PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF JERRY SEINFELD
26
Rolex
Ref. 6239
Cosmograph Daytona “Vic Elford 24 Hours of Daytona Winner”
The first known documented Daytona ever awarded to the winner of an automotive race, a historically important stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, presentation box, and provenance documentation, from the collection of Jerry Seinfeld
Estimate
$100,000–200,000
Manufacturer
Rolex
Year
1968, Switzerland
Reference No
6239
Case No
1’475’604
Model Name
Cosmograph Daytona “Vic Elford 24 Hours of Daytona Winner”
Material
Stainless steel
Calibre
Manual, cal. 72B, 17 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Stainless steel Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet, max overall length 205mm
Clasp/Buckle
Stainless steel Rolex U.S.A. C&I deployant clasp, stamped 7-67
Dimensions
37mm Diameter
Signed
Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed.
Accessories
Accompanied by period-correct Rolex fitted presentation box with insert and outer box. Further accompanied by extensive documentation, including a signed provenance letter from Vic Elford dated November 2010 and a letter from Rolex U.S.A. dated November 23rd, 2010 confirming the authenticity of the watch and that a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was presented to Vic Elford in 1968 for having won the 24 Hours of Daytona race in that year. There are also extensive documents as to the chain of custody, provenance, and restoration work done since Rolex serviced the timepiece in 2005. A copy of the service invoice is also included in the dossier.
Full-Cataloguing
GOOD TO KNOW
• Ref. 6239 Daytona presented to Vic Elford in 1968 after the Porsche team win at the 24 Hours of Daytona race – Porsche’s first ever 24-hour endurance race victory
• First known, documented Rolex Daytona wristwatch awarded to the winner of an automotive race
• Consigned by Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian and renowned car collector, who simultaneously owned the Porsche 907 Longtail Elford drove
• With documentation from Rolex U.S.A. confirming authenticity of the watch, and signed provenance letter from Vic Elford
RACING TIES
Originally introduced as the Cosmograph without the “Daytona” nickname and signature, the now legendary Rolex chronograph faced an identity crisis in its first few years on the market. In 1964, Rolex advertised its latest chronograph as the “Le Mans” in reference to the prestigious French endurance race. Yet in 1965, in what was most likely a strategic move to capture the budding American motorsport market, Rolex changed the model’s name once more and advertised it as the “Daytona,” irrevocably linking the now historical model to the Daytona International Speedway, where races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona (now known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona) and the Daytona 500 have taken place since 1959.
English driver Victor "Quick Vic" Elford was one of the most accomplished and versatile racing drivers of his era. Driving the winning Porsche 907 Langheck prototype, he helped secure Porsche’s victory at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, a landmark achievement that marked Porsche's first 24-hour endurance-race victory, an important pre-cursor for Porsche’s first 24 Hours of Le Mans win in 1970 . Following the win, Elford was presented with this Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 6239, an occasion documented in a photograph taken immediately after the race capturing the first known awarding of a Daytona for an automotive race.
Vic Elford, born June 10th, 1935 in England, was a prominent and prolific driver, competing in an array of races such as rallies, endurance racing, and Formula One. He was most closely associated with Porsche, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona manning a 917K and a 907, respectively. Though he retired from racing in 1974, Elford remained deeply committed to the sport, managing a Formula 1 team and then the Porsche Owners Driving School in the United States. He passed away in 2022 at his home in South Florida after a short illness.
Ultimately, the story of this 6239 Cosmograph Daytona, which stayed in Mr. Elford’s possession until approximately 2010, remains inextricably linked to the car that Elford drove so expertly to victory in 1968. The Porsche 907 “Longtail” was raced by multiple factory drivers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, racking up top five finishes at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Monza, as well as a class winner in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 7th. A mere eight were ever built, and only two remain currently extant. After acquiring the Porsche 907 Langheck in 2014 at auction, well-known Porsche collector Jerry Seinfeld tasked expert Joe Cavaglieri to restore the 907 Langheck to how it would have appeared at the 24 Hours of Daytona race in 1968, down to the most minute period-correct details.
At the time of his purchase of the car in 2014, Seinfeld was offered the watch as well. According to interviews, he was offered the watch multiple times over the next few years after the acquisition of the car, until finally after urging by his friend Spike Feresten, he purchased the watch. Upon receiving and inspecting the watch, he said “this piece of shit will never see the light of day again.” This statement would eventually be proven to be untrue, as Seinfeld undertook the task of carefully revitalizing the watch much in the same manner as the car’s meticulous restoration. He commissioned Hodinkee’s Benjamin Clymer to oversee replacement of the scratched crystal, itself a later flat-top service replacement, with a period correct acrylic, domed crystal, color matched the service hour and minute hands to match the color of the dial’s luminous hour markers, and repaired a rivet on the original riveted Oyster bracelet. Additionally, a period-correct box similar to the one that Mr. Elford would have received in 1968 was sourced. In doing so, the watch was sympathetically restored in a similar manner to the 907 – a painstaking testament to originality. It remains preserved in outstanding overall condition with its original case, bezel, dial, and bracelet.
In 2026, Seinfeld decided that it was time to part with both watch and car, entrusting the watch to Phillips Bacs & Russo in New York and the car to auction at Pebble Beach. Following the sale of this historically important and culturally significant machine, Phillips is thrilled to offer the Vic Elford 1968 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6239, awarded to him after Porsche’s historic win in the Porsche 907 Langheck at the 24 Hours of Daytona, coming directly from the esteemed collection of Jerry Seinfeld.
It is accompanied by extensive documentation, including a letter from Rolex U.S.A. dated 23 November 2010, confirming the authenticity of the watch and that a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was presented to Vic Elford in 1968 for having won the 24 Hours of Daytona race that year. The watch is further accompanied by extensive documentation relating to its chain of custody, signed provenance letter from Vic Elford dated November 2010, subsequent restoration work, as well as a copy of a Rolex USA service invoice dated June 2005 with matching serial number and addressed to Vic Elford.
A cross-section of motorsport racing and horological history, the Elford-Seinfeld 6239 Daytona carries with it the spirit and essence of mid-century automotive racing history. Being the first documented Rolex Daytona known to be awarded to a 24 Hours of Daytona winner with a direct tie to Porsche’s first ever endurance race victory, it is an ultimate trophy watch for the collector.
• Ref. 6239 Daytona presented to Vic Elford in 1968 after the Porsche team win at the 24 Hours of Daytona race – Porsche’s first ever 24-hour endurance race victory
• First known, documented Rolex Daytona wristwatch awarded to the winner of an automotive race
• Consigned by Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian and renowned car collector, who simultaneously owned the Porsche 907 Longtail Elford drove
• With documentation from Rolex U.S.A. confirming authenticity of the watch, and signed provenance letter from Vic Elford
RACING TIES
Originally introduced as the Cosmograph without the “Daytona” nickname and signature, the now legendary Rolex chronograph faced an identity crisis in its first few years on the market. In 1964, Rolex advertised its latest chronograph as the “Le Mans” in reference to the prestigious French endurance race. Yet in 1965, in what was most likely a strategic move to capture the budding American motorsport market, Rolex changed the model’s name once more and advertised it as the “Daytona,” irrevocably linking the now historical model to the Daytona International Speedway, where races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona (now known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona) and the Daytona 500 have taken place since 1959.
English driver Victor "Quick Vic" Elford was one of the most accomplished and versatile racing drivers of his era. Driving the winning Porsche 907 Langheck prototype, he helped secure Porsche’s victory at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, a landmark achievement that marked Porsche's first 24-hour endurance-race victory, an important pre-cursor for Porsche’s first 24 Hours of Le Mans win in 1970 . Following the win, Elford was presented with this Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 6239, an occasion documented in a photograph taken immediately after the race capturing the first known awarding of a Daytona for an automotive race.
Vic Elford, born June 10th, 1935 in England, was a prominent and prolific driver, competing in an array of races such as rallies, endurance racing, and Formula One. He was most closely associated with Porsche, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona manning a 917K and a 907, respectively. Though he retired from racing in 1974, Elford remained deeply committed to the sport, managing a Formula 1 team and then the Porsche Owners Driving School in the United States. He passed away in 2022 at his home in South Florida after a short illness.
Ultimately, the story of this 6239 Cosmograph Daytona, which stayed in Mr. Elford’s possession until approximately 2010, remains inextricably linked to the car that Elford drove so expertly to victory in 1968. The Porsche 907 “Longtail” was raced by multiple factory drivers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, racking up top five finishes at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Monza, as well as a class winner in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 7th. A mere eight were ever built, and only two remain currently extant. After acquiring the Porsche 907 Langheck in 2014 at auction, well-known Porsche collector Jerry Seinfeld tasked expert Joe Cavaglieri to restore the 907 Langheck to how it would have appeared at the 24 Hours of Daytona race in 1968, down to the most minute period-correct details.
At the time of his purchase of the car in 2014, Seinfeld was offered the watch as well. According to interviews, he was offered the watch multiple times over the next few years after the acquisition of the car, until finally after urging by his friend Spike Feresten, he purchased the watch. Upon receiving and inspecting the watch, he said “this piece of shit will never see the light of day again.” This statement would eventually be proven to be untrue, as Seinfeld undertook the task of carefully revitalizing the watch much in the same manner as the car’s meticulous restoration. He commissioned Hodinkee’s Benjamin Clymer to oversee replacement of the scratched crystal, itself a later flat-top service replacement, with a period correct acrylic, domed crystal, color matched the service hour and minute hands to match the color of the dial’s luminous hour markers, and repaired a rivet on the original riveted Oyster bracelet. Additionally, a period-correct box similar to the one that Mr. Elford would have received in 1968 was sourced. In doing so, the watch was sympathetically restored in a similar manner to the 907 – a painstaking testament to originality. It remains preserved in outstanding overall condition with its original case, bezel, dial, and bracelet.
In 2026, Seinfeld decided that it was time to part with both watch and car, entrusting the watch to Phillips Bacs & Russo in New York and the car to auction at Pebble Beach. Following the sale of this historically important and culturally significant machine, Phillips is thrilled to offer the Vic Elford 1968 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6239, awarded to him after Porsche’s historic win in the Porsche 907 Langheck at the 24 Hours of Daytona, coming directly from the esteemed collection of Jerry Seinfeld.
It is accompanied by extensive documentation, including a letter from Rolex U.S.A. dated 23 November 2010, confirming the authenticity of the watch and that a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was presented to Vic Elford in 1968 for having won the 24 Hours of Daytona race that year. The watch is further accompanied by extensive documentation relating to its chain of custody, signed provenance letter from Vic Elford dated November 2010, subsequent restoration work, as well as a copy of a Rolex USA service invoice dated June 2005 with matching serial number and addressed to Vic Elford.
A cross-section of motorsport racing and horological history, the Elford-Seinfeld 6239 Daytona carries with it the spirit and essence of mid-century automotive racing history. Being the first documented Rolex Daytona known to be awarded to a 24 Hours of Daytona winner with a direct tie to Porsche’s first ever endurance race victory, it is an ultimate trophy watch for the collector.
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.