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Lot Essay
The present watch is an attractive and well-preserved example of the reference 6239. Distinguished by the large “Daytona” printing as opposed to earlier examples.
Indisputably the reference 6239 can be considered as an experimental phase for a variety of dials. The legendary Daytona name did not appear on the early models, different variations of printing emerged in the coming years with several fonts and sizes of "Daytona". Some of them were in small print or in a floating position, or in a "jumbo" print such as this dial.
The present dial is in original, attractively aged, unrestored condition, the luminous material to indexes has slightly disintegrated but has not been carelessly replaced by a different substance.
The second generation bezel features intermediates at 225 and 250, perfectly matching the serial number of the case.
Furthermore, the movement is stamped “ROW”, indicating that it was produced for the American market. The “made in USA” Rolex bracelet is stamped “Rolex USA C & I” on the clasp. These bracelets were produced locally from the 1950s through the end of the 1970s to avoid import taxes. They do not feature end link or model numbers, the end links are permanently attached by clipping them onto the last bracelet link. The year of production is usually engraved to the right side of the stamp, such as on the present bracelet.
Reference 6239
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 however believed that the model was available in the US already as of 1963. Available in stainless steel, 14K and 18K gold, reference 6239 was the firm's first chronograph with the tachometre scale engraved on the bezel and the subsidiary dials printed in a different color 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 1960s. The "Daytona" was added on later series to mark Rolex's sponsorship of the renowned NASCAR stock car race.
For detailed descriptions and illustrations of the dial and bezel variations of reference 6239 see Rolex Daytona - a legend is born by Carlo Pergola, Stefano Mazzariol, Giovanni Dosso, pp. 44 - 61. The case shapes are illustrated and explained on page 60. Different versions of reference 6239 regarding case material and dial layout are furthermore described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 296-303.
Indisputably the reference 6239 can be considered as an experimental phase for a variety of dials. The legendary Daytona name did not appear on the early models, different variations of printing emerged in the coming years with several fonts and sizes of "Daytona". Some of them were in small print or in a floating position, or in a "jumbo" print such as this dial.
The present dial is in original, attractively aged, unrestored condition, the luminous material to indexes has slightly disintegrated but has not been carelessly replaced by a different substance.
The second generation bezel features intermediates at 225 and 250, perfectly matching the serial number of the case.
Furthermore, the movement is stamped “ROW”, indicating that it was produced for the American market. The “made in USA” Rolex bracelet is stamped “Rolex USA C & I” on the clasp. These bracelets were produced locally from the 1950s through the end of the 1970s to avoid import taxes. They do not feature end link or model numbers, the end links are permanently attached by clipping them onto the last bracelet link. The year of production is usually engraved to the right side of the stamp, such as on the present bracelet.
Reference 6239
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 however believed that the model was available in the US already as of 1963. Available in stainless steel, 14K and 18K gold, reference 6239 was the firm's first chronograph with the tachometre scale engraved on the bezel and the subsidiary dials printed in a different color 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 1960s. The "Daytona" was added on later series to mark Rolex's sponsorship of the renowned NASCAR stock car race.
For detailed descriptions and illustrations of the dial and bezel variations of reference 6239 see Rolex Daytona - a legend is born by Carlo Pergola, Stefano Mazzariol, Giovanni Dosso, pp. 44 - 61. The case shapes are illustrated and explained on page 60. Different versions of reference 6239 regarding case material and dial layout are furthermore described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 296-303.