All posts in February 2016

The first Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona replica — a wristreplica in a steel case with a manual-wind chronograph movement, named after the famous racetrack — was released in 1963 and has been produced in various versions ever since. (Newman regularly and famously wore a Daytona when he took up auto racing in the 1970s; a few very rare models have what collectors now refer to as the “Paul Newman dial,” with block indices and crosshairs on the subdials.) This model, however, is the very first Daytona with a platinum case. The color scheme — a dial in what Rolex calls “ice blue” and a bezel in what it terms “chestnut brown,” is also unprecedented in the collection. The swiss replica, which Rolex’s press materials refer to as a “prestigious edition” is priced at around $75,000, much higher than most Daytona models. Rolex admits that the new timepiece is not attainable for every Daytona fan out there, but that the intent with the anniversary piece had always been to create something special and exclusive. The Daytona’s familiar tachymeter bezel, a key element in its identity as a replica for auto racing, is made of Rolex’s proprietary Cerachrom material, an extra-hard, corrosion resistant ceramic, with the engraved numerals and graduations coated with a thin layer of platinum via a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process. The wearer can use the tachymeter scale, in conjunction with the chronograph, to measure average speeds of up to 400 miles (or kilometers) per hour.

Rolex Daytona Replica case measures 40 mm in diameter and claims a water-resistance of 100 meters (330 feet). Made in Rolex’s distinctive Oyster style, the case is machined from a solid block of 950 platinum and has a polished finish. The fluted caseback is hermetically screwed down with a special tool exclusive to Rolex replicamakers. The winding crown, fitted with Rolex’s patented Triplock water-resistance system, screws down securely against the case and is protected by a crown guard integrated into the case middle. The chronograph pushers also screw down securely. The crystal is made of scratch-resistant sapphire. The outer scales on the chronograph subdials are made of chestnut brown lacquer, which matches the bezel and contrasts strikingly with the ice-blue dial, and have 18k white gold borders. White gold is also used for the applied hour markers and hands, which are coated in Chromalight, a luminescent substance emitting a blue glow that Rolex claims lasts longer than eight hours.

The movement that powers this special edition of the Cosmograph Daytona is Rolex’s manufacture Caliber 4130, a self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement that is also a COSC-certified chronometer. The movement has a vertical clutch, a bidirectional rotor on a ball bearing, and an oscillator with a hairspring made of blue Parachrom, another Rolex-exclusive, patented material that is uncommonly resistant to magnetic fields. Hairsprings made of Parachrom, an alloy of niobium, zirconium, and oxygen, are said to remain stable through temperature variations and be much less susceptible to shocks, remaining, according to Rolex, 10 times more precise in case of shocks than a traditional hairspring. The replica is available, at this point, only on a solid-link Oyster bracelet made of 950 platinum — which is certainly another factor in the high price. The bracelet includes Rolex’s Oysterlock safety clasp, which prevents accidental opening, and the patented Easylink quick-extension system that allows the wearer to easily increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm without the use of a tool.

Parmigiani Fleurier Replica remains one of the replica watch industry’s top producers of movements and parts, as well as being a replica watchmaker. Their replica watch brand, Parmigiani, remains a distinctive and often evolving, integral element of the company which began as a romantic notion of the wealthy Sandoz family and Mr. Michel Parmigiani. Soon to celebrate their 20th anniversary, we can expect a lot of interesting and unique changes from the brand in 2017 and beyond. For now, let’s take a look at the Parmigiani Tonda Quator replica watch, which is the brand’s take on a comfortable daily-wear annual calendar.

The larger Tonda collection has proven quite successful for Parmigiani. It was a good attempt at taking their intentionally avant-garde design theme and making a comfortable, round replica watch. The most distinctive “Parmigiani” element is the curved “teardrop-style” lug design, which looks best when seen from the side of the case.

Parmigiani has produced the Tonda case for men in a number of sizes such as 39mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm wide, and there perhaps may be even more variety. The Parmigiani Tonda Quator is 40mm wide and 11.2mm thick, but has an odd visual mass thanks to the Hermes alligator strap which is a sizable 25mm where it connects to the case and tapers down to 22mm wide. Proportionally, this is a much wider strap than you’d normally see on a 40mm-wide replica watch. This make the timepiece appear a bit more odd when off the wrist, but the wider strap actually helps the replica watch have more visual mass when on the wrist, in my opinion.

For a dress replica watch, the 40mm-wide size isn’t bad, even if my taste preferences are for something a bit larger. Parmigiani does produce a similar replica watch to the Parmigiani Tonda Quator Replica in a 42mm wide case, but it’s hard to recommend from a value perspective. I am speaking of the Parmigiani Tonda Centum, which is a cousin to the Quator collection. The Tonda Centum is 42mm wide, contains the in-house made caliber PF333 automatic movement, and has a perpetual calendar. The Parmigiani Tonda Quator is 40mm wide, contains the in-house caliber PF339, and has an annual calendar. From a functional perspective, that means you need to adjust the calendar once in a while versus not really having to adjust the perpetual calendar, assuming the replica watch continues to run.