179
Rolex
Ref. 6264
Cosmograph Daytona "Paul Newman Lemon"
A fresh to the market and from family of original owner, extraordinarily rare, extremely attractive, and important yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with "Paul Newman Lemon" dial, brown "tropical" subsidiary registers and outer track, from family of the original owner
- Estimate
- CHF600,000 - 1,200,000€644,000 - 1,290,000$740,000 - 1,480,000
CHF825,500
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1970
- Reference No
- 6264
- Case No
- 2’357’393
- Model Name
- Cosmograph Daytona "Paul Newman Lemon"
- Material
- 18k yellow gold
- Calibre
- Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
- Dimensions
- 37.5mm diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
We are delighted to offer a fresh to the market, Rolex reference 6264 "Paul Newman Lemon" dial yellow gold coming from the family of the original owner and in wonderful and attractive condition especially with its superb tropical registers.
To be considered a "Lemon" Paul Newman, the main dial must have a matte-finished, grené texture with an almost powdery effect with more cream-yellow color than metallic gold or champagne. Compared with the dial on the champagne Paul Newman Daytonas, the "Lemon" dials feature an intense and creamy shade of yellow that sets them apart. Furthermore, instead of the more commonly found champagne text within the subsidiary registers, they have vivid, white-printed Art Deco numerals – a coveted characteristic immediately spotted by those who know. Overall, the combination of the creamy yellow dial and stark, white sub-dial numerals is quite striking – especially when paired with a black outer track.
The watch was bought in 1973 and worn on a regular basis until 1996 and has been in a safe ever since. The case is in overall excellent condition with strong proportions, the dial is also very well preserved but is visually arresting thanks to the fact that the subdials and outer track are turning to a dark brown giving the watch incredible charisma.
Most of the existing 18k yellow gold "Paul Newman" Daytonas with "Lemon" dial fall within a known serial range, meaning that they were produced within a special batch. To date, the list of Reference 6264 Paul Newmans with Lemon dials includes the following serial numbers (please note this is not an exhaustive list):
2'357'384
2'357'385
2’357’393 (the present watch)
2’357’409
2'357'419
2'357'421
2’357’442
2'357'452
2’357’455
2'357'468
2’357’479
Given the fact that the Cosmograph Daytona was originally a commercially produced "tool watch" made for everyday use, the fact that less than a dozen examples are known with this dial speaks volumes about the rarity of the model.
A grail among grails, the present reference 6264 "Paul Newman Lemon" with tropical dial offers a perfect storm of highly appealing traits which propels the present timepiece to the pinnacle of desirability for the connoisseur of highly important and attractive timepieces.
To be considered a "Lemon" Paul Newman, the main dial must have a matte-finished, grené texture with an almost powdery effect with more cream-yellow color than metallic gold or champagne. Compared with the dial on the champagne Paul Newman Daytonas, the "Lemon" dials feature an intense and creamy shade of yellow that sets them apart. Furthermore, instead of the more commonly found champagne text within the subsidiary registers, they have vivid, white-printed Art Deco numerals – a coveted characteristic immediately spotted by those who know. Overall, the combination of the creamy yellow dial and stark, white sub-dial numerals is quite striking – especially when paired with a black outer track.
The watch was bought in 1973 and worn on a regular basis until 1996 and has been in a safe ever since. The case is in overall excellent condition with strong proportions, the dial is also very well preserved but is visually arresting thanks to the fact that the subdials and outer track are turning to a dark brown giving the watch incredible charisma.
Most of the existing 18k yellow gold "Paul Newman" Daytonas with "Lemon" dial fall within a known serial range, meaning that they were produced within a special batch. To date, the list of Reference 6264 Paul Newmans with Lemon dials includes the following serial numbers (please note this is not an exhaustive list):
2'357'384
2'357'385
2’357’393 (the present watch)
2’357’409
2'357'419
2'357'421
2’357’442
2'357'452
2’357’455
2'357'468
2’357’479
Given the fact that the Cosmograph Daytona was originally a commercially produced "tool watch" made for everyday use, the fact that less than a dozen examples are known with this dial speaks volumes about the rarity of the model.
A grail among grails, the present reference 6264 "Paul Newman Lemon" with tropical dial offers a perfect storm of highly appealing traits which propels the present timepiece to the pinnacle of desirability for the connoisseur of highly important and attractive timepieces.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded 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.
Browse Maker