Rolex Daytona - Date

[TP321]

Do any variants show the date? Love the look of them but i need to see what day of the month it is....

[Adrian W]

No

[bobbybee]

No
But a Tudor Tiger Prince does.
Rolex Oyster Case, ETA inside afaik

[yeti]

Ah, the 'Achilles heel' of the Daytona, a lack of date function... yet no-one ever whines that the Speedmaster Pro doesn't have a date

[Fittster]

Does a Zenith with an primero movement have a date?

[Fittster]

yeti said:

Ah, the 'Achilles heel' of the Daytona, a lack of date function... yet no-one ever whines that the Speedmaster Pro doesn't have a date

Isn't the speedmaster a much cheaper watch?

[Dominic H]

Fittster said:

Does a Zenith with an primero movement have a date?

Nope..

[Fittster]

Dominic H said:

Fittster said:

Does a Zenith with an primero movement have a date?

Nope..

So is the bit of a Zenith El Primero movement that does the date actually exist inside a Rolex Daytona (I know that Rolex have stopped using a Zenith movement now)?

Edited by Fittster on Wednesday 30th October 11:32

[yeti]

Fittster said:

Isn't the speedmaster a much cheaper watch?

Yes. Not sure I see your point though?

It's not because the Daytona costs a lot that it should have the date. A date wheel isn't expensive or particularly complex; plenty of 300 quid automatics have the date.

[Fittster]

yeti said:

Fittster said:

Isn't the speedmaster a much cheaper watch?

Yes. Not sure I see your point though?

It's not because the Daytona costs a lot that it should have the date. A date wheel isn't expensive or particularly complex; plenty of 300 quid automatics have the date.

The point is pay more, should equate to getting more.

Edited by Fittster on Wednesday 30th October 11:42

[yeti]

Fittster said:

The point is pay more, should equate to getting more.

But by that rationale, if a Steinhart has the date for 300 quid, surely the Speedy is a rip off at 2800 or so?

Both Rolex and Omaga made conscious decisions not to add the date to their chronos in this example to leave an uncluttered dial. I think it was a mistake, regardless of cost.

The Vacheron Constantin Americain 1921 has no date and is over 20k. A conscious decision. A JLC Master Perpetual Calender is pretty much the same price; cost does not equal complication!

[yeti]

Fittster said:

So is the bit of a Zenith El Primero movement that does the date actually exist inside a Rolex Daytona (I know that Rolex have stopped using a Zenith movement now)?

They heavily modifed the Zenith calibre; deleted the date module, reduced the beat rate to 28.8 and changed a raft of stuff making it much more sturdy.

[westberks]

I prefer it without, saves me always looking at the wrong date, as per a lot of my other watches and prevents me having to try to remember not to change the date between 10 & 2 for fear of messing up the watch.

must have accidentally put the current one on the date it stopped last month as its right for a change!

[bobbybee]

You could always go for a pre Daytona vintage Rolex Chronograph.

[andy_s]

Fittster said:

Dominic H said:

Fittster said:

Does a Zenith with an primero movement have a date?

Nope..

So is the bit of a Zenith El Primero movement that does the date actually exist inside a Rolex Daytona (I know that Rolex have stopped using a Zenith movement now)?

Edited by Fittster on Wednesday 30th October 11:32

In the original 3019PHC El Primero 1969 movement the date was part of the movement. The 3019PHC was designated as the cal. 400 when Zenith resurrected in '86; This was the movement used in the Rolex Cosmograph in 1988, but the date function was not used and the beat rate lowered - this wasn't a full 'down-grading' though - Rolex introduced a larger balance and a Bregeut overcoil amongst other things - it retained only half the original parts.

The date on the 3019/400 was originally at 0430.

Rolex probably did this as a) they wanted to keep the original Valjoux 72 layout/appearance (they are quite conservative about change) and b) did major work to the movement anyway.

So - a Zenith with an El Primero has a date, a Zenith 400 variant powered powered Daytona does not, and the parts aren't there (date wheel and parts).

[andy_s]

The cal 321 and 861 were both without date anyway, their 'USP' was the manual winding, which Omega sought to keep as it was tried and tested - and harked back to the heritage too I suppose.

The original Daytonas were manual and without date too, Rolex upgraded by going automatic but didn't add the available date function. It's a pity as the 3019/400 is a very complete movement, but obviously Rolex had their legibility/tradition concerns.

It's more 'characteristics' than 'Achilles heel' to me anyway, if someone wants a date then they should look at watches that have them - neither the original Speed nor the Cosmograph are the right one in this case.

[yeti]

andy_s said:

It's more 'characteristics' than 'Achilles heel' to me anyway, if someone wants a date then they should look at watches that have them - neither the original Speed nor the Cosmograph are the right one in this case.

I agree - which is why I put 'Achilles heel' in inverted commas, it's discussed to death on tz. If you need a date, look elsewhere

It does make the watch an odd propostion as a daily wearer though.

[Oelholm]

yeti said:

Ah, the 'Achilles heel' of the Daytona, a lack of date function... yet no-one ever whines that the Speedmaster Pro doesn't have a date

- I have the opposite experience. A large number of people discounting the Speedmaster because of the lack of date, but haven't heard a single complaint about the Rolex. Odd.

[yeti]

Oelholm said:

- I have the opposite experience. A large number of people discounting the Speedmaster because of the lack of date, but haven't heard a single complaint about the Rolex. Odd.

Umm... how about the original poster of this thread..?

[TP321]

Need a date on my watch.....what else looks good from Rolex but not the ones with the plastic multi-coloured dial with numbers on it....so tacky looking.....