Arguably, the most important update to the watch is the caliber 4131 movement, a part of the generation of new vertical clutch column wheel movements that have been powering the collection since 2023 and are visible through the display caseback of the platinum Daytona (the Le Mans has the caliber 4132). Part of the discontinuation of the original “John Mayer” was due to the discontinuation of the 4130 movement inside. Rolex would not want to keep two versions of a movement in production at once, but they also apparently didn’t want to refresh the entire product line at once.
Running at 28,800vph with a 72-hour power reserve, the caliber 4131 features a Chronergy escapement, Paraflex shock absorbers, and optimized ball bearings, with fewer components than the 4130 before it but better finishing. You won’t see that finishing, however, because Rolex has chosen to keep the caseback closed. It’s a decision I don’t mind – Rolex movements look nice for one of the best industrially-produced products on the market, but it’s not something I need to see, and I’d rather have a caseback that I can engrave. And yet, new movements are rarely the attention-grabber, and in this case, the dial still steals the show.