Buy a Daytona if you have the money, it’s not a lie. If you search for celebrities who have worn Daytona, there are probably hundreds of thousands. You won’t find any other watch worn by so many stars. Regardless of age or gender, there is always a Daytona for you, which indirectly proves Daytona’s success and influence. If wearing a ceramic panda is the king of Rolex, then wearing Paul Newman is the boss of all Daytona.
Daytona is named after Daytona Beach in Florida, USA (the word Le Mans was also used at the beginning, but in the end, when the American market was larger, Daytona was chosen). The long and straight track there is changed to oval pot-shaped corners on the beach to facilitate high-speed cornering. It can be said to be a paradise for challenging human limits and racing speed. It can be said that the precise chronograph is simply born for the second, competing for every minute and second of the competition.
The first thing to know is that before Daytona, Rolex actually launched the Chronograph (chronograph) model Ref.6238 (and a Ref.6234 before it) in the mid-fifties. You can see a relatively simple aperture design. The CHRONOGAPH logo had been printed under the ROLEX at 12 o’clock, and there was a simple speed measurement lap on the outer edge of the disk. It was not until 1963 that Rolex launched the first Daytona (Ref. 6239) based on the 6238, and the outer ring was changed to a special racing speed lap, which became the familiar Daytona. And 6238 is also known as Pre-Daytona, the originator of Daytona generally refers to him.
If the antique daytona movement is strictly split, it can be further subdivided into three periods, the movements are 72B (722), 722-1, 727 three periods. In fact, not much has changed in terms of movement.
The early Daytona marks were sometimes absent, more chaotic and irregular, and Daytona without marks were often seen. In addition, the speedometer is also all engraved on the steel ring, and the three small bezels also have a high-contrast design. Most of the disks are white disks with black circles, and black disks with white circles. This design is also the most familiar Daytona.
It is important to point out that each model does not have a single type of disk, and it is easy to overlap with the production time being close. In addition to the very obvious version differences, many disks are actually interchangeable, which also makes it difficult to distinguish between different models.
Compared with 6241, which was launched a year later in 6239, the use of rubber rings (resin material) has become a highlight. This design has the same idea as the GMT ring in Greenwich. Although the resin texture is better and the black circle effect is more retro, there are not many antique daytona that can be completely preserved for decades. The craftsmanship of the black rubber ring is also quite particular, and the rubber ring is moulded with a special mold to produce scales and numbers. Note that the hollow font is on the back of the rubber ring, and then fill in white paint inside, and then inlay the rubber ring inside the outer steel ring, so that the paint will not fall off.
At the same time as the launch of the 6241, Rolex began to develop the 6240 engineering model with the OYSTER handle. Because it is a test model, it is the smallest model of all daytona.
This kind of apron with white characters has been used until the end of daytona, and the models with black apron are: 6241, 6240, 6263, 6264. Next, let’s talk about Paul Newman, who is most interesting to everyone.
First of all, it is mentioned above that the antique Daytona actually has many disks, and among them, the “dice” disk in the picture above can be called “Paul Newman” disk in a broad sense, but in a narrow sense, it is only the same 6239 steel ring with configured grid plate counts, but if you can buy one of them, I think they are all worth. Because buying Paul Newman requires eyesight in addition to financial resources, it is very difficult to find an untouched Paul Newman.
Paul Newman, whose name is resounding all over the world. As long as there are friends who know about replica watches, they must have heard of his name. Paul Newman, as a Hollywood movie star, because he really likes racing cars, he not only participates in racing movies but also appears on the track himself. The 6239 Daytona he wore had a special face and due to the classic posters , everyone slowly accepted the name of “Paul Newman” plate. He himself alone brought the daytona to fire, and the replica watch was basically the protagonist of the auction. But in fact, before Paul Newman himself died in September 2008, the price difference between the “Paul Newman” disk and other disks was not large. Of course, the price difference becomes very large in the after. In 2017, the 6239 worn by myself at the auction of Phillips finally fell to the hammer for US$17,752,500 (including commission).
In 1971, Daytona launched the 6265 with a waterproof oyster lock handle, which successfully made Daytona waterproof to 50 meters. This version also allowed the Daytona to form the final design, with an Oyster stem with a tachymeter bezel and a small three-turn drop. The styles that came out later were also improved on this basis, and it can be said that the classics can no longer be surpassed.
Until 1988, the daytona mission finally ended, and the 16520 with the 4030 automatic chronograph movement came on the scene. A generation of Daytona spanning 27 years has come to an end. Although the time is long, his number is not large. As mentioned earlier, the price of the chronograph is relatively high and the practicability is not strong. It can be seen from the number of models that it is not a very good seller.
