Reference:6240: Difference between revisions

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[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] → '''6240'''

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''6240'''

The 6240 is the first Oyster-cased Daytona and the first Rolex chronograph with screw-down pushers. It ran from 1965 to 1969 ~~as a transitional reference~~ between the pump-pusher 6239 and the long-running 6263, and it ~~carries~~ the ~~design decisions that defined~~ every Daytona ~~that followed: an~~ acrylic black bezel insert, a 100m~~-rated case~~, and the word "Oyster" ~~added to the dial~~ because the chronograph could ~~finally~~ claim it.

The 6240 is the first Oyster-cased Daytona and the first Rolex chronograph with screw-down pushers. It ran from 1965 to 1969, sitting between the pump-pusher 6239 and the long-running 6263, and it set the architecture every later Daytona inherited. An acrylic black bezel insert replaced the engraved metal tachymeter, the case earned 100m of water resistance, and the dial finally carried the word "Oyster" because the chronograph could now claim it.

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The manual-wind Daytona references break cleanly into three groups by pusher type and bezel material. The 6239 (1963 to 1969) carries pump pushers and a metal bezel, the 6241 (1966 to 1969) carries pump pushers and an acrylic bezel, and the 6240 sits with the screw-down pushers that define the Oyster sub-family. The 6262 and 6264 (1970 to 1972) bridge into the higher-frequency 21,600 vph Valjoux 727 era, and the 6263 (1971 to 1988) carries the screw-down-pusher Oyster format for the long run.

~~Read across the four-year window, the 6240 is the proof of concept.~~ Rolex ~~had~~ patented ~~its~~ screw-down chronograph pusher in 1964 (CH423638), and the 6240 was the first reference to put that patent into production. ~~Only after the 6240 demonstrated that the~~ construction ~~worked did Rolex commit to it as the standard for~~ the rest of the manual-wind ~~era,~~ first ~~with~~ the brief 6262 / 6264 detour back to pump pushers and ~~the~~ metal bezel, then permanently from the 6263 onward.

Rolex patented the screw-down chronograph pusher in 1964 (CH423638), and the 6240 was the first reference to put that patent into production. The construction held up, and the rest of the manual-wind line followed — first after the brief 6262 / 6264 detour back to pump pushers and a metal bezel, then permanently from the 6263 onward.

== Production outline ==

Production ran from 1965 to 1969 across the 1.1-million to 2.0-million serial range, in parallel with the pump-pusher 6239 and (from 1966) the 6241. ~~Total production is undocumented in any~~ Rolex ~~source~~. The most often-cited working figure sits around 2,000 examples, which puts the 6240 at roughly one-tenth the volume of the 6239 across the same window. ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' and Pucci Papaleo's ''Ultimate Rolex Daytona'' are the two book-length references most likely to carry tighter ~~figures;~~ the 2,000-piece ~~estimate~~ should be read as a working ~~number, not~~ a settled ~~one~~.

Production ran from 1965 to 1969 across the 1.1-million to 2.0-million serial range, in parallel with the pump-pusher 6239 and (from 1966) the 6241. Rolex never published a total. The most often-cited working figure sits around 2,000 examples, which puts the 6240 at roughly one-tenth the volume of the 6239 across the same window. Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' and Pucci Papaleo's ''Ultimate Rolex Daytona'' are the two book-length references most likely to carry tighter numbers, and the 2,000-piece figure should be read as a working estimate rather than a settled count.

~~The reference covers two~~ broad production phases: the earliest Millerighe-pusher batch, ~~then~~ the standard cylindrical-pusher run that carries the watch to the end~~. That is the cleanest~~ production ~~split~~.

Two broad production phases run through the reference. The earliest is the Millerighe-pusher batch in the 1.1M to 1.3M serial band, followed by the standard cylindrical-pusher run that carries the watch through to the end of production.

Paul Newman exotic dials begin appearing on Daytona production around the 1.5-million serial range, fitted across the 6239, 6240, and 6241 cases at roughly one in twenty examples ~~per period sources~~. The Neanderthal ~~lot~~ at the 2018 Phillips Daytona Ultimatum ~~sale (case 1439122)~~ sits in this band and ~~forms~~ the basis of the attribution dispute treated in Special branches ~~below~~.

Paul Newman exotic dials begin appearing on Daytona production around the 1.5-million serial range, fitted across the 6239, 6240, and 6241 cases at roughly one in twenty examples by the prevailing collector accounting. The Neanderthal (case 1439122), sold at the 2018 Phillips Daytona Ultimatum auction, sits inside this band and is the basis for the attribution dispute treated in Special branches.

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The 6240 runs on caliber 722-1 throughout, the second Rolex-stamped derivative of the Valjoux 72 ebauche, with column-wheel chronograph control, lateral clutch, tri-compax sub-dial layout, and a 17-jewel 18,000 vph beat rate. The architecture is the same Valjoux 72 base used across the entire manual-wind Daytona run; the 722-1 designation marks Rolex's intermediate finishing and bridge revisions before the 727 brought the frequency jump to 21,600 vph at the start of the 6262 / 6264 run in 1970.

~~The~~ 18,000 vph ~~rate is what every 6240 carries~~. ~~There is~~ no late-run frequency ~~progression on this reference~~; the faster movement waited for the 6262 generation. US-bound 722-1 examples carry an engraved "ROW" import code on the balance bridge, the same import marking documented on the 6241 and 6239 of the period.

Every 6240 runs at 18,000 vph. The reference saw no late-run frequency change; the faster movement waited for the 6262 generation. US-bound 722-1 examples carry an engraved "ROW" import code on the balance bridge, the same import marking documented on the 6241 and 6239 of the period.

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|}

The ~~6240 carries a~~ small ~~but important dial group~~. Standard Oyster Cosmograph dials dominate, Paul Newman ~~dials~~ are much scarcer, and the Solo dial stays a very small Italian-channel oddity.

The dial set is small. Standard Oyster Cosmograph dials dominate the run, Paul Newman exotics are much scarcer, and the Solo dial stays a very small Italian-channel oddity.

{| class="wikitable"

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=== The "Neanderthal" 6240 ===

The ~~single~~ most contested 6240 is case 1439122, the Neanderthal. Phillips sold it as the earliest Paul Newman prototype. Perezcope later argued the dial was a much later construction. ~~That~~ dispute now ~~sits inside every~~ serious 6240 discussion.

The most contested 6240 is case 1439122, the Neanderthal. Phillips sold it as the earliest Paul Newman prototype, and Jose Pereztroika at Perezcope later argued the dial was a much later construction. The dispute is now central to any serious 6240 discussion.

Perezcope's 2022 dossier is the strongest challenge to the old attribution. ~~His case is that~~ the famous dial ~~is not~~ an early factory prototype ~~at all~~, ~~but a later construction:~~ the same dial previously photographed in another watch~~, plus~~ typography, tritium text, minute-track color, and Singer-stamp details that ~~fit~~ later Paul Newman production ~~better~~ than the earliest 6240 story. The watch ~~still matters. What changed is~~ the ~~burden of proof. The~~ early-prototype explanation is no longer the default reading.

Perezcope's 2022 dossier is the strongest challenge to the old attribution. The dossier identifies the famous dial as a later construction rather than an early factory prototype, citing the same dial previously photographed in another watch and a set of typography, tritium-text, minute-track-color, and Singer-stamp details that align with later Paul Newman production rather than the earliest 6240 story. The watch retains its market position, but the early-prototype explanation is no longer the default reading.

Perezcope reached out to Aurel Bacs and Pucci Papaleo with the findings; no public correction or buyer notification has been issued by either party as of the dossier's publication. The dispute remains live: Phillips's lot essay and Pucci Papaleo's published taxonomy treat the Neanderthal as the earliest Paul Newman 6240, and Perezcope's documented analysis treats the dial as a later swap onto an early case. The case-and-movement period-correctness of 1439122 is not contested; the dispute is dial-only.

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=== Tropical examples ===

Tropical 6240 dials, black dials that have aged to brown or chocolate, exist but ~~are scarcer~~ than tropical 6263 / 6265 examples ~~by virtue of~~ the smaller ~~production population~~. The browning is the same lacquer-instability mechanism documented ~~across the broader period:~~ dials ~~intended to be black where the~~ black pigment was unstable in the lacquer mix, ~~or where~~ light, heat, and humidity drove the colour change. Tropical examples carry significant premium ~~where~~ the case, movement, and pushers are all period-correct.

Tropical 6240 dials, black dials that have aged to brown or chocolate, exist but turn up less often than tropical 6263 / 6265 examples because the underlying production was smaller. The browning is the same lacquer-instability mechanism documented on other 1960s Rolex dials. The black pigment was unstable in the lacquer mix, and light, heat, and humidity drove the colour change over decades. Tropical examples carry significant premium when the case, movement, and pushers are all period-correct.

== Historical market and auction record ==

The 6240 sits in the highest tier of vintage Daytona prices ~~because the~~ screw-down-pusher and acrylic-bezel combination is rare and the Neanderthal sale ~~pulled~~ the ~~whole~~ reference ~~upward in 2018~~.

The 6240 sits in the highest tier of vintage Daytona prices. The screw-down-pusher and acrylic-bezel combination is rare on its own, and the 2018 Neanderthal sale at Phillips lifted the rest of the reference along with it.

Standard Cosmograph-dialled 6240s in good condition trade well below the Paul Newman tier but well above contemporary 6239s with comparable dials, reflecting the smaller production population and the Oyster-format premium. Mk0 Millerighe-pusher first-batch examples carry an additional premium where the pushers are documented as period-original. As with the rest of the manual-wind Daytona corpus, condition of the acrylic bezel insert, originality of the dial and pushers, and the presence of period-correct bracelet and clasp drive the spread between the high and low examples by an order of magnitude or more.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
-<small>[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] → '''6240'''</small>
+<small>[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''6240'''</small>
-The 6240 is the first Oyster-cased Daytona and the first Rolex chronograph with screw-down pushers. It ran from 1965 to 1969 as a transitional reference between the pump-pusher 6239 and the long-running 6263, and it carries the design decisions that defined every Daytona that followed: an acrylic black bezel insert, a 100m-rated case, and the word "Oyster" added to the dial because the chronograph could finally claim it.
+The 6240 is the first Oyster-cased Daytona and the first Rolex chronograph with screw-down pushers. It ran from 1965 to 1969, sitting between the pump-pusher 6239 and the long-running 6263, and it set the architecture every later Daytona inherited. An acrylic black bezel insert replaced the engraved metal tachymeter, the case earned 100m of water resistance, and the dial finally carried the word "Oyster" because the chronograph could now claim it.
 <span id="core-facts"></span>
@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 The manual-wind Daytona references break cleanly into three groups by pusher type and bezel material. The 6239 (1963 to 1969) carries pump pushers and a metal bezel, the 6241 (1966 to 1969) carries pump pushers and an acrylic bezel, and the 6240 sits with the screw-down pushers that define the Oyster sub-family. The 6262 and 6264 (1970 to 1972) bridge into the higher-frequency 21,600 vph Valjoux 727 era, and the 6263 (1971 to 1988) carries the screw-down-pusher Oyster format for the long run.
-Read across the four-year window, the 6240 is the proof of concept. Rolex had patented its screw-down chronograph pusher in 1964 (CH423638), and the 6240 was the first reference to put that patent into production. Only after the 6240 demonstrated that the construction worked did Rolex commit to it as the standard for the rest of the manual-wind era, first with the brief 6262 / 6264 detour back to pump pushers and the metal bezel, then permanently from the 6263 onward.
+Rolex patented the screw-down chronograph pusher in 1964 (CH423638), and the 6240 was the first reference to put that patent into production. The construction held up, and the rest of the manual-wind line followed — first after the brief 6262 / 6264 detour back to pump pushers and a metal bezel, then permanently from the 6263 onward.
 <span id="production-outline"></span>
 == Production outline ==
-Production ran from 1965 to 1969 across the 1.1-million to 2.0-million serial range, in parallel with the pump-pusher 6239 and (from 1966) the 6241. Total production is undocumented in any Rolex source. The most often-cited working figure sits around 2,000 examples, which puts the 6240 at roughly one-tenth the volume of the 6239 across the same window. ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' and Pucci Papaleo's ''Ultimate Rolex Daytona'' are the two book-length references most likely to carry tighter figures; the 2,000-piece estimate should be read as a working number, not a settled one.
+Production ran from 1965 to 1969 across the 1.1-million to 2.0-million serial range, in parallel with the pump-pusher 6239 and (from 1966) the 6241. Rolex never published a total. The most often-cited working figure sits around 2,000 examples, which puts the 6240 at roughly one-tenth the volume of the 6239 across the same window. Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' and Pucci Papaleo's ''Ultimate Rolex Daytona'' are the two book-length references most likely to carry tighter numbers, and the 2,000-piece figure should be read as a working estimate rather than a settled count.
-The reference covers two broad production phases: the earliest Millerighe-pusher batch, then the standard cylindrical-pusher run that carries the watch to the end. That is the cleanest production split.
+Two broad production phases run through the reference. The earliest is the Millerighe-pusher batch in the 1.1M to 1.3M serial band, followed by the standard cylindrical-pusher run that carries the watch through to the end of production.
-Paul Newman exotic dials begin appearing on Daytona production around the 1.5-million serial range, fitted across the 6239, 6240, and 6241 cases at roughly one in twenty examples per period sources. The Neanderthal lot at the 2018 Phillips Daytona Ultimatum sale (case 1439122) sits in this band and forms the basis of the attribution dispute treated in Special branches below.
+Paul Newman exotic dials begin appearing on Daytona production around the 1.5-million serial range, fitted across the 6239, 6240, and 6241 cases at roughly one in twenty examples by the prevailing collector accounting. The Neanderthal (case 1439122), sold at the 2018 Phillips Daytona Ultimatum auction, sits inside this band and is the basis for the attribution dispute treated in Special branches.
 <span id="movement-notes"></span>
@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 The 6240 runs on caliber 722-1 throughout, the second Rolex-stamped derivative of the Valjoux 72 ebauche, with column-wheel chronograph control, lateral clutch, tri-compax sub-dial layout, and a 17-jewel 18,000 vph beat rate. The architecture is the same Valjoux 72 base used across the entire manual-wind Daytona run; the 722-1 designation marks Rolex's intermediate finishing and bridge revisions before the 727 brought the frequency jump to 21,600 vph at the start of the 6262 / 6264 run in 1970.
-The 18,000 vph rate is what every 6240 carries. There is no late-run frequency progression on this reference; the faster movement waited for the 6262 generation. US-bound 722-1 examples carry an engraved "ROW" import code on the balance bridge, the same import marking documented on the 6241 and 6239 of the period.
+Every 6240 runs at 18,000 vph. The reference saw no late-run frequency change; the faster movement waited for the 6262 generation. US-bound 722-1 examples carry an engraved "ROW" import code on the balance bridge, the same import marking documented on the 6241 and 6239 of the period.
 <span id="dial-map"></span>
@@ Line 90: / Line 90: @@
 |}
-The 6240 carries a small but important dial group. Standard Oyster Cosmograph dials dominate, Paul Newman dials are much scarcer, and the Solo dial stays a very small Italian-channel oddity.
+The dial set is small. Standard Oyster Cosmograph dials dominate the run, Paul Newman exotics are much scarcer, and the Solo dial stays a very small Italian-channel oddity.
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 141: / Line 141: @@
 === The "Neanderthal" 6240 ===
-The single most contested 6240 is case 1439122, the Neanderthal. Phillips sold it as the earliest Paul Newman prototype. Perezcope later argued the dial was a much later construction. That dispute now sits inside every serious 6240 discussion.
+The most contested 6240 is case 1439122, the Neanderthal. Phillips sold it as the earliest Paul Newman prototype, and Jose Pereztroika at Perezcope later argued the dial was a much later construction. The dispute is now central to any serious 6240 discussion.
-Perezcope's 2022 dossier is the strongest challenge to the old attribution. His case is that the famous dial is not an early factory prototype at all, but a later construction: the same dial previously photographed in another watch, plus typography, tritium text, minute-track color, and Singer-stamp details that fit later Paul Newman production better than the earliest 6240 story. The watch still matters. What changed is the burden of proof. The early-prototype explanation is no longer the default reading.
+Perezcope's 2022 dossier is the strongest challenge to the old attribution. The dossier identifies the famous dial as a later construction rather than an early factory prototype, citing the same dial previously photographed in another watch and a set of typography, tritium-text, minute-track-color, and Singer-stamp details that align with later Paul Newman production rather than the earliest 6240 story. The watch retains its market position, but the early-prototype explanation is no longer the default reading.
 Perezcope reached out to Aurel Bacs and Pucci Papaleo with the findings; no public correction or buyer notification has been issued by either party as of the dossier's publication. The dispute remains live: Phillips's lot essay and Pucci Papaleo's published taxonomy treat the Neanderthal as the earliest Paul Newman 6240, and Perezcope's documented analysis treats the dial as a later swap onto an early case. The case-and-movement period-correctness of 1439122 is not contested; the dispute is dial-only.
@@ Line 160: / Line 160: @@
 === Tropical examples ===
-Tropical 6240 dials, black dials that have aged to brown or chocolate, exist but are scarcer than tropical 6263 / 6265 examples by virtue of the smaller production population. The browning is the same lacquer-instability mechanism documented across the broader period: dials intended to be black where the black pigment was unstable in the lacquer mix, or where light, heat, and humidity drove the colour change. Tropical examples carry significant premium where the case, movement, and pushers are all period-correct.
+Tropical 6240 dials, black dials that have aged to brown or chocolate, exist but turn up less often than tropical 6263 / 6265 examples because the underlying production was smaller. The browning is the same lacquer-instability mechanism documented on other 1960s Rolex dials. The black pigment was unstable in the lacquer mix, and light, heat, and humidity drove the colour change over decades. Tropical examples carry significant premium when the case, movement, and pushers are all period-correct.
 <span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
 == Historical market and auction record ==
-The 6240 sits in the highest tier of vintage Daytona prices because the screw-down-pusher and acrylic-bezel combination is rare and the Neanderthal sale pulled the whole reference upward in 2018.
+The 6240 sits in the highest tier of vintage Daytona prices. The screw-down-pusher and acrylic-bezel combination is rare on its own, and the 2018 Neanderthal sale at Phillips lifted the rest of the reference along with it.
 Standard Cosmograph-dialled 6240s in good condition trade well below the Paul Newman tier but well above contemporary 6239s with comparable dials, reflecting the smaller production population and the Oyster-format premium. Mk0 Millerighe-pusher first-batch examples carry an additional premium where the pushers are documented as period-original. As with the rest of the manual-wind Daytona corpus, condition of the acrylic bezel insert, originality of the dial and pushers, and the presence of period-correct bracelet and clasp drive the spread between the high and low examples by an order of magnitude or more.