Released in 1965 together with the ref. 6240, the ref. 6241 similarly featured a black bezel insert, however retaining its pump-style pushers witnessed initially in the ref. 6239 while the ref. 6240 was the first model to feature screwed-down pushers. In production for approximately 4 years ending in approximately 1969, it is estimated that 2,300 examples of the ref. 6241 were encased in stainless steel, making the reference once of the rarest out of all the manually-wound Daytona models.
While the reference alone is rare, examples featuring the exotic tri-colored “Paul Newman” dials made by Singer are extremely rare. The dial is identical to the ref. 6239 famously worn by Paul Newman, with specific traits that sets the tri-colored exotic dial apart from other references featuring a “Paul Newman” dial. Featuring an ivory-hued main dial, the black registers are noticeably “stepped” with its white rectangular-tipped hashes running all the way to the edge of the step. Furthermore, a keen eye may notice the slanted “T SWISS T” featured in red writing underneath the 6 O’clock position with other references featuring a flat “T SWISS T”. Moreover, the case for the reference were produced with two profiles with examples made before 1966 featuring a rounder appearance with examples later featuring a rather oval appearance.
The present example Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6241 “Paul Newman” with a 1.7 million serial features a correct MK1 bezel insert with a second series oval-shaped case. Extremely desirable and sought after, this transitional reference fitted with the rare and exotic dial will certainly garner interest from the dedicated community of vintage Rolex collectors.
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.
