Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1951 Reference No: 6034 Case No: 847'289 Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 72A, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, endlinks stamped "60", max length 195mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped "4 66" Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
While many think of the Cosmograph Daytona when they hear “Rolex chronograph”, the company’s rich history provides a small number of highly interesting and collectible early chronograph models, each of them a little step closer to what will eventually be the design and philosophy of the Daytona. Reference 6034 is undeniably one such step. Analysis of the watch shows how, in the early 1950s, when ref. 6034 was in production, Rolex was already veering towards a chronograph with a sporty and utilitarian vocation. In fact, the model already featured a screw-back water resistant case, and the multi-scale dial offered a tachymeter scale, alongside a telemeter and the common fifth of a second divisions. It is no surprise then that the watch was a favorite among race drivers - a ref. 6034 was notably worn by LeRoy Neumayer when he set a new land speed record in 1953 of 233.31 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
The present example of this historical model is offered in extremely honest and attractive condition. The unrestored dial has acquired a strong ivory patina which markedly highlights the vintage vibe of the piece, while the steel case and its generous-for-the-time 36mm diameter imparts to the piece a highly masculine and sporty vibe, making it as easily wearable today as it was 70 years ago.
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.