193
Rolex
Ref. 6265
Cosmograph Daytona
An iconic and charming stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
Full-Cataloguing
- Manual wind, running seconds at 9 o’clock, chronograph
- Together with reference 6263, this is the “final evolution” of the manual Daytona
- Iconic design, as contemporary today as it was when first launched on the market
Launched in 1969, reference 6265 (and its black bezel counterpart ref. 6263) replaced the first Oyster Cosmograph model with screw-down pushers, ref. 6240. It remained in production for nearly two decades, until the late 1980s—when it was supplanted by the introduction of the automatic Daytona, references 16520/3/8. The long production span and unmistakable screw-down pusher case have made this model one of the most beloved among collectors within the manual Daytona production. One of the defining features of the watch is indeed the screw-down pushers (which make the case a true "Oyster" case—motivating the script on the dial, absent in pump-pusher models).
Beyond minor case upgrades (such as an increased diameter), the main difference between ref. 6240 and ref. 6265 lies in the movement, as only the latter bears cal. 727 (the previous model usually bearing cal. 722-1). An extremely reliable and accurate movement, it was in fact potentially chronometer-certifiable by COSC—albeit this additional step was reserved for gold examples (which indeed usually bear the certification script on the dial).
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.