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Lot Essay
Accompanied by Rolex blank Guarantee, green leather presentation box and spare bracelet links.
Amongst collectors, reference 6238 is often referred to as the "Pre-Daytona" and enjoys today growing popularity within the community of Rolex aficionados. In 1960, Rolex launched model 6238, their last traditional chronograph wristwatch with polished bezel.
The "Pre-Daytona" is the first Rolex chronograph to be fitted with the silvered sunburst finished dial, officially referred to as "cadran soleil argenté", which gave the ideal background for the newly designed hands - for the first time in straight baton form. The new dial-finish and baton shaped hands can be found on all Rolex Daytona chronographs up to the mid-1980's, rendering these sports watches highly functional and lending them a particularly distinctive, masculine look.
The majority of reference 6238 was cased in stainless steel, less than a tenth of the entire model production in gold, and particularly few watches in 18 carat. Interestingly, most of the gold watches were made for the US market - in 14 carat yellow gold.
For an example of a reference 6238 in stainless steel see lot 29 in this auction.
The model is described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 278-2990.
Amongst collectors, reference 6238 is often referred to as the "Pre-Daytona" and enjoys today growing popularity within the community of Rolex aficionados. In 1960, Rolex launched model 6238, their last traditional chronograph wristwatch with polished bezel.
The "Pre-Daytona" is the first Rolex chronograph to be fitted with the silvered sunburst finished dial, officially referred to as "cadran soleil argenté", which gave the ideal background for the newly designed hands - for the first time in straight baton form. The new dial-finish and baton shaped hands can be found on all Rolex Daytona chronographs up to the mid-1980's, rendering these sports watches highly functional and lending them a particularly distinctive, masculine look.
The majority of reference 6238 was cased in stainless steel, less than a tenth of the entire model production in gold, and particularly few watches in 18 carat. Interestingly, most of the gold watches were made for the US market - in 14 carat yellow gold.
For an example of a reference 6238 in stainless steel see lot 29 in this auction.
The model is described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 278-2990.