Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 Big Red

The ‘Big Red’.

In the history of timekeeping, Daytona is a name many people will know. In the United States, most people will associate the name Daytona to the NASCAR racing track, especially the Daytona 500 rally. However, many watch enthusiasts will rather think of a Rolex watch instead of a racetrack, but we do thank the American petrolheads for giving Rolex a legendary name and reason to bring this watch onto the market.

Rolex had designed a hand full of chronographs and precision watches before bringing the first Cosmograph to the market in 1963. That watch, ref. 6239, is acknowledged as the first ‘Daytona’ in history, but really the watch got its name only in 1965 when it was first printed onto the dial. The Daytona has had multiple variations when it comes to dials, pushers and bezels. The Daytona 6263 we are offering, the Big Red, has got a black dial with very clean white registers and with its name ‘Daytona’ printed in thick red letters, this made the name more present and prominent than ever before resulting in its nickname the Big Red.

In this reference, the Rolex changed the pushers and crown compared to the previous model, the crown got bigger and the pushers were changed back to screw-down pushers to make the watch more waterproof; 100 meters instead of the 50 meters of its predecessor. This watch has a synthetic bezel inlay which looks great with no serious wear and is easily legible for time measurements.

The overall condition of this 1972 Daytona is magnificent. There is little to zero stretches on the oyster bracelet and all the reference numbers from both end links and bracelet correspond with the reference and age of this watch. The watch case doesn’t have a single dent or any serious wear.

Movie star Paul Newman has worn a Daytona on many documented occasions in his life. When his watch went to auction in 2017 the whole watch loving world was flabbergasted to see his Daytona go for an astonishing 17,75 million dollars, the most expensive watch ever sold. This has determined the collectability and value of vintage Daytona’s for good. The most important aspect for a vintage Rolex is its originality, and the watch we’re offering is original all the way and its condition is close to perfection.

Visit our store for this beautiful and rare Rolex. We are located in the Reestraat, Amsterdam.