While most collectors tend to be obsessed with steel Daytona – especially Paul Newman models – I have become obsessed with a different kind of Daytona as of late:

Gold Daytona. 

Ever since I tried on the 6263 in gold with champagne dial – I have been a little bit obsessed with these gold watches. Maybe also because they are seen so seldom. Only an estimated 2-4’000 Gold Daytona are assumed to have ever left the Rolex factory*.

Gold Daytona have sparked my interest for many reasons. 1) I love the material – gold – it is warm and noble 2) Gold Daytona are more rare than steel versions 3) Gold Daytona with standard dials are hyper rare 4) black dials in gold cases are a personal favourite of mine. 4) they are still undervalued in my opinion relative to their steel counterparts.

*(I am referring to the 4 digit reference number manually wound Daytona here).

---

First a bit of background on gold Daytona.

Like with many Rolex icons today including the Paul Newman, at first Gold Daytona watches were not well received by the market. Watch collectors did not understand the attractiveness of a gold sports watch and instead reserved the gold thin watches for evening wear. As a result, Rolex did not produce many Gold Daytona due to lacklustre demand.

Another peculiar thing tended to happen to Gold Daytona. When demand did improve many gold Daytona watches with normal dials had been swapped for with Paul Newman (also called exotic dials) – due to their international appeal. The result is that Gold Daytona with normal dials have become extremely rare. Thus, still today, even with prices having soared – Gold Daytona watches with normal dials in my view are still being undervalued by the market. Especially early black dials. 

Like with this special 1970 Rolex 6263 three lines only Daytona.

(Credit: Christies watches).

---

Now I am not a Daytona expert by any means. But even a relative novice like me in the Daytona world – immediately spotted something unusual when looking at this watch in more detail.

The watch above is a 6263 and carries the calibre 727, which is the upgraded chronometer movement. It also has screw down pushers and as a result should have COSC Chronometer Officially Certified on the dial. But notice this is lacking here. Apparently and according to Christies research, this watch belongs to the very first batch delivered that were not tested for COSC certification. Thus Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified is missing on the dial. Instead of the usual 4 lines of text found on a 6263 with screw down pushers you have only 3. Notice also the unusual Cosmograph as the third line, it is more commonly found above the six o’clock subdial with the reference 6263.

Furthermore, this watch has a few other things that make it a grail watch. First it carries a very early first generation bezel insert with the correct 2 in 200 and snowman 8 in 180. Secondly and even more importantly perhaps – this watch carries the impossibly early and rare first generation pushers called ‘millerighe’ or fine line pushers. Other details like the 71 endlinks and black dial with champagne indexes (versus more common champagne dial with black indexes) make this watch a true grail.

Let us appreciate this 6263 from another angle.

(Credit: Christies watches).

This is a true connoisseurs Daytona. While a gold Paul Newman dial, John Player special or other exotic Paul Newman in gold might grab the headlines, this 6263 is for collectors who know their chronographs. Fresh to the market, at the time of sale in 2015, and from the original owner – this Daytona was a trophy asset. In my view this 6263 was a true PAK watch. Let me list the reasons below:

• Very early and hyper rare 1970 Rolex Daytona 6263 with non COSC dial (only 10 are known).
• Correct early bezel insert with correct 2 and snowman 8, along with the rare and correct first generation ‘millerighe’ pushers.
• Attractive combination of black dial and gold case – versus more common champagne dial and black subdials
• Very rare and unusual 3 Line with the 6263 reference makes this watch impossibly rare and more unusual than most other Gold Daytona including the exotic dials or Paul Newman

The market of Daytona collectors only somewhat recognised this outstanding 6263 Daytona.

It sold for CHF 191’000 versus an estimate of CHF 75’000 – 150’000. Now CHF 191’000 might be regarded as a lot of money for a gold Daytona but consider the fact that there exists far more John Player special or 6241 Gold Daytona with exotic dials – both of which fetch double of our trophy PAK watch here. Then you begin to realise that the market still undervalues this rare 6263 non COSC.

I think it was a clever buy and with time collectors will even more appreciate these black dial Gold Daytona for their utter beauty and extreme rarity. Especially a 3 line version. As the Christies catalogue rightfully states: ‘The dial, however, further pushes the boundaries of this timepiece and propels it into the Olympus of Daytona collecting’.

I could not agree more.

---