Before the 1960s, Swiss made 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 cheap 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 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 $17.2-million dollars in 2017. That made this once humble and unpopular 1:1 fake Rolex 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 perfect replica Rolex Daytonas of any era in any style or metal with any dial has gone completely berserk. Like so many steel Professional models, the high quality fake Rolex Daytona remains in demand and sells above retail on the secondhand market — a remarkable result for what was initially an unremarkable watch.
As of 2023, the Rolex Daytona super clone for sale carries a new movement, 4131, which succeeds the 4130 that debuted in 2000 when Swiss movement copy 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 exhibition caseback.
