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Lot Essay
Wonderfully preserved and recently serviced by Rolex, this is one of the very last manually wound Daytonas (of all references) to ever be manufactured. A layer of historical appeal is given to this watch by its 9.6 million case back, denoting the production year 1987: Indeed 1987 is the year the manually wound Daytonas were discontinued in favor of the automatic versions. Reference 6265 was launched around 1970, the majority were made in stainless steel. The present example is the most lavish iteration of the model: in 18k gold with gold bracelet. Over a production period of about 17 years only up to 2000 examples were made in gold. Watches from the later production period, from the early 1980s and after have a movement number engraved on the plate beneath the balance. It is likely that this relates to the officially certified chronometer classification of the movement as it was during this period that the dials of the gold versions started to be printed with the legend: “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified”.
A cornerstone of a serious Rolex collection, reference 6265 is distinguished by its metal bezel with tachymeter scale, screw down chronograph buttons and caliber 727 movement. The bracelet is the rare version with riveted links and endlinks stamped 71, considered by the Rolex collecting community a collectible in its own right. The alternation between the central polished link and outer brushed links adds flair and movement to the ensemble.
The layer of oxidation noticeable between the chronograph pushers and crown, and also on some details of the bracelet, is the telltale mark of a watch which spent most of its life in a safety deposit box. Another testament to the care the present timepiece has seen throughout its life is the presence and extreme crispness of all the three stamps under the lugs. As often happens with Rolex, the case back bears a different reference number than the case: 6263. This is because the specifications of the case back for the two references are exactly the same, and thus the company was inclined to mount whatever case back was available during final assembly. The stamp CRS is the mark of the case maker Charles-René Spielmann.
A cornerstone of a serious Rolex collection, reference 6265 is distinguished by its metal bezel with tachymeter scale, screw down chronograph buttons and caliber 727 movement. The bracelet is the rare version with riveted links and endlinks stamped 71, considered by the Rolex collecting community a collectible in its own right. The alternation between the central polished link and outer brushed links adds flair and movement to the ensemble.
The layer of oxidation noticeable between the chronograph pushers and crown, and also on some details of the bracelet, is the telltale mark of a watch which spent most of its life in a safety deposit box. Another testament to the care the present timepiece has seen throughout its life is the presence and extreme crispness of all the three stamps under the lugs. As often happens with Rolex, the case back bears a different reference number than the case: 6263. This is because the specifications of the case back for the two references are exactly the same, and thus the company was inclined to mount whatever case back was available during final assembly. The stamp CRS is the mark of the case maker Charles-René Spielmann.