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Lot Essay
With Rolex original fitted green presentation box (disintegrated) and spare modern stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet.
The "Paul Newman" chronograph offered here for sale is a highly unusual specimen of the legendary model. It was given as a birthday gift to its present owner in 1970 and has since then always been treated with care and respect, demonstrated by the very good, original overall condition. The original extensible Rolex Oyster bracelet dating from 1970 is in new condition as it had been exchanged by the careful holder of the watch against a later version.
The most noteworthy aspect of this reference 6239 is however its extremely rare dial configuration, omitting the luminous accents and luminous hands normally found on this model. One can only speculate about the reasoning for this special execution, a plausible explanation would certainly be that it was made on request for a client working in a laboratory or research centre where the radioactivity of the luminous material, even if ever so insignificant, may have a negative impact.
A further detail worth mentioning is certainly the colour of the subsidiary dials which over the years has changed from black to a shade of ebony, beautifully contrasting with the dial's ivory patina.
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. The model remained in production until the mid-1970s. 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 colour than the main dial for better readability. The dials of the first models featured only the designation "Cosmograph", referring to the outer space travels of the early 60s. The "Daytona" was added shortly after to mark Rolex's sponsorship of the renowned Nascar stock car race. The so-called "exotic" or "tropical" dial, later surnamed "Paul Newman", became soon available for reference 6239, either two-coloured white/cream and black or three-coloured, such as the present watch, with the addition of the red seconds scales.
For detailed descriptions and illustrations of reference 6239 see Rolex Daytona - a legend is born by Carlo Pergola, Stefano Mazzariol, Giovanni Dosso, pp. 44 - 61. Different versions of reference 6239 in regard to case material and dial layout are furthermore described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 296-303.
The "Paul Newman" chronograph offered here for sale is a highly unusual specimen of the legendary model. It was given as a birthday gift to its present owner in 1970 and has since then always been treated with care and respect, demonstrated by the very good, original overall condition. The original extensible Rolex Oyster bracelet dating from 1970 is in new condition as it had been exchanged by the careful holder of the watch against a later version.
The most noteworthy aspect of this reference 6239 is however its extremely rare dial configuration, omitting the luminous accents and luminous hands normally found on this model. One can only speculate about the reasoning for this special execution, a plausible explanation would certainly be that it was made on request for a client working in a laboratory or research centre where the radioactivity of the luminous material, even if ever so insignificant, may have a negative impact.
A further detail worth mentioning is certainly the colour of the subsidiary dials which over the years has changed from black to a shade of ebony, beautifully contrasting with the dial's ivory patina.
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. The model remained in production until the mid-1970s. 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 colour than the main dial for better readability. The dials of the first models featured only the designation "Cosmograph", referring to the outer space travels of the early 60s. The "Daytona" was added shortly after to mark Rolex's sponsorship of the renowned Nascar stock car race. The so-called "exotic" or "tropical" dial, later surnamed "Paul Newman", became soon available for reference 6239, either two-coloured white/cream and black or three-coloured, such as the present watch, with the addition of the red seconds scales.
For detailed descriptions and illustrations of reference 6239 see Rolex Daytona - a legend is born by Carlo Pergola, Stefano Mazzariol, Giovanni Dosso, pp. 44 - 61. Different versions of reference 6239 in regard to case material and dial layout are furthermore described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 296-303.