Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona is one of the most iconic and cherished wristwatches for collectors today, and its evolution is legendary. Over its 65-year plus lifespan, it has become revered for its classic design, durability, and strong masculine appeal. The first officially named Daytona Cosmograph, the reference 6239, was released in 1963 and set itself apart from its predecessor with a stainless steel tachymeter bezel and sub-dials with inverted colors to the main dial. Replacing the monochromatic color scheme and tachymeter scale found on the dials of pre-Daytona Rolex chronograph models like the references 6234 and 6238, the changes made the Daytona’s dial more legible and gave it a sporty, more aggressive aesthetic.
The present wristwatch is a fascinating and very well-preserved early Daytona example. Its black grené dial features a rarely seen, small white “Floating Daytona” designation under the signature at 12 o’clock. Manufactured in 1964, such early “Floating Daytona” dials are considered by many to be Rolex’s very first dials to include the iconic ‘Daytona’ designation. The watch is in excellent overall condition and is possibly unpolished with crisp milling to the case back, and strong lug proportions, and is furthermore fitted with its original, early bezel with tachymeter calibrated to 300 units per hour.
The present lot presents a rare opportunity to own an early, rarely seen variant of the iconic Daytona in wonderful overall condition.
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.
