I believe it’s Clean Factory. At the beginning of the Chinese New Year holiday, Clean Factory made the decision to upgrade the movement in their 12xxxx series Daytona models, replacing the previous Shanghai 4131 with the Dandong 4131 calibre. At that time, this change was not widely known within the market.
However, it has now been confirmed that the current Clean 126500 Daytona models are equipped with the Dandong 4131 movement, which is identical to the movement developed and utilised by VS Factory. For all newly released Daytona models, Clean will continue to implement the Dandong 4131 as standard.
When the Dandong 4131 was first introduced, it appeared that VS Factory would gain a significant competitive advantage over Clean, as this movement was developed in-house by VS and provided a notable improvement in both accuracy and finishing. However, the situation has shifted. With Clean Factory now adopting the same Dandong 4131 movement, VS has effectively lost its unique technical advantage in the Daytona market.
Since the launch of the Dandong 4131, VS Factory’s Daytona models have been widely recognised and highly regarded by enthusiasts for their superior movement quality. In fact, the 12xxxx series Daytona from VS consistently outperformed Clean’s version in terms of popularity. Clean’s decision to transition to the Dandong 4131 confirms this, as it suggests market pressure to match the performance and reputation of VS’s offering.
For VS Factory, this represented a critical opportunity to surpass Clean in the Daytona segment—a rare and strategic window to secure long-term dominance. Unfortunately for VS, that advantage has now been neutralised. It is worth noting that Clean’s own success in recent years has been largely due to capitalising on exactly these kinds of pivotal moments in the market.
While some may argue that VS Factory offers more competitive pricing than Clean, for serious collectors seeking high-grade super clone Daytonas, price is generally a secondary concern. Enthusiasts in this segment are often willing to pay a premium of $50 to $100 for noticeable improvements in quality. Based on available information, VS Factory not only provides a more competitive price point but also includes an additional rubber strap with each Daytona, adding further value.
As for other factories, such as BT and ZF, they are no longer relevant in this discussion. BT, in particular, appears to have exited the market, as there is little to no recent activity or discussion regarding their Daytona models. Therefore, if asked today where to source the most accurate and high-quality super clone Rolex Daytona, my recommendation would be Clean Factory.
Before presenting the latest photos of Clean’s newly released Daytona, I would like to first share a comparative image of the movements. On the left is the Shanghai 4131 calibre, which Clean previously used. On the right is the Dandong 4131, now standard in both Clean and VS Daytona models. The differences between the two movements are immediately apparent upon inspection.
The bezel has correct engravings whose thickness is very close to that of genuine watch. Some watch fans do care the thickness or shape of every letter of the engravings “UNITS PER HOUR”, I think Clean makes the best, VS also has the same finish, this is not the big difference between the two factories.
The hour hand and minute hand have very good polishing finish on the edge, even you check very close, no burr can be found. Every hour makrer also have very smooth edge. Each watch has an unique serial number engraved on the inner bezel.
The dial finish is a big advantage of Clean Daytona, on the three dial pictures above, the sunburst finish on the main dial and small dials is very good. Clean Factory always focuses on the finish of the details.
On the Daytona with black rubber band, the clasp is new, the golden model has Au750 engraving. The extension locking system is more convenient to operate. The full stainless steel Daytona still using the old clasp. By the way, the buckle coming out from the factory is separately put in a plastic bag, not installed on the watch.
