Rolex Caliber 4130

Rolex released the caliber 4130 in 2000. It is completely designed and manufactured by the Crown themselves. Find this technological beauty in the Daytona. Previously, the Daytona used chronograph movements manufactured by Zenith. Presumably, the move towards the 4130 was due to the race to become 100% in-house – and possibly issues with servicing the Zenith-made 4030 caliber (for example: less parts).

“This model has a new-generation self-winding chronograph movement – calibre 4130 – specially designed for the Cosmograph Daytona and entirely manufactured in-house. A masterpiece of engineering and micromechanics, replete with innovative and patented technical solutions, this high-performance movement has set a new standard for luxury self-winding chronographs in terms of robustness, reliability, efficiency and precision, as well as for ease of maintenance.” -Rolex

From Luxury Tyme:

“With the caliber 4130, Rolex has, for the first time used ball bearings (made of ceramic) in the automatic winding system. While the winding system may appear to be identical to that used in previous, non-chronograph calibers, (right down to the distinctive vented rotor pattern) it is not. Most Rolex calibers rely on a single sleeve bearing in concert with proper lubrication to keep the automatic winding rotor spinning freely. The use of ceramic ball bearings means better rotor spin efficiency and lower maintenance.” (Source: http://luxurytyme.com/en/rolex-reviews/review-of-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-116520/)