Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII Geneva Saturday, May 8, 2021 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1972
    Reference No: 6265 inside caseback stamped 6262
    Case No: 2'851'471
    Model Name: Oyster Cosmograph “Paul Newman”
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, stamped 7835 19, endlinks stamped 271, max length 195mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped 4.71
    Dimensions: 37.5mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee, product literature, product literature, fitted box and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Many elements make vintage watches attractive, it could be their rarity, technical mastery, aesthetic beauty, the story they tell or even the mystery that shrouds them.
    The present watch is all of the above.

    The Rolexes Cosmograph, especially with the so called “Paul Newman” dials has gone from relative obscurity in the 1960s and 1970s, to the early 21st-century as being the number one most sought after collectors’ watch, it is an iconic timepiece, which few will own, but all will appreciate.

    This is especially true for the models with screw down pushers like the present lot.

    The astute collector will note that the present reference 6263 correctly has screw down pushers but the dial lacks the “Oyster” print on the dial.

    The watch being consigned by the original owner, was bought in this configuration in 1978 at Bijouterie Arnautou in Pau (a small city in the South West of France). The dial layout matches perfectly the “Paul Newman” dials made in 1972, date of production of the present watch.

    This leads us to believe that the dial most probably came from a non-Oyster Daytona and was mounted by the retailer on a reference 6265, upon request of a client wishing to have a screw down pusher model with this dial configuration. Or, that the mistake was made at Rolex when the watch was assembled.

    One must not look at this swap or mistake with eyes of 2021 but those of 1972 where the Daytona cost a few hundred dollars and dial exchanges were common practice.

    The owner was originally a fighter pilot for the French Airforces, where he flew on the Transall C160 and the Boeing C135F aircraft tanker. After leaving the army, he took up a career as a commercial pilot with Air France, and it was to celebrate this event that in 1978 he bought this watch. Many photos from the 70s-80s show him wearing the watch in this present configuration.

    Preserved in overall very appealing condition and accompanied by its original paperwork and box, the present mysterious reference 6265 “Paul Newman” offers a very exciting combination of Oyster case and “Paul Newman” dial with red outer track.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded 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.

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Ref. 6265 inside caseback stamped 6262
A rare and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with "Paul Newman" dial, bracelet, warranty and box

Circa 1972
37.5mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF150,000 - 250,000 
€136,000-227,000
$163,000-272,000

Sold for CHF252,000

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

 

 

The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII

Geneva Auction 8 - 9 May 2021