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Lot Essay
The very rarest, most beautiful and individually significant Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas are today esteemed as important 20th century works of art. Among these vintage wristwatch greats are the stars of the Rolex world, specific watches that have become famous in their own right as the most admired examples of their kind and combine all the attributes that any collector could wish for. Christie’s is honoured to be able to now offer one such Rolex giant - The 18K gold reference 6264 with 'Tropical lemon Paul Newman' dial.
This impressive Tropical Lemon Dial Daytona has the remarkable distinction of having had very few owners since new, it was the property of the original owner until around 2012. Since that time, it has changed owners to end up within the collection of one of the most important European Rolex collector. Carefully preserved and treasured by the present owner for the last 5 years, it is with great excitement that we can present to collectors a watch at the very top level of desirability, ranking amongst the world’s most coveted Cosmographs and certainly one of the most important gold Paul Newman Daytona wristwatches in existence.
The Importance of Rolex Cosmograph Daytona no. 2’357’384
What sets this watch apart even from the small group of the known Lemon Paul Newman Daytonas is that both the outer minute/fifths of a second ring and all three subsidiary dials have tropicalized from black to an even rich chocolate brown. The present watch is on of the allusive known example of its kind on this reference where both the outer ring and the subsidiary dials are tropicalized. Furthermore, the luminous accents have equally tropicalized to an intense dark brown, further enhancing the overall effect. This dial can therefore be considered a remarkable phenomenon combining the rarest dial variant of the gold Paul Newman with wonderful tropicalization together in one exceptional dial.
The Lemon Paul Newman Dial History and Background
The so-called “lemon” Paul Newman refers to the pale hue of the background colour, very few examples are known and the shade can vary from watch to watch from pale straw to almost yellow. Furthermore, it is distinguished by the white printing on the engine-turned subsidiary dials, again, only a handful of dials with this configuration are known. Rolex usually produced yellow gold Paul Newman Cosmographs with champagne/gilt numbers and indexes on their totalizers which blend with the tonality of the dial as a whole, instead, the white numbers and indexes on the present watch sharply contrast with the dark background providing a rather striking visual addition to the overall effect.
Only seven or eight examples of the 18K gold reference 6264 are known publicly with a lemon dial with white printed subsidiary numerals, of this group, only two are partially tropicalized. Those incredibly beautiful and ultra-rare specimens exhibit a different tropicalization phenomena to the present watch in that only the outer minutes/seconds ring has changed to chocolate brown whilst the subsidiary dials have remained black. Interestingly, although not of course unexpectedly, both those watches and the present watch have serial numbers in close proximity:
No. 2’357’384 - the present watch – both outer minutes/seconds ring and subsidiary dials tropicalized
No. 2’357’421 - outer minutes/seconds ring tropicalized only
No. 2’357’468 – outer minutes/seconds ring tropicalized only
In fact all the known gold 6264 watches with this configuration of lemon dial with white sub dial printing have serial numbers in the same 2’330’*** to 2’357’*** bracket. One example each of gold references 6239 and 6263 also exhibit this dial type. Of all the known pieces across three references, only three pieces including the present watch have tropicalized dials.
This elite and rarified group of gold reference 6264 all share the same technical specifications:
manufactured in 1970
case by C.R. Spillmann S.A. with reference 6241 screw back
caliber 727 movement
The earliest known gold 6264 Paul Newman with lemon dial and white numerals inside the subsidiary dials (not tropicalized) was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2018, lot 2534.
Reference 6264
Amongst all of the Cosmograph Daytonas, reference 6264 is one of the rarest, considered by collectors to be a transitional model, it was in production for only three years between 1969 and 1972.
Together with reference 6262, it was the last Rolex chronograph watch featuring the simple round push-down buttons. All future Cosmograph references, starting with references 6263 and 6265, bear screw down chronograph buttons. Reference 6264 was available in stainless steel, as well as 14K and 18K gold. It has a bezel with black acrylic insert and white tachymeter graduation.
This impressive Tropical Lemon Dial Daytona has the remarkable distinction of having had very few owners since new, it was the property of the original owner until around 2012. Since that time, it has changed owners to end up within the collection of one of the most important European Rolex collector. Carefully preserved and treasured by the present owner for the last 5 years, it is with great excitement that we can present to collectors a watch at the very top level of desirability, ranking amongst the world’s most coveted Cosmographs and certainly one of the most important gold Paul Newman Daytona wristwatches in existence.
The Importance of Rolex Cosmograph Daytona no. 2’357’384
What sets this watch apart even from the small group of the known Lemon Paul Newman Daytonas is that both the outer minute/fifths of a second ring and all three subsidiary dials have tropicalized from black to an even rich chocolate brown. The present watch is on of the allusive known example of its kind on this reference where both the outer ring and the subsidiary dials are tropicalized. Furthermore, the luminous accents have equally tropicalized to an intense dark brown, further enhancing the overall effect. This dial can therefore be considered a remarkable phenomenon combining the rarest dial variant of the gold Paul Newman with wonderful tropicalization together in one exceptional dial.
The Lemon Paul Newman Dial History and Background
The so-called “lemon” Paul Newman refers to the pale hue of the background colour, very few examples are known and the shade can vary from watch to watch from pale straw to almost yellow. Furthermore, it is distinguished by the white printing on the engine-turned subsidiary dials, again, only a handful of dials with this configuration are known. Rolex usually produced yellow gold Paul Newman Cosmographs with champagne/gilt numbers and indexes on their totalizers which blend with the tonality of the dial as a whole, instead, the white numbers and indexes on the present watch sharply contrast with the dark background providing a rather striking visual addition to the overall effect.
Only seven or eight examples of the 18K gold reference 6264 are known publicly with a lemon dial with white printed subsidiary numerals, of this group, only two are partially tropicalized. Those incredibly beautiful and ultra-rare specimens exhibit a different tropicalization phenomena to the present watch in that only the outer minutes/seconds ring has changed to chocolate brown whilst the subsidiary dials have remained black. Interestingly, although not of course unexpectedly, both those watches and the present watch have serial numbers in close proximity:
No. 2’357’384 - the present watch – both outer minutes/seconds ring and subsidiary dials tropicalized
No. 2’357’421 - outer minutes/seconds ring tropicalized only
No. 2’357’468 – outer minutes/seconds ring tropicalized only
In fact all the known gold 6264 watches with this configuration of lemon dial with white sub dial printing have serial numbers in the same 2’330’*** to 2’357’*** bracket. One example each of gold references 6239 and 6263 also exhibit this dial type. Of all the known pieces across three references, only three pieces including the present watch have tropicalized dials.
This elite and rarified group of gold reference 6264 all share the same technical specifications:
manufactured in 1970
case by C.R. Spillmann S.A. with reference 6241 screw back
caliber 727 movement
The earliest known gold 6264 Paul Newman with lemon dial and white numerals inside the subsidiary dials (not tropicalized) was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2018, lot 2534.
Reference 6264
Amongst all of the Cosmograph Daytonas, reference 6264 is one of the rarest, considered by collectors to be a transitional model, it was in production for only three years between 1969 and 1972.
Together with reference 6262, it was the last Rolex chronograph watch featuring the simple round push-down buttons. All future Cosmograph references, starting with references 6263 and 6265, bear screw down chronograph buttons. Reference 6264 was available in stainless steel, as well as 14K and 18K gold. It has a bezel with black acrylic insert and white tachymeter graduation.