Top 5 Watches Similar to Rolex Daytona

If you haven’t heard of Dan Henry, then you are in for a treat. Dan Henry is named after it’s founder,  who initially pursued his passion of watches with creating a watch blog.

He then went on to create his own brand in 2016, and has shown his keen understanding of the intricate detail of watch design and merged it into his watch models. The range of watches available are incredibly designed with a vintage authentic feel, at a very affordable price.

The Dan Henry racing range is probably they’re most staggering, especially the 1962 Racing Chronograph, which adopts the outer edge design of an Omega Speedmaster paired with the panda tricomplex dial of the iconic “Paul Newman” Daytona.

One of the notable trademarks of the Dan Henry watches, are their embossed caseback design, of which the 1962 chronograph pays homage to the classical Aston Martin DB5 automobile.

The immense detail alone that has gone into this watch is outstanding, it may not be the most recognisable brand, like omega or Rolex, but if you are not just looking for a watch for its status but for its intricate detail and homage to the motorsport industry, then the 1962 Racing chronograph may just be the watch for you.

When looking for an alternative watch to the Rolex Daytona what better than the Tudor Black Bay chrono, which is the sister company of Rolex. The Tudor black bay chronograph was the talk of the night when it made it’s debut appearance in Basel world 2017, presenting it as the very first Tudor chronograph to use a modified version of the Breitling B01 chronograph movement, Calibre MT5813.

This movement was praised highly for it’s technical functionality throughout the watchmaking industry when it was first released by Breitling in 2009.

The watches overall appearance is impressively attractive, well weighted, sculpted with high quality bezels, and paired with their traditional rose logo engraved on the screw-locking crown.

Like the Daytona, the Black Bay Chrono also has a tachymeter running along the outer edge of the watch, making it more than capable on the race track. Although the chrono doesn’t possess a tricomplex dial like the Daytona, its Bicomplax almost offers a refreshing simplicity to the dial face, that paired with its design and in-house movement.

Although Tag Heuer has, in recent years, started to struggle with how they position themselves in the watch market, its hard to forget the watches they have produced.  They are perhaps best known for their Tag Heuer Monaco, which was personally chosen and worn by Steve Mcqueen when he started in the famous racing film “Le Mans”, which put their Monaco watch into the history book as one of the most iconic watches to have ever been produced.

Tag Heuer still continue to produce watches that are made to perfection in their movement and design high-quality designs. One of which is their Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph, released earlier this year, in 2020.

The watch appearance has a close resemblance to the Daytona, but is finished with a more sporty structure. This timepiece which pays homage to the 1960’s era of racing is powered by their very own in-house 02 calibre movement, finished with a stainless steel case which is surrounded by an agile dark tachymeter. 

The Carrera Chronograph brings a modern touch to the once vintage look and comes at half the price you would pay for the Rolex Daytona.

Omega, just like Rolex is seen to be a highly valuable brand in the Swiss luxury watch market and is well known for their grown breaking technology and their unique, attractive design in the watch environment. Thus, making Omega a great alternative when looking for a different brand than the Rolex Daytona.

Probably most recognised for its Speedmaster Moonwatch worn by buzz Aldrin wore on the moon, Omega initially intended for their Speedmaster range to be for the race track. The sheer pressure and stress a watch is put under in racing conditions is so immense, that watch manufacturers, like Omega, needed to create a watch that is highly durable – Which also made it the perfect wristwatch, chosen by NASA, to be worn in space expeditions.

With the Omega Speedmaster adopting an image synonymous with space expeditions, the watch manufacturer created a different line of Speedmaster, called the ‘Omega Speedmaster Racing’. Its range was made to reinforce the racing heritage that the watch once possessed.

The main visual difference you notice instantly, from the professional Speedmaster moonwatch, is probably its second marking pointers which resemble a chequered racing line design. This is also paired with a stainless-steel casing and an outer ceramic tachymeter similar to the modern-day Rolex Daytona.

Internally the Omega is powered by it’s co-axial Master chronometer 9900, a highly precise and innovative movement.

Although the watch does not present much difference in the way of its price compared to the Rolex Daytona, the omega speedmaster is an icon in itself, and with this specifically made to represent their racing heritage makes it even more valuable.