Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1969 Reference No: 6265 Case No: 2'330'527 Model Name: Cosmograph Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Mechanical, 727, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold Rolex bracelet, 186 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: 18k yellow gold Rolex folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 37 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Literature: For another example of a yellow gold reference 6265, please see Ultimate Rolex Daytona by Pucci Papaleo, pages 468 and 469.
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex Daytona is incredibly sought after today and the present gold 6265 really is top quality. The case appears to be unpolished and still retains original MK1 pushers. The bracelet is very unusual, heavy and stamped for 1969.
The dial is however very unusual and is only found on the earliest reference 6265 and 6263 and is known by the market and collectors as the ‘Oyster Split’. Rolex decided to officially certify their gold chronograph watches. The Daytona dials have evolved and Rolex has moved the script to different positions on the dial. If one looks closely, there is a gap between ‘Oyster’ and ‘Superlative Chronometer’ and the word ‘Cosmograph’ is still much larger than ‘Oyster’. The registers are beautiful champagne colour, perfectly matching the gold graphics.
Phillips is delighted to present this watch to the market.
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.