Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: NINE New York Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1974
    Reference No: 6263; inside caseback stamped 6265
    Case No: 4’128’049
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet, approx. max overall length 180mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp, stamped Rolex USA and C&I and ‘76’
    Dimensions: 37mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, bracelet, and clasp signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex presentation box, provenance letter, and copy of photograph of the original owner wearing the watch.

  • Catalogue Essay

    In production from the late 1960s until the late 1980s, the acrylic bezel reference 6263 was the final evolution of the manually wound Daytona. It incorporates all the details that make the Daytona a masterpiece of design and, most significantly, featured upgraded, modern screw-down pushers. While the “Big Red” variant is perhaps the most well-known, earlier examples featured no red writing on the dial.

    Instead, a few of the earliest references of the 6263 and 6265 bear a strange symbol flanking the “T Swiss T” signature at six o’clock – the Greek symbol “Sigma”. They are thus referred to as “Sigma” dials, denoting that the handset and baton indexes were made of gold rather than steel.

    Most exceptional about the present lot is not the rare and elegant dial variant or the classic and treasured design. It is being consigned by the daughter of the original owner, whose mother received the watch in the mid-1970s and subsequently used it during her early career as an obstetrician and Cessna pilot. There are comparatively very few female pilots in 2023, so one can imagine how scarce they were in 1974. Coming from a family of pilots, she used her Daytona to make calculations in the air. Images of her holding her daughter or perched on the wing of her Cessna are as empowering as they are emotional, and her Daytona accompanied her at every step.

    CONSIGNED BY FAMILY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER

  • 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.

    View More Works

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Ref. 6263; inside caseback stamped 6265
An attractive and rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with “Sigma” dial, bracelet, and presentation box

Circa 1974
37mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, bracelet, and clasp signed.

Estimate
$30,000 - 60,000 
CHF27,000-54,000
€28,100-56,100
HK$234,000-468,000
S$40,700-81,500

Sold for $63,500

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman and Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
WatchesNY@Phillips.com
 
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: NINE

New York Auction 9 - 10 December 2023