202 Rolex A highly attractive and very rare, Daytona, manual chronograph wristwatch in steel, with “big red” dial, guarantee and presentation box, reference 6263.

Estimate: € 50.000 –⁠ 100.000

NO RESERVE

• Model Daytona
• Year 1981
• Reference 6263
• Case Material Stainless steel
• Case Number 6'608'046
• Bracelet Material Stainless steel Rolex bracelet, approximate length 210mm
• Movement Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
• Dimension 37mm Diameter
• Signed Case, dial and movement
• Accessories Accompanied by Rolex guarantee dated 9th January 1986 stamped Otto Breede Juwelier, invoice of purchase, booklets and box.

Born in the early 1970s and produced until the late 1980s, the 6263 represents the final, most evolved chapter of the manually wound Daytona lineage, an era before automatic calibres or ceramic bezels, when chronographs were instruments first and icons second. Introduced at a time when endurance racing was reaching fever pitch, the 6263 was engineered with purpose. Its 37mm stainless steel Oyster case, fitted with screw-down pushers and crown, marked a decisive technical step forward. These features dramatically enhanced water resistance, transforming the Daytona from a stylish chronograph into a genuinely robust tool watch. The black acrylic bezel, with a tachymeter scale, is a direct link to the racetrack, designed to calculate average speeds with clarity and immediacy. The present example is fitted with the celebrated silver dial configuration, animated by three contrasting black sub-dials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. This simil “panda” arrangement offers superb legibility, while the red “Daytona” signature arching above the lower register gives the watch its affectionate nickname: the “Big Red.” That single line of text, vivid, confident, unmistakable, has become one of the most coveted details in vintage Rolex collecting. Beneath the dial beats the manually wound calibre 727, Rolex’s final and most refined evolution of the Valjoux 72 architecture. As the last of the screw-down, manual Daytonas, the 6263 occupies a unique position in Rolex history. It bridges the utilitarian spirit of early racing chronographs with the burgeoning collectability that would define the model in decades to come. Offered with its original guarantee and invoice of purchase, the present watch is a tangible fragment of Daytona history.