In 2000, Rolex unveiled a new generation of the Daytona powered by its in-house movement, the Caliber 4130. Developed over five years, here’s how this movement made all the difference to Daytona’s performance over the years
The turn of the millennium was fraught with worries and anxiety… would Y2K bring down all our digital systems in one almighty crash that would trigger the end of the digital age as we know it? Would we witness the post-apocalypse world touted by scaremongers where all our infrastructure and systems would simply stop working correctly, as the world’s bios-clocks malfunctioned as they confusedly switched back to 1900…or worse! As it turns out, literally nothing went wrong as the clock struck 12 on the 1/1/00 and life went on as normal. 2000 was anything but normal for Rolex, however, as they unveiled the most important chapter in the story of their most iconic sports watch; the Cosmograph Daytona.
As I discussed previously in my piece on the Zenith-movement Daytonas, following a somewhat lack-luster period of sales in the 1970s and 80s, the Daytona had the mother of all makeovers in 1988. This design was a work of genius – keeping alive the DNA and spirit of the Daytona, but realizing it in a culturally relevant way that blew people’s minds and made them literally have to get their hands on one. In this respect, the following 12 years saw the Daytona become one of the most sought after watches on the planet.
The Rolex-adopted Zenith El-Primero movement was reworked to be almost an entirely new calibre, thanks to in excess of 200 modifications and the switching out of half of its components to produce the caliber 4030. However, this situation wasn’t perfect for Rolex. Yes, they had arguably the most desirable steel watch in the world, but still the movement was not of their own manufacture. For a brand that wanted total control and perfection, this was a situation that needed addressing. And so in 2000, at Baselworld, Rolex unveiled the new generation Daytona, the 1165XX series with its in-house movement, the caliber 4130.
Transitional Times
The first 1165XX series watches had serial numbers that began with the letter P. Some of the very last zenith powered 16520 also featured P-serials during the transition over to the new version. The most noticeable difference was the change in layout of the sub dials. Where previously the hours register was the low central sub dial, it had now switched places with the running-seconds dial. The minute totalizer stayed where it was at the right hand side at three o’clock. Rolex used hands that were very similar to the Zenith-powered watches on the early 116500 watches, which were more slender than those on subsequent watches. These early pieces have been given the nickname ‘Thin Hands’ by collectors.
If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know that Rolex collectors love the details. The ‘thin hands’ is one example. Another is the fact that the paint on some dials in the first P-serial watches reacted strangely to UV light and changed color. It’s not really an example of a dial turning tropical, as it happened quite quickly, but I have personally seen white dials from P-serial watches in various cream shades from the most common light cream, known as ‘panna’ by collectors to shades closer to seville orange.
The case of the steel 116520 had slightly longer lugs than its predecessor, the 16520, and they were polished on top instead of having a brushed finish. The lume-filled hour makers were noticeably wider too. The minutes and hours sub-registers were also raised ever so slightly to sit above the horizontal center line of the dial too. It’s one of the reasons that some collectors prefer the 4130 watches and the same reason that some prefer the earlier 4030 watches.
The classic dials in the 1165XX watches were initially produced by Singer. However, in the summer of 2000 Rolex bought the dial-maker, Beyeler and it became part of the in-house strategy that was spearheaded by Patrick Heiniger who was appointed as CEO in 1992. Heiniger began the acquisitions of key companies to strengthen the brand and improve both the quality control and vertical integration of manufacturing the watches – a process referred to by Rolex as ‘industrial consolidation’. Other companies bought by Rolex in this drive were Gay Freres (1998), the master bracelet maker responsible for the original ‘beads-of-rice’ steel bracelets and the original AP Royal Oak bracelets, case finishers Virex et Joli Poli (1999) and Boninchi (2001) who make crowns and chronograph pushers. And so the in-house Daytona’s journey developed with more ‘in-house’ parts than ever before!
One thing we know for certain about Rolex is its unswerving, relentless focus on ensuring that everything that they offer is as perfect as possible. The new Daytona movement was not only a long time in the making, but it rectified two key issues that existed in its predecessors. Up until the release of the caliber 4130, Rolex chronograph movements had featured a lateral (or horizontal) clutch. Whilst this type of mechanism is perfectly acceptable they can have two pitfalls. When one presses the start button on a chronograph it engages a clutch, which transmits power to the chronograph mechanism. In the modified Valjoux and Zenith calibres used in previous Rolex chronographs, this clutch works laterally, which can cause ‘drag’ that impacts on the amplitude that will negatively affect timekeeping. Secondly, the action of the lateral clutch engaging entails two gears coming together – the clutch and the movement’s driving gear. This meshing action can make the starting and stopping of the main stopwatch hand a little ‘jumpy’.
Rolex integrated a vertical clutch system that meant that the two gears were always engaged thus ensuring seamless operation of the chronograph. It also eliminated wear and tear on the gears plus the vertical system had no impact on amplitude and so the timekeeping remained unhindered. Whilst a lateral clutch mechanism is, in the eyes of watchmakers, a very pretty thing to observe in action, this wasn’t Rolex’s primary concern for their sports watches. Precision is paramount to the Wilsdorf House and so the vertical clutch was their choice for their flagship watch.
Next Level
The 4130 movement is so much more than a vertical clutch. Rolex spent five years developing the movement and made a vast number of improvements that would improve the wearability and usefulness of the 116500 Daytonas.
Key Features:
- One single chronograph module.
Rolex employed one module to drive both the minutes and hours registers. The 4030 had two separate modules. This was a big space saver and enabled regulation via one screw as opposed to five in the 4030.
- 34% increase in the power reserve.
The 4030 had a 54-hour reserve and the 4130 had 72 hours. This was due to an increase in the size of the main spring, facilitated by the space made by the use of the single chronograph module.
- 60% decrease in movement components.
The Caliber 4130 comprises just 201 components, compared with the 322 used in the modified Zenith movement.
- Improved Access for Servicing.
The vertical clutch system when introduced was the only one on the market that could be fully stripped down and lubricated. This was a joy for watchmakers. Also, the mainspring could be replaced without having to strip down the whole movement, which wasn’t the case on the 4030.
- The Parachrom Hairspring.
Rolex introduced their proprietary alloy Parachrom in the 116500 Daytona. Made from niobium and zirconium the resulting substance is completely impervious to temperature fluctuations and magnetic fields – both the bane of accurate timekeeping. And it was seriously tough, making the watch a lot more rugged.
- Ceramic Balls.
The 4130 employed ceramic ball bearings in the automatic winding system. This greatly improved efficiency and made the system more robust and needing less maintenance.
- Jewel In The Crown.
The caliber 4130 boasted 44 jewels compared with the 31 in the caliber 4030.
16 years after the launch of the 4130, Rolex unveiled the long-awaited steel Daytona reference 116500 with a ceramic bezel. The watch still utilized the 4130 movement until Rolex refreshed the entire Daytona family to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year. The watches all had minor facelifts, including a return to more vintage-esque dial aesthetics. The movement also received an upgrade to Calibre 4131. The 4131 encompasses many of Rolex’s latest movement technology, including the Chronergy escapement, Paraflex shock absorbers and a new cut-out rotor. At the time of writing, no examples of the 126500, the latest steel watch’s reference number, have appeared on the market. We can be sure, however, that when they do, the immediate rush will no doubt be as frenzied and epic as it ever has been for these hyper-desirable watches!
