Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE Geneva Friday, May 12, 2017 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1973
    Reference No: 6263
    Case No: 3'731'790
    Model Name: Oyster Cosmograph
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, end links stamped 271, max length 180mm.
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp stamped 1.71
    Dimensions: 37.5mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex punched Guarantee, product literature and wallet.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The "DNA" of the Oyster Cosmograph is well-known to collectors and scholars today. While the model features a multitude of subtle dial variations, such as the placement of the "Daytona" signature, or the font size of "Rolex", the market acknowledges that a non-"Paul Newman" stainless steel reference 6263 and 6265 should generally feature a black or silvered dial, with three subsidiary registers featuring concentric circles of various sizes and textures, depending on the year of production of the watch.

    Yet, often examples appear and are so different, that they stun even the most "purist" scholar. The present watch is definitely such an example. Known as the "super flat", there is no "step" between the registers and the dial - a detail that is so characteristic of the Cosmograph Daytona. To add another element of intrigue, the dial does not feature the typical concentric circles in the subsidiary registers commonly found on reference 6263 or 6265.

    While the market has identified some examples featuring only a slight "step" between the subsidiary registers, the so-called "semi-flat", examples with no step at all are exceedingly rare. Research concludes that the present watch is among no more than a handful of examples that have surfaced on the market thus far, each time fetching premiums in contrast to the regular Cosmograph Daytonas.

    Rarer still, this watch is accompanied by its original guarantee, stating the watch was retailed in Argentina, providing another element to delight the stringent scholar.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    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.

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131

Ref. 6263
A highly attractive and most rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with "super flat" subsidiary registers, bracelet and original guarantee

Circa 1973
37.5mm. Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF60,000 - 120,000 
€55,600-111,000
$59,500-119,000

Sold for CHF77,500

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
+41 22 317 81 89

The Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE

Geneva Auctions 13 – 14 May 2017