In the Bond thriller On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Bond, played by none other than the legendary George Lazenby, can be seen on the silver screen with a stainless steel reference 6238 on his wrist. Robust and reliable, the 6238 is Bond’s tool of choice when he makes his epic escape by skiing down Piz Gloria while the head of SPECTRE and his henchmen give chase.
The reference 6238 has a similarly epic background story off-screen as well, epitomizing an aesthetic and architectural turning point in the history of the Rolex chronograph. Produced for a short period from 1960 to 1967, it was the last Rolex chronograph to feature a smooth bezel with a tachymeter scale on the dial before it made the great and final migration to the bezel where it would stay until the present day.
Featuring a radiant sunburst pattern, the stunning and flawless silvered dial has luminous hour markers and hands that have aged to a pleasing warm beige hue. The case is superbly well-preserved, with a sharp bezel and strongly defined lugs. Purchased directly from the original owner, this “two owner” watch is being offered as found, in absolutely exceptional 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.