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Reference:6239: Difference between revisions

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Deep audit: ground 6239 chronology, variants, provenance, and market records
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|title=Rolex Daytona 6239 — First Cosmograph, Paul Newman Dials | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Daytona 6239 — First Cosmograph, Paul Newman Dials | Rolexopedia
|description=The first true Cosmograph Daytona, produced 1963 to 1969 with Valjoux 72 base movement and engraved steel tachymetre bezel. Mark 1 Double-Swiss Underline, Paul Newman MK1-MK3 dials, retailer-signed examples.
|description=The first Cosmograph reference, produced mainly from 1963 to 1969 with a hand-wound Valjoux 72 family movement and engraved steel tachymeter bezel.
|keywords=Rolex 6239, Daytona 6239, Paul Newman 6239, Cosmograph, Mark 1, Double Swiss Underline, Tiffany signed, Beyer, Serpico y Laino, vintage Daytona
|keywords=Rolex 6239, Daytona 6239, Paul Newman 6239, Cosmograph, Mark 1, Double Swiss Underline, Tiffany signed, Beyer, Serpico y Laino, vintage Daytona
|image=Ref 6239 hero.webp
|image=Ref 6239 hero.webp
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The 6239 is the first true Cosmograph Daytona. It moves the tachymetric scale off the dial and onto an engraved steel bezel, and brings contrasting sub-dial colours to the Rolex chronograph line for the first time. Production runs from 1963 to 1969, overlapping the late pump-pusher 6238 it replaced and the early screw-pusher 6240 it ushered in. Estimated production was roughly 14,000 examples in steel and about 300 in 18k yellow gold.
The 6239 is the first Cosmograph reference. It moves the tachymeter scale from the dial to an engraved steel bezel and introduces contrasting sub-dials to this Rolex chronograph line. Production is generally dated 1963–69, overlapping the late pump-pusher 6238 and preceding the screw-pusher 6240. Phillips gives an estimated total of about 14,000 watches, including approximately 300 in 18k yellow gold.


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| Family || Daytona (Cosmograph)
| Family || Daytona (Cosmograph)
|-
|-
| Production || 1963 to 1969 per Hodinkee (Benjamin Clymer 2013) and Monochrome (Erik Slaven 2024); Pucci Papaleo's catalog work pushes the late tail to 1970 on a small batch of unsold gold cases
| Production || 1963–69 in the main reference sources; a small group of unsold gold cases is dated 1970 in one catalogue
|-
|-
| Total production || ~14,000 in steel; ~300 in 18k yellow gold per the Phillips Golden Pagoda lot essay
| Total production || about 14,000 total, including about 300 in 18k yellow gold (Phillips estimate)
|-
|-
| Case || 36mm stainless steel or 18k yellow gold; pump (non-screw) pushers; no crown guards
| Case || 36mm stainless steel or 18k yellow gold; pump (non-screw) pushers; no crown guards
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| Bezel || engraved stainless steel tachymetre (units per hour); graduation moves from 275 to 300 to 200 across the run
| Bezel || engraved stainless steel tachymetre (units per hour); graduation moves from 275 to 300 to 200 across the run
|-
|-
| Lume || tritium throughout the bulk of production, with a documented radium-to-tritium transition flagged by the 1963 Mark 1 dial underline
| Lume || early dial materials vary; the Mark 1 double-Swiss/underline configuration is associated with the early transition, while later dials use tritium markings
|-
|-
| Significance || first Rolex chronograph branded "Cosmograph"; first with a tachymetre on the bezel rather than on the dial; donor reference for the Paul Newman exotic dial
| Significance || first Cosmograph reference; first Rolex chronograph in this line with the tachymeter on the bezel; later examples include exotic dials
|}
|}


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Most sources date production to 1963–1969. Pucci Papaleo’s catalogue work includes some gold examples dated 1970.
Most sources date production to 1963–1969. Pucci Papaleo’s catalogue work includes some gold examples dated 1970.


Serial bands pin the broad sequence even where exact years drift by a few months between sources: Mark 1 at the start, Daytona text added in 1964, dial text moved above the 6 o'clock sub-dial in 1967, and the bezel scale cut from 300 to 200 in the same late-1960s window.
Serial bands help place the broad sequence, but they do not form a complete factory chart. The early Mark 1 layout is followed by Daytona text in 1964; on later examples the text moves above the 6 o'clock sub-dial, and the bezel graduation changes from 300 to 200.


Early advertising for the 6239 used the name "Le Mans" before "Daytona" took over in 1964, per Clymer's 2013 Hodinkee piece. The watch was a slow seller through the manual-wind era. WatchTime reports that all classic hand-wound Daytonas were available at significant dealer discounts through about 1987; the quartz-era market had little appetite for a chronograph that needed daily winding and carried pump pushers in a screw-down decade.
Early advertising used the name "Le Mans" before "Daytona" appeared in 1964. That naming history belongs to the launch period; later sales performance is outside the reference chronology.


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! Serial range !! Year !! Dial !! Lume !! Bracelet !! End links !! Notes
! Serial range !! Year !! Dial !! Lume !! Bracelet !! End links !! Notes
|-
|-
| <800,000 (Mk1 batch ~1963) || 1963 || Cosmograph, Double-Swiss Underline, matte cream white || — || 7205 || 271 || Per Hodinkee Clymer 2013.
| <800,000 (Mk1 batch ~1963) || 1963 || Cosmograph, Double-Swiss Underline, matte cream white || n/a || 7205 || 271 || Per Hodinkee Clymer 2013.
|-
|-
| 1.0M-1.6M (1964-1967) || 1964-1967 || Cosmograph + Daytona text, 300 bezel || — || 7205 || 271 || Daytona text added to dial 1964 per Slaven (Monochrome 2024); moved above 6 o'clock sub-dial in 1967.
| 1.0M-1.6M (1964-1967) || 1964-1967 || Cosmograph + Daytona text, 300 bezel || n/a || 7205 || 271 || Daytona text added to dial 1964; moved above 6 o'clock sub-dial in 1967.
|-
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| 1.6M-2.0M (1967-1969) || 1967-1969 || Cosmograph + Daytona at 6, 200 bezel || — || 7205 || 271 || Bezel graduation dropped to 200 ~1967.
| 1.6M-2.0M (1967-1969) || 1967-1969 || Cosmograph + Daytona at 6, 200 bezel || n/a || 7205 || 271 || Bezel graduation changed to 200 in the late run.
|}
|}


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| Mark 1 "Double-Swiss Underline" || 1963 only || Matte cream-white dial; small silver hashmark (the "underline") under "Cosmograph"; lower second "Swiss" under the "Swiss" at 6; thin flat-headed running-seconds hand; longer hour and minute hands almost touching the markers; paired with the hashed 275 unit-per-hour bezel || Clymer's Hodinkee 2013 Mk1 reference set; Goldberger archive examples
| Mark 1 "Double-Swiss Underline" || 1963 only || Matte cream-white dial; small silver hashmark (the "underline") under "Cosmograph"; lower second "Swiss" under the "Swiss" at 6; thin flat-headed running-seconds hand; longer hour and minute hands almost touching the markers; paired with the hashed 275 unit-per-hour bezel || Clymer's Hodinkee 2013 Mk1 reference set; Goldberger archive examples
|-
|-
| Mark 2 standard "Cosmograph" || 1963 to 1964 || Matte silver or matte black dial; "Cosmograph" only on the dial; single "Swiss" at 6; tritium lume; hashed 300 bezel || Survives in roughly equal silver and black volume per Boutros 2012
| Mark 2 standard "Cosmograph" || 1963 to 1964 || Matte silver or matte black dial; "Cosmograph" only on the dial; single "Swiss" at 6; 300 bezel || Documented in both silver and black
|-
|-
| Mark 3 "Daytona at 12" || 1964 to 1967 || "Daytona" signature added in red, set under "Cosmograph" at 12; tritium lume; 300 unit-per-hour bezel || The earliest dial with the Daytona signature on a Rolex chronograph
| Mark 3 "Daytona at 12" || 1964 to 1967 || "Daytona" signature added in red, set under "Cosmograph" at 12; tritium lume; 300 unit-per-hour bezel || The earliest dial with the Daytona signature on a Rolex chronograph
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| 18k yellow gold "Champagne" PN || 1967 to 1969 || Champagne dial on 18k yellow gold case; black sub-dials; same exotic typography as steel PN || "The Golden Pagoda" — Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018, CHF 948,500
| 18k yellow gold "Champagne" PN || 1967 to 1969 || Champagne dial on 18k yellow gold case; black sub-dials; same exotic typography as steel PN || "The Golden Pagoda" — Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018, CHF 948,500
|-
|-
| Retailer-signed (Tiffany, Beyer, Serpico y Laino) || across the run || Standard Mark 2/3/4 dial with retailer name added below the Rolex coronet || Documented Tiffany &amp; Co. and Beyer-signed examples are scarce; one or two recorded per dial mark
| Retailer-signed (Tiffany, Beyer, Serpico y Laino) || across the run || Standard dial with retailer name added below the coronet || Individual signed examples are documented
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| "Pulsations" doctor's dial || late 1960s || Standard 6239 case with green pulsations scale on the dial in place of the tachymetre context || Christie's "Lesson One" 2013 — c.1967 Pulsations 6239, USD 838,090
| "Pulsations" doctor's dial || late 1960s || Standard 6239 case with green pulsations scale on the dial in place of the tachymetre context || Christie's "Lesson One" 2013 — c.1967 Pulsations 6239, USD 838,090
|}
|}


Early Mark 1 watches are identified by a cluster of traits — the underline reads as part of the radium-to-tritium transition. The Paul Newman dial sold poorly when new and became sought after decades later.
Early Mark 1 watches are identified by a cluster of dial and bezel traits. The Paul Newman name is collector terminology for the exotic dial; its later market history should not be projected onto every 6239.


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== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


The 6239 case is 36mm stainless steel, no crown guards, in the 3-6-9 chronograph idiom Rolex carried over from the 6238. It runs pump pushers throughout, never the screw-down design the 6240 introduces in 1965. The crown is a 7mm Twinlock signed with the Rolex coronet only, since the watch is not Oyster-rated and carries no "Oyster" designation. The crystal is a flat acrylic. Lugs are 19mm, which sets the bracelet vocabulary across every manual-wind Daytona.
The 6239 case is about 36mm in stainless steel or yellow gold, with no crown guards and pump pushers. The screw-down case and pushers belong to the later 6240. The crown is commonly described as a 7mm Twinlock signed with the Rolex coronet; the crystal is flat acrylic and the lugs measure about 19mm.


Its engraved tachymeter scale separates the 6239 from the 6238 at a glance, and the 275, 300, and 200-unit graduations place a given watch inside the run.
Its engraved tachymeter scale separates the 6239 from the 6238. The 275, 300, and 200 graduations are useful comparison points, but bezels can be replaced.


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! Bracelet !! Period of original delivery !! End link !! Clasp generation
! Bracelet !! Period of original delivery !! End link !! Clasp generation
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|-
| 7205 (Oyster rivet, 19mm) || 1963 to ~1968 || 271 || Big Logo (Gay Frères, early); Small Logo from 1958
| 7205 (Oyster rivet, 19mm) || early and mid-run examples || 271 || period clasp variants documented
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|-
| 7835 (Oyster folded link, 19mm) || late 6239 production into 1969 || 271 || Small Logo folded clasp
| 7835 (Oyster folded link, 19mm) || later examples and service fitments || 271 || folded clasp
|-
|-
| 78350 (Oyster folded link, late variant) || service replacements only || 380 || Folded clasp
| 78350 (Oyster folded link, late variant) || later service fitment reported || 380 || folded clasp
|}
|}


Early 6239s belong on 7205/271, later ones on 7835/271; a 78350 is a service-era replacement only. The clasp code dates the bracelet alone — it says nothing about the watch head's age.
The examples in the source set show 7205/271 and 7835/271 combinations, with later service fitments also reported. A clasp code dates the bracelet, not the watch head. The end-link number should be read from the individual bracelet rather than inferred from an aggregator table.
 
A "771" reading appears in some aggregator end-link tables. It is an OCR error; period photographs only ever stamp 271.


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== Special branches ==
== Special branches ==


The Paul Newman dial is the defining value branch on the 6239. Newman's own watch reset the category at Phillips Winning Icons in October 2017, and every later 6239 Paul Newman result now sits in the shadow of that sale.
The Paul Newman dial is an important 6239 branch. Paul Newman’s personal watch sold at Phillips Winning Icons in 2017; that sale is a provenance record, not a benchmark for every exotic dial.


LeeRoy Yarbrough's black-dial Paul Newman 6239 is the period racing-provenance benchmark, sold at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 as lot NY080118/13. The Yarbrough caseback is engraved with his name and racing record. The "Golden Pagoda" 18k yellow gold 6239 with champagne Paul Newman dial sold at the same auction for CHF 948,500 and was re-listed for Phillips Decade One in 2025 with an estimate of CHF 500,000 to 1,000,000.
Phillips sold LeeRoy Yarbrough’s black-dial 6239 as lot NY080118/13 in 2018; the caseback carries his name and racing record. The 18k yellow-gold 6239 known as the "Golden Pagoda" sold at the same auction for CHF 948,500 and was later listed again with a CHF 500,000–1,000,000 estimate.


Retailer-signed dials exist on the 6239 in small numbers. Documented Tiffany &amp; Co. signatures (US distribution), Beyer (Zürich), and Serpico y Laino (Caracas) examples have surfaced through auction; one or two per dial mark is the working census.
Retailer-signed dials are documented for Tiffany &amp; Co., Beyer, and Serpico y Laino examples. The available records do not establish a complete census by dial mark.


The rarest branch is the 6239 / 6240 transitional. Christie's "Daytona Lesson One" sale (Geneva, November 2013) included a c.1969 watch lotted as "Daytona 6263/6239 Paul Newman with screw-down pushers" at USD 1,089,186, the auction's headline result and the first manual-wind Daytona over a million dollars. The lotting reflects a documented end-of-run hybrid: late 6239 cases stamped 6239 between the lugs but fitted with screw-down pushers, sitting between 6239 spec and 6263 case design.
Christie’s "Daytona Lesson One" sale in 2013 included a c.1969 watch catalogued as "Daytona 6263/6239 Paul Newman with screw-down pushers". It sold for USD 1,089,186. The catalogue treated it as an end-of-run hybrid, with a 6239 case reference and screw-down 6263-style case hardware.


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== Notable wearers and cultural footprint ==
== Notable wearers and cultural footprint ==


Paul Newman wore the exotic-dial version Joanne Woodward gave him through his racing years, and its 2017 Phillips sale set the ceiling for the entire model. The dial itself — its Mk1 through Mk4 progression and the other host references — is covered on [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona]].
Paul Newman wore the exotic-dial watch Joanne Woodward gave him during his racing years. Its 2017 sale and the dial’s Mk1–Mk4 progression are covered on [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona]].


=== Paul Newman's 6239 ===
=== Paul Newman's 6239 ===
[[File:Ref 6239 wearer Paul Newman.webp|thumb|right|300px|Paul Newman wearing his exotic-dial 6239 in his race car, early 1970s. (Ron Galella / Getty)|alt=Paul Newman wearing his exotic-dial 6239 in his race car, early 1970s. (Ron Galella / Getty)]]
[[File:Ref 6239 wearer Paul Newman.webp|thumb|right|300px|Paul Newman wearing his exotic-dial 6239 in his race car, early 1970s. (Ron Galella / Getty)|alt=Paul Newman wearing his exotic-dial 6239 in his race car, early 1970s. (Ron Galella / Getty)]]
Newman's own car-racing photographs document the watch on his wrist at the track, and the example that surfaced at Phillips in 2017 carries the engraved caseback and the family provenance letter that fixed its authenticity. That unbroken chain, from his ownership to the sale, is why the market calls the exotic dial "Paul Newman" today — Rolex's own "Cosmograph" name for it never stuck.
Newman’s racing photographs show the watch on his wrist, and the Phillips lot included an engraved caseback and a family provenance letter. "Paul Newman" is collector shorthand for this exotic dial; it is not a Rolex model name.


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=== Eric Clapton's 6239 ===
=== Eric Clapton's 6239 ===
Clapton owned a yellow-gold 6239 with a pulsations dial that Phillips catalogued as "possibly unique," nicknamed the "Crazy Doc," and he still appears on stage wearing a steel exotic-dial 6239 on a Bund strap. That ownership sits alongside a rare white-dial 6263 — one of only four known examples, per Phillips — that set a Rolex auction record when it sold for CHF 1,325,000 in 2015.
Phillips catalogued Eric Clapton’s yellow-gold 6239 with a pulsations dial as the "Crazy Doc" and described it as possibly unique. Published photographs also show Clapton wearing a steel exotic-dial 6239. His white-dial 6263 is a separate watch; Phillips described four known examples when it sold for CHF 1,325,000 in 2015.


Two names that trail the Daytona belong to other watches. Steve McQueen's documented Rolexes are a 5512 Submariner and a 1655 Explorer II; the "McQueen Daytona" is a market invention with no documented ownership behind it. Michael Schumacher's "Paul Newman" Daytona is genuine and belongs to ref 6262 — both men land under the 6239 only by conflation.
Published records identify Steve McQueen with a 5512 Submariner and a 1655 Explorer II. The watch often called the "McQueen Daytona" has no verified 6239 ownership record. Michael Schumacher’s Paul Newman Daytona is a ref. 6262, so neither attribution belongs on the 6239 page.


== Historical market and auction record ==
== Historical market and auction record ==


Three sales anchor the 6239's price history.
The auction record includes several distinct provenance and configuration types.


Christie's "Daytona Lesson One" (Geneva, 10 November 2013, 50 lots curated by Aurel Bacs and Pucci Papaleo) is the modern market's starting point. The Pulsations 6239 sold for USD 838,090; the 6263/6239 transitional Paul Newman with screw-down pushers brought USD 1,089,186, the headline result of a sale that totalled USD 13.2 million.
Christie’s "Daytona Lesson One" in Geneva on 10 November 2013 included a pulsations 6239 that sold for USD 838,090 and the transitional 6263/6239 lot that sold for USD 1,089,186. The sale catalogue records the lot descriptions and prices; neither result is a general valuation for the reference.


Phillips Winning Icons (New York, 26 October 2017) sold Paul Newman's personal 6239 for USD 17,752,500 with premium, lot NY080117/8. It was the then-record for any wristwatch at auction.
Phillips Winning Icons (New York, 26 October 2017) sold Paul Newman's personal 6239 for USD 17,752,500 with premium, lot NY080117/8. It was the then-record for any wristwatch at auction.


Phillips Daytona Ultimatum (Geneva, 12 May 2018, 32 lots curated by Papaleo) brought the "Golden Pagoda" 18k yellow gold 6239 with champagne Paul Newman dial at CHF 948,500. The same sale's lot NY080118/13, the Yarbrough black Paul Newman, carried its racing provenance well above standard PN 6239 trade.
At Phillips Daytona Ultimatum in Geneva on 12 May 2018, the 18k yellow-gold "Golden Pagoda" 6239 sold for CHF 948,500. Lot NY080118/13 was the black-dial Yarbrough example with its documented racing provenance.


Below the headlines, a standard 6239 with a clean Mark 3 or Mark 4 dial trades in the low six figures. Paul Newman dial premiums multiply that by three to ten depending on dial mark, condition, and provenance. Tropical examples, where the dial has aged uniformly to brown, carry their own premium when the patina reads as authentic. The market on the reference is mature; the 1963 Mark 1 Double-Swiss Underline is the rarest and most chased configuration outside the Paul Newman lineage.
The sale figures above are individual results. A dial’s originality, service history, condition, and provenance can change the result substantially; no fixed price multiplier or complete rarity ranking is established by these sales.


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