Daytona Alternatives That Are Worthy Of Their Own Crown

The Rolex Daytona isn't the only chronograph ready for your wrist.͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌   [STORIES]( [SHOP]( [SELL OR TRADE]( [LIMITED EDITIONS]( [Pre-Owned Picks]( [Pre-Owned Picks: Daytona Alternatives That Are Worthy Of Their Own Crown]( [During last call in the corner of a pub, seasoned watch dealers will talk in hushed tones about the old days of the Rolex Daytona. They sound like something between an old athlete relieving the glory years and a battle-tested soldier honoring the friends he lost along the way. They will chat about a time when dealers didn't really want the Daytona, it was something that took up room inside the case collecting dust. Some models were given away as a thank-you to loyal customers, and all could be bought at a steep discount.]( [Those days are long gone, replaced by waiting lists that last several years or the aftermarket where watches sell at multiple times the retail price. If you do go this route we recommend you buy from a trusted seller - wink, wink.]( [BY MARK HACKMAN]( [READ THE SHOP JOURNAL]( FEATURED ON THIS WEEK'S PRE-OWNED PICKS [Image of Zenith Chronomaster Original]( [Zenith Chronomaster Original]( With the intertwined history of these two watchmakers, Zenith will always be among the first names to be used as an alternative to the Daytona. The Chronomaster Original is for those who prefer the vintage Daytona and its smaller sub 40mm sizing. At 38mm this is a lot of watch in a smaller package. Inside is the same El Primero movement that Rolex used to help breathe new life into their own chronograph, but beating at a higher rate than was used in the Daytona, to allow for more accuracy and timing to within the nearest 10th of a second. [OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Co-Axial Master Chronometer]( A legendary chronograph that you can buy today without a waitlist. The Omega Speedmaster beat the NASA tests to earn its way on the wrists of astronauts as they went to the Moon, the Daytona did not. Since then, Omega has made only small tweaks to a watch that was practically perfect to begin with. This latest version comes with the METAS-certified Co-Axial Caliber 3861 as well as the best bracelet to ever adorn a Speedmaster. The Hesalite crystal is true to the original 1960s watches and is preferred by the purists. [Image of OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Co-Axial Master Chronometer]( [Image of TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Steve McQueen]( [TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Steve McQueen]( The TAG Heuer Monaco is not often thought of as an alternative to the Rolex Daytona. They are both chronographs, but they do not share a shape, or bezel, or even the same number of registers. What they do have in common is a shared history at the track. The Daytona was on the wrist of Paul Newman and is given as an award for the winner of major races at the Daytona International Speedway. The Monaco was worn by Steve McQueen and is today part of Formula 1 and on the wrist of Max Verstappen. [Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph]( JLC has made over 1,000 movements, but not many of them were chronographs. In fact the Caliber 751 inside this Polaris is the first automatic chronograph movement JLC produced, and it was launched in 2004. The Polaris line represents the sports watch offerings from JLC, and with this model, you get a 65-hour power reserve vertical clutch movement from THE movement maker. [Image of Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph]( [Image of Tudor Heritage Black Bay Panda Chrono]( [Tudor Heritage Black Bay Panda Chrono]( The baby brother of Rolex has its own chronograph. Tudor spent much of its existence making watches from the spare parts bin out back of the Rolex factory, but that has certainly changed in the past decade. Borrowing the B01 movement from Breitling, the Heritage Black Bay Chrono has Tudor stepping up to offer an alternative to the crown jewel of The Crown. A classic Panda dial, with one less register than the Daytona makes for a cleaner dial that is easier to read. 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