Comparing the new Daytona clasp w/ the old...

[DeepSeaWatches]

For those of you who have (or have tried on) a Daytona with the new clasp, how would you compare it comfort-wise w/ the old? The old clasp has a sharp edge that digs into my wrist at times, just wondering if that's still an issue w/ the latest version...

[daytona1]

Tonight I swapped the clasp from my GMTIIc to my M Daytona. I like the clasp. It is very smooth on the inside against the wrist and adds some nice heft to the band. I like it...

[daytona1]

[DeepSeaWatches]

Cool, so the new version is more comfortable in your opinion?

[tphan]

Originally Posted by DeepSeaWatches

Cool, so the new version is more comfortable in your opinion?

would be hard to determine...since the daytona feel like butter to begin with.

[Wolfgang427]

I prefer the old one.

[daytona1]

Originally Posted by DeepSeaWatches

Cool, so the new version is more comfortable in your opinion?

I really couldnt say that its more comfortable. It definatly takes care of your sharp edge issue. It adds a little bit of weight and bulkyness to the band. I like it. The thing that I enjoy is that it updates the watch.

[Klokke]

I've owned the GMT-II C and the SS Daytona (early M-series) and while the clasp differences are minimal, I prefer the Daytona's.

The clasp on the Daytona feels more secure and robust but is also more elegant and simple. The inner folding elements are sculpted and tapered unlike those in the GMT II-C which have a very thin middle portion and fat edges. These same elements are nicely engraved on the wrist side on the Daytona and appear printed/cheaply scored on the GMT II-C away from the wrist.

When closed on the wrist, the Daytona clasp is more comfortable and appears smaller and more proportional than the longer one on the GMT II-C.

The Daytona (Z & early M series) clasp has a pressure fit round snap closure with no moving parts to fail. It closes/opens with an audible snap. Some complained that this design made it hard to open and is likely why the newer GMT II-C clasp has a spring loaded mechanism to make it easier to open. Springs can fail and get lost. The Daytona clasp is not hard to open. I've seen 4 year old do it.

Both have a "swing-out" or "flip-lock" adjustment feature, but neither have the "GLIDELOCK" mechanism found on the SDDS clasp.

A lot of these things involve personal preference and almost everyone would agree that the differences are much much fewer than the similarities. It's hard to see why it would be worth paying about 10% more for the GMT II-C style on the new Daytona when the current Daytona clasp is arguable better. However, you may soon have no choice as Rolex appears to be standardizing on the GMT II-C clasp. This might make the current Daytona clasp something of a rarity in a short time.