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Lot Essay
The present lot is an exciting and very attractive example of a reference 6239, distinguished not only by its remarkably original condition, but also by its fresh to the market provenance.
The most noteworthy aspect of this reference 6239 is however its rare three-colour Paul Newman dial configuration including the popular red outer seconds scale. The dial is preserved in excellent condition and its attractiveness is increased through the obviously original and nicely aged luminous accents and by the so-called sing-song “T SWISS T” designation presenting taller letters in the center and shorter at the ends. The case is likewise preserved in good honest overall condition, with crisp serial and reference numbers between the lugs.
Reference 6239
No other model of Rolex watch focuses so much attention as the manual-winding Rolex Cosmograph, its many dial variations and different references now so intensely sought after by collectors, it can be said quite unequivocally to be the most desirable vintage series production watch in the world. 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 tachymetre 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" dial, later nicknamed "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. 296-30. A similar model is prominently described and illustrated in Ultimate Rolex Daytona by Pucci Papaleo, pp. 108 - 111.
The most noteworthy aspect of this reference 6239 is however its rare three-colour Paul Newman dial configuration including the popular red outer seconds scale. The dial is preserved in excellent condition and its attractiveness is increased through the obviously original and nicely aged luminous accents and by the so-called sing-song “T SWISS T” designation presenting taller letters in the center and shorter at the ends. The case is likewise preserved in good honest overall condition, with crisp serial and reference numbers between the lugs.
Reference 6239
No other model of Rolex watch focuses so much attention as the manual-winding Rolex Cosmograph, its many dial variations and different references now so intensely sought after by collectors, it can be said quite unequivocally to be the most desirable vintage series production watch in the world. 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 tachymetre 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" dial, later nicknamed "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. 296-30. A similar model is prominently described and illustrated in Ultimate Rolex Daytona by Pucci Papaleo, pp. 108 - 111.