Introduced to the market in 1966, the reference 6241 is the acrylic bezel companion to the metal bezel reference 6239. Approximately 3,000 examples were produced during a relatively short, four-year production run, and the present lot is amongst the rarest iterations.

The sunburst silver finishing of the dial captures the eye immediately, with its clean and spacious layout reflecting any light beautifully. The eye then drifts down to the bright red “Daytona” designation, the printing slightly raised with delicate serifs on each letter. This is the most outstanding feature of the watch, one that wouldn’t be seen again on a non-Paul Newman Daytona until the “Big Red” variants of the 6263 and 6265. The “Cherry” designation appears on very few pump pusher Daytonas, making it one of the rarer dial configurations found on the Cosmograph Daytona. Few have appeared publicly across all four pump pusher Daytona references, and fewer still are illustrated in literature. The printing is most similar to the red Daytona designation found on the exotic dial Paul Newman Daytona. An examination of the serial numbers of various 6241s shows that this “Cherry” 6241 was being cased alongside, likely the same timeframe, as “Paul Newman” 6241s with similar red text.

Remarkably well-preserved, the case and dial of the present example show hardly any signs of aging or wear, or even a prior servicing. The dial’s luminous hour markers are perfectly preserved and complete; the case, unpolished and sharp, as delivered by the factory over 50 years ago. Our research shows the current reference 6241 with “Cherry logo” is the earliest known 6241 to appear with the “Cherry” designation. It is offered here fresh-to-the-market, consigned by the son of the original owner - a treasure for those who delight in the rare and unusual variants of vintage Rolex.