Signed Rolex, Chronograph, ref. 6238, case no. 1’226’514, manufactured in 1966

Reference 6238 can be considered the first of the “modern-conception” vintage Rolex chronographs: it is the precursor to one of the most successful chronograph models by any manufacturer, the Daytona, and indeed it is nicknamed by collectors the “Pre-Daytona”. Technically, the model already bears nearly all the traits which are present in the subsequent evolutions, the calibre can be 72B or 722, the same found in early Daytona chronographs; the dial layout is virtually the same as reference 6239, and the Oyster chronograph case also bears all the attributes of its future iterations. The main differences are the monochrome dial and, most importantly, the presence of the tachymeter scale on the dial rather than on the bezel (though some examples bearing the scale on the bezel are known).