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Lot Essay
Amongst collectors, reference 6238 is known as the "Pre-Daytona", enjoying ever growing popularity within the community of Rolex aficionados. In production from the early 1960s to 1967, it was the company's last traditional chronograph wristwatch with polished bezel and the tachometer scale on the dial. It is regarded as the precursor of ref. 6239, the very first Cosmograph Daytona, all the while produced at the same time. The latter used certain style elements of ref. 6238, notably the case, indexes, crown and chronograph pushers.
The "Pre-Daytona" was predominantly available with a silvered dial, the firm’s first chronograph featuring the sunburst finished version, officially referred to as "cadran soleil argent", which gave the ideal background for the newly designed hands - for the first time in straight baton form. The new dial finish and the baton-shaped hands can be found on all Rolex Daytona chronographs up to the mid-1980s, rendering these sports watches highly functional while lending them a particularly distinctive, masculine look.
The present ref. 6238 is distinguished by its rare black matte, also called grainé finished dial, and silver printing. The “T-SWISS-T” designation above 6 o’clock indicates that the luminous hands and dots to the hour markers are coated with Tritium.
Moreover preserved in very good, original overall condition, this extremely attractive chronograph is undoubtedly among the best-looking watches for daily wear.
For descriptions and illustrations of examples with the matte dial version see 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, pp. 130 & 131, and I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 282 & 283.
The "Pre-Daytona" was predominantly available with a silvered dial, the firm’s first chronograph featuring the sunburst finished version, officially referred to as "cadran soleil argent", which gave the ideal background for the newly designed hands - for the first time in straight baton form. The new dial finish and the baton-shaped hands can be found on all Rolex Daytona chronographs up to the mid-1980s, rendering these sports watches highly functional while lending them a particularly distinctive, masculine look.
The present ref. 6238 is distinguished by its rare black matte, also called grainé finished dial, and silver printing. The “T-SWISS-T” designation above 6 o’clock indicates that the luminous hands and dots to the hour markers are coated with Tritium.
Moreover preserved in very good, original overall condition, this extremely attractive chronograph is undoubtedly among the best-looking watches for daily wear.
For descriptions and illustrations of examples with the matte dial version see 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, pp. 130 & 131, and I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 282 & 283.