New Year, a New Watch.

What a weird and challenging year 2020 has been. By far it was the most unusual and unsettling year thus far in my life. New Years rolled around, and it was such a strange moment. While the year had passed, the challenges had not. Despite this, I woke up one day, and decided to buy a new watch.

I couldn’t really explain it. It was almost a consolation prize for myself for making it through an immensely difficult year. It would serve as a reminder to myself of these strange times, where I and many others overcame the challenges presented to us, and kept on growing.

I started browsing Chrono24, Reddit, and my local Grand Seiko Boutique for something that might fit this bill. Almost like magic, my local Rolex AD gave me a call just a few days later. He offered me (what a swell guy) a Rolex Daytona 116500LN. “Are you interested?”, he said. Little did he know, I was already starting up the car to head over.

This watch has always been a grail piece. In a sea of Rolex Submariner’s, one doesn’t often see a Daytona, let alone a Ceramic Daytona. I walked in, and there it was. Brand new in the box, just waiting for me.

Even more special to me is that this watch was manufactured in 2020, the very year I am trying to bond it with. A weird time where Rolex production factories were being shut down or staffed minimally.

Resized it, took it home, and laughed like a school kid about this incredible watch that was now my own. What was the first thing I did with it? Well I lit up the loom, and used the chronograph function to time the cooking of a frozen pizza of course.

Something that’s important to know about me… I fully believe in wearing my watches, no matter what level of prestige they hold… So sticking with this ethos… I present to you my 116500LN Daytona, in all it’s dusty and smudged glory.

It really is a beautiful watch. The ceramic bezel is the first thing I notice when I look at it, it just POPS. The dial is actually very well proportioned, and a lot more legible (to me) than I had heard through talk on the internet. As per modern Rolex fashion, the build quality is absolutely on the money. The chronograph pusher guards screw with such precision and smoothness.

I am a huge fan of the 5 digit Rolex references, but the bracelet and clasp design and quality on these 6 digit models is impossible to ignore. This particular bracelet has polished center links, which I personally not love as from past experience, they are scratch magnets. However, they suit the watch well aesthetically. The links are buttery smooth, and heavy. Not in a bad way, but in a way that makes you think “well this was expensive”.

The clasp is a work of art. The machining on the Rolex Insignia on the clasp lock is razor sharp. The clasp itself is a work of simple yet beautiful engineering magic. It is obviously extremely secure, and there is no way that this watch is ever coming off my wrist accidentally (to be fair, I don’t worry about that on my 5 digits either). The easy link tool-less microadjustment on the fly is a very welcome addition that I love on the 6 digit sports models.

I figured while we are at it, we may as well do a comparison to the Daytona’s natural rival of days past. I don’t really consider them competition and see them in entirely different markets now a days, but these time keepers were at one point fierce rivals.

The Omega Speedmaster. Mine pictured here is actually the first watch I ever purchased. It has seen nearly half a decade of use with myself, and close to a decade from the previous owner, and it has never been polished. This watch has been well loved, and well worn.

Technically, there are many differences here. The Rolex bracelet uses a 3 link design, with two brushed and one polished link. The omega has a similar lug style, but uses a 5 link bracelet with polished center accent lugs. You can hardly tell do to the years of personality on the old girl.

Rolex uses a screw down guard for their chronograph pushers, while Omega leaves them bare. The Rolex also has very aggressive crown guards around it’s screw down crown, which uses Rolex’s TripLock system. Omega has a much simpler guard design, and the crown does not have any screw down functionality.

Both watches use a sapphire crystal, as this Speedmaster reference is the “Sapphire Sandwhich” (ref. 311.30.42.30.01.005). However, Omega coats the underside of the watch crystal in an anti-reflective coating, something which is very welcome with me. I find it makes the details on the dial pop.

The Rolex uses a fixed ceramic bezel, with platinum dust as it’s coloring for the text on said bezel. Omega opts for a much more simple solution, a printed aluminum bezel insert within a stainless steel fixed bezel. Both bezels feature a cool looking tachymeter scale, which only superintelligent aliens actually use on a daily basis. They do look cool though, and add a lot of presence to the bezel area and make them look busy and interesting.

The Speedmaster movement is the Omega Caliber 1861. A handwound chronograph movement which beats at 21,600vph with a power reserve of 48 hours. Omega rates it’s accuracy at -1/+11 seconds per day.

The Rolex movement is the Rolex Caliber 4130. The movement has automatic winding, and does so with some fancy ceramic ball bearing tech on the rotor. It’s got lots of fancy anti-magnetic and anti-shock tech in it, including an anti-magnetic Parachrom Blue hairspring, and Rolex’s ParaFlex shock absorbers. The movement beats at 28,800vph, and has a power reserve of 72 hours. The Rolex movement is of course COSC Certified (Officially! :-P) and is rated to +2/-2 seconds per day.

Aesthetically, the Omega is clearly a function over form design. It was clearly designed to serve a purpose, like any other well engineered tool. The matte black dial and contrasting hand set are extremely legible, at any angle and in basically any light. The Speedmaster’s true second hand is in the top left subdial.

The Daytona is very flashy in every sense of the word. A gloss black dial, with bright contrasting subdial borders, white gold surrounds and hands, and that beautiful enamel “DAYTONA” text in bright red. The rehaut is engraved with “ROLEXROLEXROLEX” as with all 6 digit sports models. It really results in a dial and overall package which just feels much more busy. The polished white gold hands definitely have less than perfect legibility in certain lights, and it takes some getting used to.

While the Rolex movement is clearly superior in every shape and form, you can’t ignore the beautiful sapphire display caseback that gives this Speedmaster it’s “Sapphire Sandwhich” nickname. Wow. Easily the best display back to be found at the price point used Speedies trade hands for, in my opinion.

We can’t leave here without a lume shot of course. The Daytona uses Rolex’s proprietary luminous paint, whereas the Speedmaster uses standard SuperLuminova. Both have their own charm.

Thank you for sharing the experience of these two watches with me. Now distant rivals, it is fun to examine what both pieces bring to the table. My summary thoughts are as stated… The Daytona is for all intents and purposes, a better watch. And it should be, at 3 times the price, 6 times the price if you are talking grey market prices. It has a superior movement, an immensely better bracelet and clasp design, and has all the prominence and prestige that comes with the 5 pointed on the dial. The proportions are absolutely perfect on my wrist, as it does have a slightly smaller case size to the Speedmaster.

The Speedy on the other hand has so much charm and personality. It has been with me everywhere, as it had been with it’s previous owner. It has weather many a storm, and has the scars to show it. It is extremely legible, and always ready to do it’s job without having screw down pusher guards in the way. Technically speaking, it is more than adequate. I love wearing it with all the heritage that comes with it, and the display caseback is always a way to get a non-watch enthusiast thoroughly enthused. I won’t ever sell my Speedy and it will see many more adventures and critical frozen pizza mission timing.