Rolex Daytona vs Zenith El Primero | Watchfinder & Co.

The Daytona comes up a lot on this channel, and for obvious reasons: it's one of the best-known watches ever made, from perhaps the best-known watchmaker in the world. It's also the last Rolex to ever use a movement that hails from outside of the Rolex family—the calibre 4030, based on Zenith's El Primero 400. That was in the Daytona 16520, the model that gave us this new, sleek and oh-so popular shape. 1988 it came out, and it's become very collectible since Rolex discontinued the calibre 4030 in favour of the in-house 4130. Why then, should you want one when you can quite simply walk into a shop now and buy an El Primero straight from Zenith for a fraction of the price?

Featured Watches:
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 16520
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 03.2150.400/69.C713

[HarveyMushman]

The Zenith looks much more interesting to be honest.

[jacksonkk]

Rolex used to use el primero movements in the daytona because they didn't think they could make a better movement. Just something to consider

[dperreno]

As to accuracy, my Zenith Chronomaster has lost 81 seconds since I bought it in July, 2022. That is 0.4 seconds per day on average. Somehow I think that this 54 year old design is doing just fine.

[sunartolee]

Please compare daytona with new zenith chronomaster sports.

[dennissabanovic]

the classiest video ever. love the quality

[youyourself]

Zenith were pioneers! Rolex bought El Primero movements for their Daytonas back in the day. El Primero is still one of the most precise chronograph movements normal money can buy! Zenith wins every time!

[remco]

Again amazing video. I think the 4130 fits the Rolex better. Rolex is in my opinion the luxury watch brand that makes movements simpler and more efficient instead of more complicated and difficult. But i like the 4030 movement it just does not fit how Rolex Makes their movements in my opinion

[jaspermccrea]

Isn't the Seiko 6139 movement considered the first integrated automatic chronograph these days?

[sevrdaf]

Best watch reviews on youtube..keep em coming!

[mbciuso]

You forgot that seiko actually have the first auto chronograph movement

[rhlmacwan]

Sorry but zenith el primero was the first mechanical watch which I saw and fell in love with and it's the only reason why my passion for mechanical watch increased 10 times

[matthewgooch]

I bought a Zenith El Primero De Luca nearly 21 years ago, have worn it almost every day since and love everything about it. The feel of the action of the start/stop pusher is unbelievably mechanical and satisfying - especially compared with my Omega Speedmaster Mark 40 Cosmos and a 7750 Bulova I have. The designs in Rainbow Flyback form are incredible, but not all El Primero examples work for me. However, the Daytona just doesn't do it for me at all (unless it's the Paul Newman variant, but who can afford one of those !)

Zenith score on history, style and class. And for being still probably the best automatic chronograph you can buy regardless of price.

And it's not a Rolex - don't follow the herd, don't be a sucker for the marketing, buy something that's genuinely great, not because some marketing hype tells you it's great.

Zenith every time for me !

[rubenleitao]

i had the opportunity to try on the wrist the one zenith el primero similar to this one on the video and it is amazing. its light, is gorgeous, well made, complex and simple and it has the ability to make you feel special.

But then...

Every time i look to the daytona I feel surronded by mystery and a magical force that makes me want it and wait for the extra money to have it.

I love the existence of both but the daytona is not the one that makes me feel speacial but the one that reminds you that you are unique, and for reason i would choose the rolex.

[kylek]

In regards to the El Primero, why does the wheel shake like that?

[rickj]

The Zenith El Primero actually did beat Heuer Leonidas and Breitling to the post, by few months, back in 1969. It was Jack Heuer who managed to convince the world press at Basel, that his cal.11 in Carrera was first, purely because he had 15 watches with cal.11 on his stand .... whilst the Zenith had on their stand only one El Primero. That said, I had Carrera 1158 with cal.11 inside, that I bought in 1971. I had worn the watch daily for 4 years and then stored it for 40 years, wound it perhaps 10x during that period and when I took it out of safe, prior to selling it, it was accurate to +3 /-8 seconds in 5 positions, with the beat error between 0.2 and 0.4 ms. So Jack Heuer must have done something right.

[דןשלמה-ונ]

WatchFinder I like your way for seeing things but you are wrong completely Zenith and Rolex apply differently the same movement. Rolex wanted to simplify the movement for a simple maintenance, vertical clach for sturdiness to shocks and not for accuracy purposes like you say...Zenith version to that movement is for accuracy purposes, Zenith movement is for much more high horology and hence more complexity is needed for controling intervals in much high frequency, there is no unnecessarly screws like you said, and Zenith know about horology much more than Rolex therefor they understand what efficiency is all about
about the ridiculous history of Rolex Daytona....it all begin with Paul Newman and not with the watch himself, basically Rolex Daytona is a fashion watch with a great PR

[giwr]

Zenith! And btw it has just presented new innovative movements...

[bradleysmall]

this reminds me of an old zenith tv company joke about a person asking for a raise. as we all know there slogan is - the quality goes in b 4 the name gos on.
A person asked for a promotion and a new name plate on her door and she seemed to not be getting it so it seemed to them to her.
When asking why to her male boss he said the quality goes in b 4 the name goes on.

[ARCEON]

Wanna buy AND keep it? Go with Zenith. It’s great but soft in the used market. Otherwise, Rolex.

[jameswilliams]

Great content as always. It would be really interesting if you all might do a video on the new "entry-level"Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date 1548530. Maybe could compare to some similar watches for the value like an Omega Seamaster Aqua terra/IWC Ingenieur.