





146Σ
Rolex
Ref. 6263
Cosmograph Daytona
A fine, rare and exceptionally well-preserved yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, guarantee and fitted presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
The watch retains its green factory sticker to the case back, original pushers, bezel and period correct bracelet, which is fitted with 71 end links and is stamped K9 for 1986.
Reference 6263 was introduced to the market approximately in 1969, and ceased production in 1987. While the reference was mainly cased in stainless steel, very small amounts were also manufactured in yellow gold. Reference 6263 was in production for almost 20 years, yet scholars approximate that no more than 2000 examples were cased in gold.
From the early 1980s and onwards, gold Cosmograph Daytonas featured a movement number engraved on the plate, behind the balance wheel. Research suggests that this was related to the officially certified chronometer movement. Around this period, Rolex modified the dial layout for gold versions, and the "Officially Certified Chronometer" designation was printed on the dial, which we see on the present example.
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.