The king of all chronographs ever is of course the perfect replica Rolex Daytona, and the king of all luxury fake Rolex Daytonas is the anniversary platinum addition with cheeky diamonds littering the dial. Why is this watch so revered? Did it slay sales records at launch? Did it achieve remarkable things? Was it a landmark moment in the growth of the brand? No, not really. None of that. It would be a quarter century before anyone even started paying attention to it.

So why is it so revered? Because it marks the moment watches came back again. There were many watches before it that sparked a revival in mechanical after the devastation of the quartz crisis, but really the moment watchmaking truly become a thing again was when the cheap fake Rolex Daytona re-emerged in 1988. Before then, there weren’t really any vintage watch collectors. People weren’t really buying into new mechanical watches. Swiss movement replica Rolex was doing okay, but brands like Omega were dead in the water. The Daytona changed that.

When the cheap replica Rolex Daytona was redesigned at the end of the eighties, it looked sleeker, heavier, more luxurious. It told people that watches were something to not just be used, but coveted. And covet it they did, because that Daytona was the first to become known for the much-maligned waitlist. You could walk into a store and get a Submariner at discount, but the high quality fake Rolex Daytona—no, you had to be patient for one of those.

The nineties was a real revival for watchmaking. Omega resurfaced. Patek started making tourbillons again. Collecting vintage became a thing. The best 1:1 fake Rolex Daytona was the first domino. And this platinum edition is the ultimate expression of the essence of that. It weighs a tonne, shines like nothing else and the icy blue dial, limited to just the platinum models, is cooler than Santa’s patio.

What do you consider to be the best luxury copy chronograph watch in the world?