I received the sample watch yesterday. The Daytona market is buzzing! The Shanghai movement manufacturer has developed the 4130 movement. Making the movement itself is not the hard part; the key is which factory can meet the minimum order quantity required by the movement maker.
What remains uncertain is whether this Shanghai 4130 movement is exclusive to APS Factory, or if it can be ordered by any vendor just like the Shanghai 3235 movement.
If the Shanghai 4130 movement is exclusively supplied to APS Factory, then C Factory, BT Factory and APS Factory will be the top-tier players for Daytona replicas, forming a three-way competition in the market!

I won’t dive deep into craftsmanship and dial details. Hyper-critical reviews magnifying details dozens of times make little sense for Daytona replicas; these watches are nearly indistinguishable once brand labels are removed.I’m bringing up the APS Factory Daytona because it uses the Shanghai-made movement, and its price is its biggest draw. I don’t know the factory’s profit margin, but Daytona replicas carry substantial profit, as you can tell from C Factory’s pricing.The APS version is hundreds cheaper than its two competitors, which makes it really appealing! Their craftsmanship is on the same level. If the movement reliability is identical, who would want to overspend unnecessarily?

We don’t yet have enough sales data to assess long-term reliability. Let’s first examine the visual differences between the Dandong 4130 and Shanghai 4130 movements. Their overall structure is identical; both were developed by referencing the genuine 4130 calibre. The photo below shows the Dandong 4130 movement.

The images below showcase the Shanghai 4130 movement. There are zero differences in structure, jewel placement and gear positioning.

The real difference lies in the position of the regulator (hairspring assembly). The Shanghai 4130 features an extra decorative fake free-sprung stud at the bottom, intended to achieve a closer resemblance to the genuine calibre. The Dandong movement does not have this dummy stud; its regulator is placed on the right side as shown in the first movement photo.
For the Shanghai movement, the actual regulator is hidden on the left, while the fake stud sits on the right to mimic the look of a free-sprung system. In terms of visual similarity, the Shanghai version has an edge. However, Daytona models have solid casebacks, so this fake stud serves little practical purpose. The Shanghai 4130 mainly caters to detail enthusiasts, though personally I think it is negligible.

When adjusting time deviation, the Dandong movement is more convenient, as the regulator on the right offers ample operating space. The Shanghai movement is trickier to regulate. These two calibres only differ in this placement, purely a cosmetic distinction; their overall structure remains identical.
We will continue monitoring the long-term stability of the Shanghai 4130. If its reliability is comparable, the APS Daytona will deliver outstanding value for money!

Let’s wait and see how fierce the competition among Daytona replicas becomes.