Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1971 Reference No: 6263 inside caseback stamped 6239 Case No: 2'804'077 Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Steel buckle Dimensions: 37.5mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
Catalogue Essay
Reference 6263 was in production - together with its metal-bezel sibling reference 6265 - since the late 1960s until 1987. The final evolution of the manual Daytona line, it is considered by many the most representative and iconic reference of the line, incorporating all the details which made the Daytona a masterpiece of design: bezel with black insert bearing a tachymetre scale, screw-down pushers, and the unmistakable Rolex Oyster case.
The present example is a perfect study in stealth contrast with its silver dial, black bezel and subdials that have turned an incredibly attractive and harmonious espresso brown tone.
In addition to its very appealing condition and tropical subdials, its rarity is further enhanced by its early Mk 1 pushers that can only be found on the earliest of Cosmographs.
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.