, an exhibition caseback and a custom movement that tracked 24 hours of the chronograph instead of 12. Most remarkable of all, its reverse panda dial featured the unexpected return of the “Paul Newman” style with its unique subdials. The watch quickly became the most hyped modern UK cheap super clone Rolex before being unceremoniously discontinued in 2024, just ten months after its initial release. An off-catalog yellow gold version has taken its place, though Rolex isn’t exactly advertising that fact.