Daytona - Which is the preferred movement

[nauticajoe]

Guys, I'm sure this has been brought up before. Curious to know what is the preferred movement - the discontinued Zenith or the in-house?

[WatchnRoll]

Originally Posted by nauticajoe

Guys, I'm sure this has been brought up before. Curious to know what is the preferred movement - the discontinued Zenith or the in-house?

I prefer the zenith.

[GMTcrazy]

Originally Posted by WatchnRoll

I prefer the zenith.

Why?

Rolex in house movement is amazing, long power reserve, half the moving parts.

I have both, but if I had to only have one for everyday, I would take the new one hands down!

GT

[WatchnRoll]

Originally Posted by GMTcrazy

Why?

Rolex in house movement is amazing, long power reserve, half the moving parts.

I have both, but if I had to only have one for everyday, I would take the new one hands down!

GT

See my post right above this post...I explain why.

[nyfida]

I would go for the new movement and especially that rolex makes that movement. I prefer the look of the older but is not enough for me to purchase it.

[bewithabob]

Is El Primero really superior to the Rolex? I know the Zenith beats faster....

[Tools]

Originally Posted by bewithabob

Is El Primero really superior to the Rolex? I know the Zenith beats faster....

No, it is not.. The question was "Which one do you prefer?" You will likely get different answers on this..

The "Zenith" does not beat faster in a Rolex.. It has been modified to their own standards, and they have slowed it down to the typical 28,800 BPH as other movements..

Rolex began using this movement because they did not make a Chronograph and Zenith was the first to make one that was self-wind in 1969 (perpetual). Before that, all Rolex Daytonas were manual wind, and they chose the Zenith as a base for their new Perpetual Daytona in ~1989.

They spent the next 10 years developing their own Chronograph movement using traditional design ideas with modern technology and materials... Because of this, the Rolex in-house is, in fact, a "better" movement. Every measurable test says so...

But, there are still many who "prefer" the older Zenith based 4030 movement to the newer Rolex 4130.... I'm not one of them... (but I have no issues with it either)

[moviefreak]

The good thing about El Primero is that it actually beats as it should with the Daytona dial design... having 5 spaces between each second the movement needs to beat 10 times per second to have the seconds hand jump right on the 2, 4, 6, and 8 ticks.
The newer movement (Zenith Based and In-House) beat 8 times per second....not according with the little markers.
Not that I am counting or anything..

[gelshocker]

Originally Posted by moviefreak

The good thing about El Primero is that it actually beats as it should with the Daytona dial design... having 5 spaces between each second the movement needs to beat 10 times per second to have the seconds hand jump right on the 2, 4, 6, and 8 ticks.
The newer movement (Zenith Based and In-House) beat 8 times per second....not according with the little markers.
Not that I am counting or anything..

This gets under my skin every time

But this is more a dial design issue, the dial is wrong with both movements. In terms of movement therefore I would choose the new one.

However as an overall package, the old dial is more sporty (the new one is more crisp and clean though). And I prefer stamped clasps!

Cheers,

[LouS]

Informative thread. Yazo, thanks for posting that article.

Picture break! Here's the Zenith El Primero in its "natural habitat":

[bewithabob]

I am there Larry. I voted my preference by purchasing and keeping in my collection not one but two Daytonas with the new Rolex movement

[Yazo]

Zenith

[DWdrummer]

I would prefer a Rolex movement, only because its a Rolex movement. I have no idea which is better. I would venture to say neither since they used a variant of the Zenith movement for so many years anyway.

Is there a big price difference between Daytona models with a Zenith movement versus the Rolex in house movement?

Im curious.

[Art 1]

The 4130 is the better movement. The 4030 in the SS model is more preferred.

[Yazo]

This is copied and pasted from another post on TRF:

[nauticajoe]

Good read!

[WatchnRoll]

Originally Posted by nauticajoe

Good read!

Any chance you can edit your post so it doesnt repeat that whole long article again?

[HL65]

New watch-new movement!

[WatchnRoll]

My reasoning favoring the Zenith is based on the layout of the dials...I like the way the dials are centered on the 3 and 9. The dial seems more balanced to me that way.

It's not about the movt per say...just the way it looks to me. I also liked the way the subdials looked compared to the silvery dials...

Plus I used to own a TT black dial Zenith Daytona. It was once my grail and I owned it...grew tired of no date and got rid of it...man I wish I still had it...

[mpkRolex]

Originally Posted by nauticajoe

Guys, I'm sure this has been brought up before. Curious to know what is the preferred movement - the discontinued Zenith or the in-house?

Nothing fancy about the zenith movement except it was 36k bph and modified to 28800 bph by Rolex. The only reason it is desirable is because the combination of zenith movement in a rolex case is now "vintage". I would say that the inhouse 4130 is very efficient with far less parts and very accurate compared to other chronographs.

[Casey VP-26]

My only concern about the new 4130 in house movement comes from the Rolex Article in WatchTime magazine Feburary 2001 Quote: The job of advancing the timer-hand is delegated to an elastic ring, which has been affixed to the spindle of the clutch wheel. Unquote, (elastic ring). Is elastic ring another word for Rubber Band in 10K or better watch? When I telephoned Rolex years ago when this article first appeares there answer was that sentence could be taken out of context. Just wondering.

[LnL]

LOL, so we have a Valjoux, Zenith, and rubberband movements to choose from!

[Tools]

Elastic is an adjective and is a synonym for springy or flexible (retains it's shape after deformation); it is not a noun and is not interchangeable with "rubber"....

[Casey VP-26]

The Random House Dictionary, College Edition. elastic 1. capable of returning to its original length,shape,etc. 2 3 4 5 Does not apply 6. webbing, or material in the form of a band, made elastic with strips of RUBBER.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Casey VP-26

The Random House Dictionary, College Edition. elastic 1. capable of returning to its original length,shape,etc. 2 3 4 5 Does not apply 6. webbing, or material in the form of a band, made elastic with strips of RUBBER.

Well elastic what ever its made from you can bet that Rolex done there homework on the longetivity of the part.Its there first ever Chronograph movement and sure they would not want egg on there face if said part to fail.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Casey VP-26

The Random House Dictionary, College Edition. elastic 1. capable of returning to its original length,shape,etc. 2 3 4 5 Does not apply 6. webbing, or material in the form of a band, made elastic with strips of RUBBER.

Yes.. as said.. elastic is an adjective used in the physics of materials and not a noun interchangeable with rubber..

Rubber is elastic (it holds it's shape)...something that is elastic is not always rubber..(the clickspring on a bezel is elastic as is the metal spring that holds the clasp shut in new models.)

All metals have what is referred to as "Modulus of elasticity", and so an "elastic band" can be as much metal as it could be rubber..

"elasticity"
In physics, the ability of a solid to recover its shape once deforming forces are removed. An elastic material obeys Hooke's law, which states that its deformation is proportional to the applied stress up to a certain point, called the elastic limit; beyond this point additional stresses will deform it permanently. Elastic materials include metals and rubber; however, all materials have some degree of elasticity.

[Casey VP-26]

padi56: I agree : I am only trying to share what I have read. Thanks Guys

[SubKing]

i personally love the new. i would rather have a 72 hour power reserve then zeniths 54 hour.... the construction on the new rolex inhouse daytona movement clearly looks more solid as well.. i also like the point that they brought up in that very well documented artical that Yazo so kindley posted, that rolex had improved the friction by modding the clutch so the stop function did not cause a jolt in the seconds hand when started.. it is more smoother which means it is more accurate.

[landroverking]

For me it is the Zenith only becase I like the tri-compax layout better. This is the same as the vintage Daytona's. That said I look forward to buying the Daytona with the 4130 as I believe it to be the best chronograph movement ever built.

[LnL]

LOL at trying to justify ANY of this! The Valjoux Daytonas were beyond a doubt MUCH more problematic than either the Zenith or the rubberband... err Rolex movements - but guess which sells for the most?

As for debating accuracy of the stopwatch, I can pick up dozen different models at WalMart for under $50 that will best either of them.

This whole subject is absurd. I mean, explain HOW something in solid stainless is worth more than something that has REAL gold??? LOL, Imagine presenting your wife with a SS wedding ring, and convincing HER that it is "more valuable"!

All 3 versions of Daytonas are aesthetically VERY pretty, though. The complex inner workings make them even prettier. If you have ANY of them, enjoy it.

FWIW, though, "rubberband Rolex" IS a catchy nick-name :-)

Lee