55 Rolex Exceptionally Rare, Precious and Sought After, Daytona Chronograph, Wristwatch in Steel, UAE Quraysh Hawk Dial, With Box and Papers, Published in Pucci Papaleo’s Book “Ultimate Rolex Daytona”

Estimate: € 250,000 –⁠ 500,000

Sold € 325,000

Model: Daytona
Reference: 6265
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Bracelet Material: Stainless Steel
Year: 1980
Movement: Manual
Caliber: 727
Case N°: 6 294 410
Dimensions: 37 mm
Signed: Dial, Case and Movement
Accessories: Box and Papers
Literature: This specific watch is published in Pucci Papaleo’s Book "Ultimate Rolex Daytona" at Page 508-511

It’s nice to notice how the history of the Daytona Chronograph starts with a fail. As the classical tool watch made by Rolex, the Daytona was sent to NASA for testing but it did not pass the assessment with flying colors, the crown of the Moon Watch was granted to Omega’s Speedmaster instead. Struggling to find a purpose for the Daytona after losing the competition with Omega, Rolex immediately found the solution in 1964, partaking in the NASCAR event. From that moment on, the Daytona started gaining popularity all over the world, also in the United Arab Emirates. Rolex has always been appreciated by the Arab States in the Gulf, in fact, it has created some of the most surprising, beautiful and unusual watches for them. At the beginning of the 1970s, the United Arab Emirates and its seven Arab nations specially commissioned watches from Rolex to be given as gifts for officials, diplomats and dignitaries. One of the rarest of these commission pieces is the Cosmograph Daytona “Desert Eagle”, made upon the special request for Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai in the mid 1970s, such as the present watch, part of a small order of timepieces. Coveted treasures sought after by collectors around the world, these watches are absolutely rare and only a handful were fitted with this dial configuration. The model is the iconic 6265 in stainless steel, identified by the screw pushers and, unlike its brother 6263, with a steel bezel. Preserved in very nice conditions is also equipped with a steel bracelet. The original and very well-preserved dial stands out by the evenly discolored luminous accents, displaying a most charismatic ocher-colored tone and shows in polychrome relief printing the Quraysh Hawk, the UAE emblem. Whereas a few Rolex reference 6263 and a 6265 “Desert Eagle” have appeared previously on the auction market this is, to the best of our knowledge, the very first time a reference 6265 with box and papers appears in an international auction room. Indeed, this very watch still owns the original box with impress the Quraysh logo, the warranty shows the stamp with written Kooheji Al Khobar and is published in Pucci Papaleo’s Book “Ultimate Rolex Daytona” at Page 508–511.