In the early 1960s, Rolex introduced a chronograph wristwatch that would eventually become a global sensation, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. The first reference to bear the iconic model name was the ref. 6239 with a 36.5mm diameter stainless steel Oyster screw-down case with pump pushers and powered by the Rolex cal. 722 modified from the famous Valjoux cal. 72. Regarded as a major breakthrough from its previous references, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was the first to feature a tachymeter on the bezel instead of traditionally printing it on the outer track of the dial to increase visibility.

Towards the beginning of the 1970s, Rolex introduced the refs. 6263 & 6265 each with distinct and important upgrades that would eventually be featured in future Daytona models. Featuring a new cal. 727, the most significant factor is the fact that the cal. 727 is an officially certified superlative chronometer movement. The ref. 6263 features the black bezel insert while the ref. 6265 were fitted with metallic bezels. However, the most significant upgrade were the screw-down pushers differing from its previous pump pushers. The screw-down pushers allowed for enhanced waterproof capabilities as well as acting as a safety lock. The refs. 6263 & 6265 were officially discontinued in 1987 ending a respective era for the manually-wound Daytona and made way for the new self-winding ref. 16520.

The present example ref. 6263 with a 6.4 million case number from circa 1980 is presented in excellent overall condition. Boasting a nice case, the dial takes the rarity of the present timepiece to a whole new level as it is stamped “Tiffany & Co.” under “Cosmograph” signifying that it was retailed by Tiffany & Co. Furthermore, it is presented with a Tiffany & Co. Archives Research Certificate confirming the case number and reference as well as a letter indicating that the Archives suggests that the present timepiece was indeed recorded in their archives and was retailed by the firm in 1989.