An Overview of Rolex Daytona History
Rolex Daytona ‘Big Red’ ref. 6263 / Credit: Amsterdam Vintage Watches
Some people think of going on vacation, others think of starting a small business, but those among us who think ‘Daytona’ are truly of a different class. Personally, I’m not the biggest Rolex Daytona fanatic, as with any budding collector I certainly had a phase (6263 guy here), but in my ever-changing watch collection wish list, it doesn’t currently have a place. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a place in my heart, it certainly does, and this is why.
The Rolex Daytona started out, as with many timepieces we’ve discussed so far, during World War II, as a no-name Oyster case chronograph. Rolex made mechanical chronographs before the war but started to release ‘official’ models in the post-war period, like the ref. 6234 released in 1955. In 1962, Rolex became the official timekeepers of the Daytona International Speedway, nicknaming their newly released Rolex Cosmograph ref. 6239 the ‘Daytona’ after the racetrack in 1963. These first Rolex Daytonas used a Valjoux 72 movement, a precursor to the famed Valjoux 7750, and sold for about $200. The first Rolex chronograph to host the word ‘Daytona’ on the dial was the ref. 6240, released in 1964 and produced until 1969. It is still one of the rarest Daytonas available.
Then, in 1972, the Rolex Daytona got a new brand ambassador when Paul Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward, gifted him a new ref. 6239 that featured an exotic dial – what we today refer to as a ‘Paul Newman’ Dayonta. Thereafter, Paul Newman was rarely photographed without his Daytona, and became the de facto face of the watch. This connection was boosted by Newman’s individual celebrity, which continued to increase into the 1980s. Rolex even sponsored a book about Newman called “Paul Newman – Les images d’une vie” in 2006. Today these exotic dial Rolex Daytonas are amongst the most revered and are found on 6 references the: 6239, 6241, 6263, 6264, and 6265. Daytonas along with MilSubs and some others (like the Stelline ref. 6062) are among the most expensive and most exclusive vintage watches in the world, easily fetching prices north of $100 000, despite the title of this article.