The Special Rolex Daytona Dial 

There is no vintage watch topic that does not touch on the prevalence of the Rolex Daytona. Lets all face it, it’s a watch that brings about an unchartered amount of curiosity and lore. Written below we will delve into a brief and very condensed overview of the Daytona family lineup. It will allow you to differentiate one model from another. We will explain where all these terms come from and what they actually mean.

The Red Daytona

The ever-cool signature found on the dial above the six o’clock sub-dial. Distinctive recognition due to its oversized red color printed “Daytona”. This feature is found on references 6263 and 6265.

 

Double Swiss

Found on early Daytona’s and features a double printed “Swiss” on the six o’clock sector of the dial. This occurrence came about due to the presence of a large bezel that covered the lower part of the dials. As per regulation Rolex had to re-print these dials with an additional “Swiss”. A double Swiss print on a dial is coveted and carries a substantial premium price tag.

 

Floating Cosmograph

Rolex vocab is applied when a line of text is floating or suspended below the text or above the chronograph sub dial. Really cool detail to see in person.

 

Oyster First Series

Another form of “floating” occurrence where there are gaps between multiple lines of text. This detail is prevalent on some gold screw down Daytona’s such as the ref. 6263 and 6265. An Oyster split Daytona is incredibly rare.

 

John Player Special

The highly lauded JPS Daytona is found on yellow gold models and is fitted on black dialed “Exotic Paul Newman’s” and text is printed in gold lettering. Named John Player Special after its similarity with the color schemes of the 1970’s John Player Special car racing team. There was never an affiliation between the team and the Rolex manufacture.

 

Oyster Sotto

Is seen on Daytona’s with the “Oyster” print located beneath the “Cosmograph” print. Oyster Sotto’s are found on early batches of the exotic dialed screw down chronographs. Sotto’s are amongst the most coveted variations and those who own them know exactly what they are doing.

 

Panda Chronograph

Is a Daytona fitted with a white dial accompanied by black sub dials. Much like a panda bear.

 

Double Stamped Daytona

A double stamped Daytona is the dream for many a collector. A twice stamped dial features the Rolex name but also the name of the retailer that originally sold the watch. Tifanny & Co. remains to the day the most significant partner of the Swiss manufacturer. It is common for double stamped Daytona’s to feature a hand engraved inventory number inscribed on the back side of the case lug.

 

Sigma Daytona

Are those dials that feature solid white gold indexes and hands. These types of dials are found on both steel and gold models, and they represent an additional step taken in the quality control. A Sigma dial can be identified by observing the small Greek sigma letters printed below the six o’clock mark.

 

Tropical Daytona

Is a dial that has become brown from its original black color. This phenomenon is caused by an error in pigmentation coupled with exposure to UV rays. An evenly brown dial on a Daytona is an unbelievable sight and a detail that drives collectors and auction houses afire.

 

Underline Daytona

Dial features a short line underneath the text at 12 o ‘clock or 6 o’clock. Rolex introduced as a measure to indicate their transition from using radioactive radium with tritium as the source of dial luminescence. The underline Daytona ceased after dials incorporated the tritium indicating wording conveniently located below the six o’clock marking.

 

 

The Transitional Cosmograph

No other family of watches causes as much excitement as Valjoux powered Rolex Daytona’s. These chronographs are in a realm of their own as they can singlehandedly influence market trends. We were at Christies when 50 Daytona’s broke world records for auction prices causing a collectors frenzy in the process. Click here to browse through our Daytona collection for sale.

 

Car Racing Heritage

The Daytona is a watch that checks every box in the collector’s book. They embody what a vintage watch should be and look like. Valjoux Daytona’s have that quality feel that can never be replicated by a modern watch. Rolex conceived this chronograph to serve as a tool for car racing. Their status as reliable timing devices made them staples on the wrists of some of the coolest men to walk this planet, enter Mr. Paul Newman and Sir Jackie Stewart.

Daytona Lineup

The Daytona family is composed of the following references: 6239, 6240, 6241, 6262, 6264, 6265, 6263, and 6269/70. All are fascinating in their own right but we have a particular penchant for the elusive Rolex Daytona 6262.

This 6262 reference is known as the transitional Daytona as Rolex manufactured them for the span of one year (1969 to 1970), making them the least produced Daytona. Well let’s not consider the 6269/70 as that’s an outlier. Records estimate only 347,000 examples of the 6262 left the manufacture between the span of 1 year. These chronographs are found with serials ranging from 2.241.000 to 2.589.000, no more no less.

The Daytona 6239 is Given a Facelift

The reason to the “transitional” moniker is Rolex’s usage of the reference to test out several features and variants for future Daytona’s. For example the 6262 was the first watch to be equipped with the final and faster beating Valjoux 727 caliber, advancing from the prior Valjoux 722. The 727 became the last manual movement used by Rolex before shifting to the automatic Zenith in the late 80’s.

Rolex also modified its highly successful Oyster case with the 6262, an edit that brought more backlash than success. Reason was the case was thicker and prone to damaging the rather luxurious 17 jewels movement inside. Rolex fans took notice of these changes and accused the brand of deviating away from manufacturing tool watches and entering the era of sporty elegance.

Magnificent but Short-Lived

The 6262 is seen as the direct counterpart of the 6265 as it has the same steel bezel graduated to 200 units, but lacks the screw down pushers prominently accentuating the 6265’s look. As a business move Rolex did not strike gold with the 6262. This failure has proven an advantage in the modern market as collectors now appreciate rare and low produced watches.

The Daytona 6262 can be found in three metal variants fitted with three dial types. Like any vintage tool watch the most common metal is steel. Rolex also manufactured a limited strand of 6262’s in 14K and 18K yellow gold. Now, finding a 6262 is not easy. Finding a 6262 in gold might be a near impossible feat. Assuming one is found you will need to be ready to break the bank, because it will cost a small fortune. Numbers put gold 6262’s at grand total of 30 examples made.

 

Dial Variations

The common dials found on 6262’s are the traditional two tones. Either black face with white sub dials or white face with black sub dials. Within those variants the most coveted is the black face, as they look much nicer on the wrist. The least common type of dial is the famed exotic dial AKA the Paul Newman. These are easy to spot as the sub dial demarcations are printed with art deco lettering.

Blue Daytona

Within the dials offered in the catalogue is one that is not, as a matter of fact Rolex never foresaw this type of dial. We are talking about the blue dial. When these dials pop up at auctions or are offered by important international dealers they are referred to as Blue Daytona’s. Blues are only found on black dial Daytona’s. The way to spot them is to focus on the lettering which spells out Daytona commonly located arching above the hours sub dial. Rolex printed these letters in white but due to a chemical reaction in the paint the white turned into a blue hue. What was a Rolex error has now become a detail that commands a retail premium. Click here and here to see what a Blue Daytona looks like.

Technical Information

Our Rolex Daytona Collection for Sale

Click here to browse through our Daytona collection for sale.