The Finest Rolex Daytona Alternate options — Luxe Digital

You need the Daytona in your wrist: the panda dial, the tachymeter, the brilliant metal. You simply don’t wish to pay $16,900 for it.

You don’t need to.

The very best Rolex Daytona alternate options are watches just like the Daytona, with three counters, a tachymeter, and vivid metal, made effectively sufficient to put on daily.

The LIV GX1 Swiss Silver Panda will get the panda dial for $700. The Bulova Lunar Pilot provides a moon story for $895, and the Tudor Black Bay Chrono, from Rolex’s sister model, prices $6,875.

Scroll right down to see the perfect Rolex Daytona alternate options, hand-picked by our senior watch editors.

BEST VALUE

LIV GX1 Swiss Silver Panda

A silver panda dial and a Swiss quartz chronograph in a metal case rated to 200 meters.

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A MOON STORY UNDER $1,000

Bulova Lunar Pilot

Three counters and a tachymeter on a silver-tone dial, with a sapphire crystal.

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CLOSEST LUXURY RIVAL

Tudor Black Bay Chrono

A 41mm metal chronograph from Rolex’s sister model, with a tachymeter bezel.

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What makes a Daytona a Daytona?

Rolex constructed the Daytona for racing drivers in 1963, and every member of the group that wins the Rolex 24 at Daytona nonetheless receives one. Paul Newman wore his whereas he raced, and his personal reference 6239 bought at Phillips in 2017 for $17,752,500.

Image the metal one with the white dial. Three black counters sit on a white dial, the look collectors name a panda. Round it, a black ceramic bezel carries a tachymeter scale for timing laps, on a 40mm metal case rated to 100 meters. Inside, Rolex’s self-winding caliber 4131 runs for about 72 hours.

These are the 4 signatures to search for in a Daytona various. If lugs and case profiles are new to you, our information to watch case shapes covers them. Rolex’s personal story is on our Rolex model web page, and our listing of luxurious watch manufacturers has the homes behind the picks under.

The very best Rolex Daytona alternate options

These twelve chronographs run from $600 to $14,700, beginning with the 2 that provide the most Daytona for the cash.

1. LIV GX1 Swiss Silver Panda: The panda look and a Swiss motion for $700

The LIV GX1 Swiss Silver Panda earns its title the best way the Daytona’s panda dial did: a silver dial with three black registers, in a vivid 316L metal case. LIV builds that dial in 4 layers round a ribbed heart, recesses the registers into it, and runs an orange chronograph hand throughout the highest, so it has actual depth when it catches the sunshine.

Inside, a Swiss 5040.D quartz chronograph instances to a tenth of a second, and the case, with its knurled bezel, screw-down crown, and sapphire crystal, is rated to 200 meters, twice the Daytona’s depth. Our hands-on LIV overview has the main points. At 45mm, it wears bigger than the Daytona’s 40mm, so it fits a much bigger wrist.

Finest for: The Daytona fan who needs the panda dial with a Swiss motion for beneath $1,000.

Worth towards the Daytona: $700 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: LIV GX1 Swiss Silver Panda: The panda look and a Swiss motion for $700 at LIV Swiss Watchesat LIV Swiss Watches · Trusted by consumers

2. Bulova Lunar Pilot: A moonwatch story for beneath $1,000

Bulova has a moon story of its personal. The model says considered one of its chronographs was worn on the Moon throughout Apollo 15 in 1971, and the Bulova Lunar Pilot brings that story to your wrist in a 43.5mm metal case with a sapphire crystal.

The 98K112 units three blue counters on a silver-tone dial, with a tachymeter scale across the edge, so it reads as a racing chronograph at a look. The high-precision quartz motion by no means wants winding.

Finest for: The house fan who needs a moonwatch story on a Daytona-style dial.

Worth towards the Daytona: $895 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Bulova Lunar Pilot: A moonwatch story for beneath $1,000 at Bulovaat Bulova · Nice offers daily

3. Tudor Black Bay Chrono: The closest luxurious rival, from Rolex’s sister model

If you need the Daytona look with somewhat Rolex within the household tree, that is the one. Tudor is Rolex’s sister model, and the Tudor Black Bay Chrono wears the resemblance proudly: an opaline dial with black counters, a black tachymeter bezel, and a 41mm metal case.

The self-winding chronometer runs for about 70 hours, near the Daytona’s 72, and the case goes to 200 meters, twice as deep.

Finest for: The Rolex admirer who needs the household title on a chronograph with a tachymeter bezel.

Worth towards the Daytona: $6,875 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Tudor Black Bay Chrono: The closest luxurious rival, from Rolex’s sister model at Jomashopat Jomashop · Aggressive costs

4. Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Skilled: The rival that went to the Moon

Each watch lover has a favourite story, and the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Skilled brings the one which left the planet. NASA chosen it in March 1965, Buzz Aldrin wore his on the Moon in July 1969, and Omega says the Speedmaster was a part of all six moon landings.

It carries a tachymeter bezel with the “dot over 90,” and a Grasp Chronometer motion inside. Caliber 3861 is wound by hand, so plan on giving the crown a number of turns each couple of days.

Finest for: Historical past buffs who would quite put on the watch from the Moon landings than the one from the racetrack.

Worth towards the Daytona: $7,800 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Skilled: The rival that went to the Moon at Jomashopat Jomashop · Quick, dependable supply

5. Zenith Chronomaster Sport: The engine contained in the 1988 Daytona

The Daytona’s personal historical past runs by means of this one. When Rolex relaunched the Daytona as reference 16520 in 1988, it used a modified Zenith El Primero. The Zenith Chronomaster Sport runs as we speak’s El Primero 3600, so that you’re sporting a cousin of the Daytona’s outdated engine.

It appears to be like the half, too, with a white dial and three counters, and it provides a celebration trick of its personal: a chronograph that instances to a tenth of a second.

Finest for: Rolex followers who care concerning the Daytona’s personal story as a lot as its appears to be like.

Worth towards the Daytona: $12,300 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Zenith Chronomaster Sport: The engine contained in the 1988 Daytona at Jomashopat Jomashop · Safe checkout

6. TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox: A racing chronograph that runs 80 hours

The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox is a racing-style chronograph lower somewhat nearer to the wrist. At 39mm, it’s a millimeter smaller than the Daytona, with a silver dial and the tachymeter scale working round its edge.

Its TH20-00 computerized runs for 80 hours, eight greater than the Daytona, so you’ll be able to take it off on Friday evening and it’ll nonetheless be ticking on Monday morning.

Finest for: The racing fan with a smaller wrist who needs a chronograph that retains working all weekend.

Worth towards the Daytona: $7,450 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox: A racing chronograph that runs 80 hours at Jomashopat Jomashop · Trusted luxurious retailer

7. Breitling Prime Time B01: A black dial and a mesh bracelet with swagger

The Breitling Prime Time B01 takes the Daytona’s recipe and makes it its personal: a black dial with contrasting counters, a 41mm metal case rated to 100 meters, and a metal mesh bracelet that offers the entire thing somewhat swagger.

Inside, Breitling’s Caliber 01 computerized runs for 70 hours.

Finest for: The assured dresser who needs a Daytona-style dial with a glance all its personal.

Worth towards the Daytona: $8,050 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Breitling Prime Time B01: A black dial and a mesh bracelet with swagger at Jomashopat Jomashop · Store with confidence

8. Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001: The connoisseur’s chronograph

That is the one your watch mates will ask about. The Grand Seiko Tentagraph is what Grand Seiko calls its first mechanical chronograph, and it shares two particulars with the Daytona: a ceramic tachymeter bezel and about 72 hours of energy reserve.

The case is high-intensity titanium, 43.2mm throughout and 15.3mm thick, so attempt it on first in case your wrist is on the slim facet.

Finest for: Collectors who already personal the apparent Swiss names and wish one thing their mates must lookup.

Worth towards the Daytona: $14,700 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001: The connoisseur’s chronograph at Jomashopat Jomashop · Straightforward, safe ordering

9. Longines Spirit Flyback: Aviation roots and a five-year assure

For practically a century, Longines has gone together with explorers by air, sea, and land, and its Spirit chronographs borrow their particulars from aviators’ watches. The Longines Spirit Flyback is the sporty one: a sunray black dial, a ceramic bezel just like the Daytona’s, a screw-in crown, and a flyback chronograph in a 42mm metal case.

The motion is licensed as a chronometer by COSC and has a silicon balance-spring, which Longines says shrugs off regular temperature modifications and magnetic fields. That’s why Longines ensures the look ahead to 5 years. It runs for as much as 68 hours, and at 17mm it sits tall, so depart somewhat room beneath a shirt cuff.

Finest for: Frequent flyers who like a chronograph with aviation roots and a five-year assure.

Worth towards the Daytona: $5,200 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Longines Spirit Flyback: Aviation roots and a five-year assure at Jomashopat Jomashop · Huge choice of kinds

10. Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono: The panda for beneath $3,000

If the white panda dial is what made you fall for the Daytona, begin right here. The Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono is a contemporary tackle a 1968 design, with a white dial, black counters, and a tachymeter, in a 40mm metal case, precisely the Daytona’s measurement.

It comes on a leather-based strap, and the H-31 computerized inside runs for 60 hours.

Finest for: First-time chronograph patrons who need the Daytona’s 40mm measurement and panda look.

Worth towards the Daytona: $2,595 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono: The panda for beneath $3,000 at Jomashopat Jomashop · Trusted by consumers

11. Tissot PRX Computerized Chronograph: A Swiss computerized chronograph for $2,150

The PRX wears its Seventies roots overtly. The Tissot PRX Computerized Chronograph is available in a Tissot case form from 1978, with a metal case that flows into an built-in bracelet and the basic 3, 6, and 9 chronograph format, right here as white counters on a blue dial.

Tissot calls the look laid-back Seventies sports activities watch model, and the main points again it up: 12-hour, 30-minute, and 60-second counters, a central chronograph seconds hand, and a date. Flip it over and a see-through caseback exhibits the Valjoux A05.H31 computerized at work.

Finest for: Followers of Seventies design who need a Swiss computerized chronograph on a bracelet.

Worth towards the Daytona: $2,150 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Tissot PRX Computerized Chronograph: A Swiss computerized chronograph for $2,150 at Amazonat Amazon · Straightforward returns on most objects

12. Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SRQ047: A panda mechanical chronograph with a 1969 pedigree

The Speedtimer title has a primary to its credit score. In 1969, Seiko launched the Speedtimer with Caliber 6139, which Seiko calls the world’s first computerized chronograph with a column wheel and vertical clutch. The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer carries that title as we speak with the Daytona’s personal panda look: a cream dial with three black counters, beneath a dual-curved sapphire crystal, in a 42mm metal case with Seiko’s 8R48 computerized chronograph inside.

It runs for about 45 hours, so if it spends the weekend in a drawer, set it once more on Monday.

Finest for: Motion lovers who need a mechanical chronograph with a well-known first in its household tree.

Worth towards the Daytona: $2,500 versus $16,900.

Examine worth: Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SRQ047: A panda mechanical chronograph with a 1969 pedigree at Jomashopat Jomashop · Nice offers daily

Daytona-style chronographs beneath $500

Beneath $500, three quartz chronographs carry the look, every with its personal title on the dial.

Begin with the Invicta Speedway 9212. It borrows the Daytona’s 40mm measurement and white dial, in a two-tone metal case rated to 200 meters, for $495. Our decide of the three is the Seiko SSB477, a 38.7mm metal chronograph with a set tachymeter bezel and a blue dial, for $450. And the Timex Waterbury Conventional Chronograph is the simple sure at $199: 42mm metal on a leather-based strap, rated to 100 meters.

Rolex Daytona alternate options in contrast

Homage, dupe, or reproduction: which one are you shopping for?

Store for a Daytona-style watch and also you’ll meet three phrases. An various is its personal watch doing the Daytona’s job, just like the Tudor, the Omega, and the Zenith above. A homage or dupe borrows the Daytona’s format and places its personal title on the dial, just like the Invicta Speedway. A reproduction carries a faux Rolex crown. It’s a counterfeit, so that you received’t discover one on our lists.

Nonetheless deciding between quartz and computerized? Our watch shopping for information explains what each means for you.

Or put on a pre-owned Daytona this week

In case your coronary heart is ready on the true factor, a pre-owned Daytona permits you to put on one now. A 126500LN trades round $31,000 with a black dial and $37,500 with a white one, and you’ll browse pre-owned Rolex watches to see what’s obtainable.

Curious how far the highest of the market goes? Our rating of the costliest watches has the reply.