Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: NINE Hong Kong Monday, November 25, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1972
    Reference No: 6265, inside caseback stamped 6262
    Case No: 2’921’287
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona “Paul Newman”
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel folded Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped 7835, 19, endlinks stamped 357, max length 200mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp stamped “3,72”
    Dimensions: 37mm Diameter
    Signed: Dial, case, movement, bracelet and clasp

  • Catalogue Essay

    While it is well known that the Exotic/Paul Newman dial was in production for a very short time (about 5 years) due to its poor reception by the public, this did not prevent Rolex from developing a number of variations and sub-variations of what is now considered one of the most iconic dial architectures ever designed.

    The overall look - with outer contrasting track and subsidiary registers featuring square markers - always remained the same, but there are a few chromatic variations: from the earlier three-colour dials, to later examples featuring red Daytona designation but white graphics to the outer track, to the present bi-chromatic example, the so-called “Panda”.

    When analysing this evolution, it is obvious that Rolex was striving to simplify the unusual design and to improve its poor legibility - the main complain of the time about this dial style. Undeniably, the Panda variation - one of the latest to see the light of day before the discontinuation of the dial - is not only the most legible of them all, but also arguably the most elegant.

    Panda dials can be found exclusively on screw-down pusher references 6263 and 6265, and they present a subtle but very well defined evolution.

    Earlier specimens, found around 2.2M serial number watches, feature the “old style” Rolex signature with tiny serifs, and the “Oyster Cosmograph” designation present no serifs at all. These dials are known as Mark 1

    Subsequently, the Rolex signature presents more and more accentuated serifs, while the Oyster Cosmograph designation remains serif-less. These dials are known as Mark 1.5 and 1.75.

    Finally, around 2.9M-3M serial number, the final iteration of the dial is released: the Mark 2 features heavily serifed Rolex signature and serifed “Oyster Cosmograph” designation, as represented by the present 2.921M example.

    Coming across a Panda dial is already a momentous occasion for a collector, but coming across a Panda dial which not only is as well preserved as the present one, but even features a tropical outer track is beyond outstanding. All the luminous material is present and unmolested, and there is no scratch whatsoever, even close to the centre of the dial and sundial, a notoriously sensitive location susceptible to marking when the hands are removed for service.

    The color of the outer track can be only marginally described both by words and by images. When exposed to direct natural light it presents an immensely charming and very strong topicalization, with a light milk chocolate tonality. To give an idea of the rarity of this dial configuration, one has to think that over the entire lifespan of the Phillips Watches department, only three tropical Panda dials have been sold, and all of them were fitted onto references 6263. This is the first instance that we are entrusted with a 6265 tropical Panda.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

    One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.

    View More Works

853

Ref. 6265, inside caseback stamped 6262
An extremely rare, attractive and well-preserved stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with “Paul Newman” dial, “tropical” outer minute track and bracelet

Circa 1972
37mm Diameter
Dial, case, movement, bracelet and clasp

Estimate
HK$2,200,000 - 4,000,000 
€251,000-456,000
$282,000-513,000

Sold for HK$3,250,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
thomasperazzi@phillips.com
+852 2318 2001

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: NINE

Hong Kong Auction 25-26 November 2019