Rolex - Daytona Ultimatum Geneva Friday, May 11, 2018 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1967
    Reference No: 6239 "The Golden Pagoda"
    Case No: 1’757’917
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 722-1 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet, end links stamped 71, max. length 195mm
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp stamped 2.68
    Dimensions: 36.5mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex presentation box.
    Literature: For a comparable example however reference 6241, please consult Ultimate Rolex Daytona by Pucci Papaleo Editions, pages 252 to 255.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Featuring a champagne dial with gold graphics inside the sunken subsidiary registers, this timepiece was one of the most luxurious Cosmographs available on the market during the late 1960s. Glamorous and eye-catching, it is yet another variant of the beloved “Paul Newman” model.

    Reference 6239 was hardly ever cased in gold. During the reference's life span, approximately 300 examples were cased in yellow gold, which is quite astounding when one takes into account the model’s approximate 14,000 unit production run.

    The dial is particularly impressive as all the luminous dots remain intact and full. The larger and slightly slanted “T Swiss T” designation at 6 o’clock is correct for the 1.7 million serial number. Furthermore, the champagne dial has aged gracefully, showing barely any sign of aging. The gold graphics are idiosyncratic of reference 6241 and 6239. Later generation examples would feature white graphics inside the counters.
    Still retaining its factory sticker, the case is equally exceptional, and the numbers between the lugs are crisp and sharp. With a yellow gold bracelet, it provides a different look from its stainless steel “Paul Newman” siblings.

  • 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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Ref. 6239 "The Golden Pagoda"
A very rare and extremely well-preserved yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with champagne ‘Paul Newman’ dial, factory sticker, tachymeter bezel and bracelet

Circa 1967
36.5mm diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF300,000 - 600,000 

Sold for CHF948,500

Contact Specialist
Tiffany To
Head of Sale
+41 22 317 96 63
tto@phillips.com

Daytona Ultimatum

Geneva Auction 12 May 2018