An extremely important year for Rolex, 1963 saw the birth of one of the most fathomed models loved by all collectors, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. Replacing the ref. 6238, the ref. 6239 was the first chronograph reference to feature the “Daytona” designation. A tremendous breakthrough of its time, the waterproof and sporty wristwatch was powered by Rolex’s modified Valjoux based cal. 72B, proving its extreme reliability. Interestingly, the model was first released in the US market and only appeared in the European market a few years later. Model named the “Daytona”, it is inspired from the famous racetrack spanning over 500 miles hosting the most important Nascar races.
The present ref. 6239 is a rare and early bird in the lineage featuring an early dial without the “Daytona” designation though with an “underline double Swiss” dial. Marked with a 923 thousand serial, the present specimen belongs to one of the earliest batches of the reference produced. With two “Swiss” designations printed at 6 O’clock, one on top of another, the lower “Swiss” is mostly covered by the case. It is believed that due to a shortage of dials, Rolex fitted early examples of the reference with dials originally made for the ref. 6238. Hence, with a slight upgrade of the new case, the “Swiss” designation was therefore covered by the case with Rolex reprinting the designation again above the covered “Swiss”. With “double Swiss” examples already rare on its own, the present example further features an “underline” below “Cosmograph”. The small designation was Rolex’s signification of the transition from radium to tritium to be used as luminous material on the dial. As “double Swiss” examples are already highly sought after by collectors, the present example further featuring an “underline” will surely please discerned collectors of vintage Rolex timepieces.
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.
