Signed Rolex, Oyster, Cosmograph, Ref 6263, Case No. 3’048’283, Circa 1972

Reference 6263, together with its sister reference with metal bezel 6265, is the final evolution of the manually wound Daytona Cosmograph. It differentiates itself from previous iterations mainly for the 727 caliber, instead of calibers 72B, 722 and 722-1 found in earlier references. In production from the late 1960s to around 1987, for a few years it coexisted with reference 6264 (and 6262, with metal bezel), which lack however the screw down chronograph pushers, and for this reason were soon discontinued. Considered one of the most appealing versions of vintage Daytona, the present watch is furthermore graced by the rare and extremely elegant "Panda" Paul Newman dial, distinguished by black subsidiary dials on white background, and absolute lack of any other colors: there is no red Daytona designation, and the fifth of a second divisions are white instead of red. The "Panda" Paul Newman reference 6263 is one of the most desirable watches for Rolex collectors.

The original owner of this watch used it for daily wear and preferred it on a strap so he set aside and misplaced the original bracelet. The present watch was a late "Panda" Paul Newman reference 6263 example given its serial number.