The argument over the pros and cons of in-house versus outsourced movements is not one likely to go away anytime soon – if ever. We’ve put forward our idea on the matter before, pointing out that just because a manufacturer happens to make their own calibers, it doesn’t mean that they are actually better than if they had come from a third party.
Generally, it is exceedingly rare for any single watchmaker to build every single part that goes into their range of models. That being said, the use of a non-proprietary caliber goes beyond bare questions of overhead. Some of the luxury best replicas watches currently on offer, or typical vintage models from the past, have depended on outsourced movements, for their quality, accuracy, and resilience. 
Starting in 1963 to an ear-splitting roar of indifference from all sides, the first quarter-century of the Daytona’s production was defined by its use of outsourced movements – namely the otherwise superb, Valjoux 72 caliber. But customers ran for the hills as soon as they discovered that they would have to manually wind their Rolex Cosmograph every day which, at the dawning of the quartz era, marked it as a relic of another time.
Flash forward to 1988, and the replica Rolex cooperated with newly restored Swiss compatriots, Zenith – the (maybe) winners of the three-way race to create the world’s very first self-winding chronograph movement way back in 1969. Styling-wise, the first of the new automatic breed represented an entire departure too. The fake model series debuted at the 1988 Basel Watch Fair, offered in steel, yellow gold, and Rolesor. Its dimensions had grown to 40mm, up from the previous 37mm, and the Plexiglass covering had been replaced with a sapphire crystal. The engraved bezel was now measured at Base 400 rather than 200, and the dial was available in black or white, with contrasting outer rings on the trio of sub counters.
This fascination has only increased in the intervening years, and the Rolex Daytona remains one of the most popular and most complicated to buy replica watches in the world. However, it owes a meaningful debt of gratitude to the El Primero movement, one of the truly legendary calibers of recent times.
Known as the longest-serving family-owned watchmaker in the world, and one of the most prestigious names in horology to boot, it can come as a surprise that not everything that goes into a replica Patek Philippe necessarily comes from Patek Philippe.
Of course, they have built their reputation on both their religious self-sufficiency as well as their amazing quality, but it wasn’t until several years ago that the manufacture produced their own perpetual calendar chronograph movement. Apart from its significant movement, the 5970 has another special place in the story of the luxury Patek Philippe. It was the debut design by Thierry Stern, the current head of the company, and the man who followed in the footsteps, dating back to the year 1932.
