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Lot Essay
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 present watch is a rare variant with the charismatic black matte dial. The "Pre-Daytona" with the silvered dial is the first Rolex chronograph to be fitted with the 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 the baton-shaped hands can be found on all Rolex Daytona chronographs up to the mid 1980s, rendering these sports watches highly functional and lending them a particularly distinctive, masculine look.
For a "Pre-Daytona" reference 6238 in stainless steel with silvered brushed dial see lot 334 in this auction.
The model is described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, p. 288.
The present watch is a rare variant with the charismatic black matte dial. The "Pre-Daytona" with the silvered dial is the first Rolex chronograph to be fitted with the 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 the baton-shaped hands can be found on all Rolex Daytona chronographs up to the mid 1980s, rendering these sports watches highly functional and lending them a particularly distinctive, masculine look.
For a "Pre-Daytona" reference 6238 in stainless steel with silvered brushed dial see lot 334 in this auction.
The model is described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, p. 288.