Lot Essay
Amongst the most highly coveted timepieces, the Rolex Daytona has established itself as a true icon within the world of watch collecting. The property of a private collector, the present timepiece is a very attractive example of the reference 6239. With a very attractive sunburst silver dial with black sunken subsidiary registers, the wristwatch features a very well preserved case of strong proportions.
Reference 6239
The very first model of the celebrated ‘Daytona’ series, succeeded reference 6238 and could be found in sales catalogues in Europe as of 1964. It is thought though that the model was available in the US already in 1963. Produced in stainless steel, 14K and 18K gold, reference 6239 was the firm's first chronograph with the tachymetre scale engraved on the bezel and the subsidiary dials printed in a different colour than the main dial for better readability. The dials of the early models featured only the designation ‘Cosmograph’, referring to the outer space travels of the early 60s. The ‘Daytona’ was added on later series watches to mark Rolex's sponsorship of the renowned NASCAR stock car race.
Reference 6239
The very first model of the celebrated ‘Daytona’ series, succeeded reference 6238 and could be found in sales catalogues in Europe as of 1964. It is thought though that the model was available in the US already in 1963. Produced in stainless steel, 14K and 18K gold, reference 6239 was the firm's first chronograph with the tachymetre scale engraved on the bezel and the subsidiary dials printed in a different colour than the main dial for better readability. The dials of the early models featured only the designation ‘Cosmograph’, referring to the outer space travels of the early 60s. The ‘Daytona’ was added on later series watches to mark Rolex's sponsorship of the renowned NASCAR stock car race.