Vintage Rolex Daytona 6263 - Vintage of the Week Episode 1 | Bob's Watches

Welcome to the first installment of our series Vintage of the Week. We’re kicking things off with the Rolex 6263 Daytona. Vintage Rolex Watches: https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-r...

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00:00 INTRO
00:28 Wrist Check
01:39 Vintage Rolex Daytona 6263
04:58 The Pushers
05:20 The Dial
06:44 Comparison with the 6265
08:32 Watch Availability
09:16 Watch Condition/B-Roll
09:52 Outro

Are you interested in learning more about the Daytona ref. 6263, including its history, features, the Rolex 6263 price, and where to buy the Rolex 6263? Check out our new Vintage of the Week series here: https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blo...

The Rolex 6263 is one of the most desirable vintage Daytona watches on the secondary market. Part of its massive appeal lies in its stunning black acrylic bezel and the fact that it is one of the last Daytona watches to use a manual-winding movement.

It also has connections to beloved actor and accomplished racecar driver Paul Newman. It’s no wonder the Daytona 6263 has since become the grail watch of many vintage luxury watch enthusiasts.

A very nice example of the Dayton 6263 recently came through our doors. Join Justin and Jessie as they review the watch themselves and take a closer look at its history and feature set.

The Daytona hit the market in 1963. The collection initially included a handful of references, such as the 6239, 6240, 6264, and, eventually, the topic of our review, ref. 6263.

Its counterpart, ref. 6265 also hit the market in the early 1970s, featuring a very similar design set as ref. 6263, with the main difference between the two watches being the bezel – ref. 6263 features the very desirable black acrylic bezel, while ref. 6265 features a steel bezel.

Most of the early editions of the manual-wind Daytonas were equipped with non-Oyster cases and pump pushers. However, ref. 6263 utilizes Rolex’s legendary Oyster case with a screw-down crown and water resistance up to 100 meters.

It was also one of the first Daytona watches to feature screw-down pushers, further adding to its waterproofness and giving it a more aggressive aesthetic that distinguishes it from those with pump pushers.

THE DIAL
Rolex released several dial variations during ref. 6263’s production. One of the most iconic is the Paul Newman dial, distinguished by Art Deco markers on the chronograph registers and either a Panda or Reverse Panda dial. As you might have guessed, Panda dials are white with black registers, while Reverse Panda dials are black with white registers.

Paul Newman Daytonas are some of the most valuable ref. 6263’s, fetching at least $100k pre-owned.

The Sigma dial is another notable variation of ref. 6263. It is characterized by the Greek Sigma letter on each side of the “T SWISS T” distinction at the bottom of the dial. It signifies that the hour markers are made from solid white or yellow gold.

This dial can be easy to miss but is incredibly valuable, nonetheless.

The last dial worth showcasing here is the Big Red Daytona dial, which, as you might have already guessed, is distinguished by a red Daytona logo. Reference 6263 wasn’t decorated with the “Daytona” logo until 1975. In fact, it only included the text Rolex, Oyster, and Cosmograph on the dial until then.

The example we have here is an early variation of reference 6263. Since it was produced in 1971, it does not have the Daytona logo on the dial.

It’s in really great condition with some expected signs of wear for a watch that is decades old, including some discoloration on the dial, minor wear on the bezel, and some slight stretch to the bracelet.

Remarkably, it comes to us from the original owner and is complete with the original box and papers. It was recently serviced by Rolex, during which many parts were replaced, and the movement was given a good tune-up.

The Rolex 6263 price ranges anywhere between $75k and well over $100k, depending on the condition of the watch and the feature set. The Daytona we received trades hands for around $85k to $90k.

Rolex 6263 availability:

As one of the most sought-after editions of the vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona on the secondary market, ref. 6263 is very hard to find. It also is no surprise that they command a pretty heft investment pre-owned.

We rarely see this stunning chronograph come through our doors, and we expect this example to sell fast.

That’s it for the first episode of Vintage of the week. Like this video and subscribe to the Bob’s Watches YouTube channel to receive notifications for the next installment!