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Lot Essay
Starting in the 1970's, Rolex began producing the new references 6263 and 6265, in either gold or steel. The main difference between the two references is the bezel - the 6263 with a black acrylic insert with white printing, and the 6265 with a metal bezel. Both references were produced until the mid-1980's.
Rolex is well known in the world of watch collecting for its tendency to wildly experiment with the design of its models, especially Daytonas. The earlier models are the ones that offer a wider array of unusual dials, obviously all efforts toward the final goal of designing the "perfect" dial layout. While a canon did get established at some point around the mid '70s, Rolex R&D department was obviously still trying new designs, often just slightly different than the norm. In a wristwatch, however, even a small modification can have a momentous effect on the final look of the timepiece. The present piece perfectly exemplifies this concept. As a matter of fact, this 6265 features the incredibly rare so-called "ultra-flat" dial. The difference with a normal dial is very subtle: the subsidiary dials, instead of being sunken and engine-turned, are level with the rest of the dial and matte. The result is a highly increased presence of the subcounters on the dial: losing their tri-dimensionality, they seem to be floating over the dial, an effect amplified by the contrast of the black matte finish with the shiny, silvered brushed dial.
Rolex is well known in the world of watch collecting for its tendency to wildly experiment with the design of its models, especially Daytonas. The earlier models are the ones that offer a wider array of unusual dials, obviously all efforts toward the final goal of designing the "perfect" dial layout. While a canon did get established at some point around the mid '70s, Rolex R&D department was obviously still trying new designs, often just slightly different than the norm. In a wristwatch, however, even a small modification can have a momentous effect on the final look of the timepiece. The present piece perfectly exemplifies this concept. As a matter of fact, this 6265 features the incredibly rare so-called "ultra-flat" dial. The difference with a normal dial is very subtle: the subsidiary dials, instead of being sunken and engine-turned, are level with the rest of the dial and matte. The result is a highly increased presence of the subcounters on the dial: losing their tri-dimensionality, they seem to be floating over the dial, an effect amplified by the contrast of the black matte finish with the shiny, silvered brushed dial.