Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: XI New York Saturday, December 7, 2024 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1977
    Reference No: 6265
    Movement No: 1’480
    Case No: 5’060’054
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona “Tropical Khanjar”
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, endlinks stamped 57, max overall length 215mm
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 37mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Dial stamped with green Khanjar, caseback with personalized engraving.
    Literature: A similar 18K yellow gold manually wound Daytona, but a 6263, with Green Khanjar and tropical subdials, is illustrated in Ultimate Rolex Daytona by Pucci Papaleo, page 425.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Boldly emblazoned in the upper center of the dial of this stunning 18 karat gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona is the green “Khanjar” - the national emblem of Oman that features a traditional dagger used for ceremonial occasions. When found anywhere on a watch, it signifies an important object of royal provenance. Such watches were made on commission for the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. An important collector in his own right, His Majesty’s passion for horology is well known.

    Khanjar logos come in a variety of colors and positioning on the dial, but the green Khanjar is amongst the rarest. The positioning of the logo is such that it replaces the “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified”, but the Rolex Oyster logo and Cosmograph designation over the 12-hour subdial remains. The dial further impresses with stunning and vibrant, “tropical” sub-dials that have aged uniformly from their original black color to a rich brown color. Further details differentiate this important dial – the subdials are oversized compared with normal production variants, and the subdials feature white-colored graphics compared with standard champagne colored graphics as normally used.

    Previously sold at auction in 2017 by the Italian recipient of the watch in 1990, it was gifted to him by his aunt and uncle in 1990 on the occasion of graduating from medical school. According to the previous auction catalogue, the uncle was well-traveled, and purchased the present 6265 on a business trip to Oman in 1989 for the price of its weight in gold.

    Originally sold on a strap, since the sale in 2017, the then-buyer and current consignor sourced a 18K yellow gold tapered, riveted Oyster bracelet to be fitted to the watch, transforming an already opulent watch even further. The contrast of the yellow gold case and bracelet, bright green Khanjar logo on the dial, and richly tropicalized subdial combined with its extraordinary rarity renders this remarkable 6265 a trophy watch for the discerning collector.

  • 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. 6265
An extraordinarily rare, highly alluring, and important yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with green Khanjar logo, tropical sub-registers, and bracelet

Circa 1977
37mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Dial stamped with green Khanjar, caseback with personalized engraving.

Estimate
$350,000 - 700,000 
CHF309,000-618,000
€330,000-659,000
HK$2,720,000-5,440,000

Sold for $393,700

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman, Watches, 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: XI

New York Auction 7 - 8 December 2024