$375,000.00
Movement: Caliber 727, manual-wind, Valjoux base, 17 jewels, 21,600 vph (3Hz), 48-hour power reserve, column-wheel chronograph, running seconds, 12-hour chronograph, COSC certified
Case: 37mm 18k yellow gold, screw-down caseback, screw-down chronograph pushers, 100m water resistance, original unpolished surfaces
Dial: Original black, luminous hour markers, three silver contrasting sub-dials, “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” designation, Rolex and Daytona signatures, all original with age-appropriate patina
Bezel: Fixed black acrylic bezel with tachymeter scale calibrated to 200 units, original
Bracelet: Matching 18k yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, folding clasp, original and correct to the reference
Condition: Excellent, all original, matching numbers, case, dial, and movement signed
Serial Number: 612xxxx
This is the configuration serious vintage collectors chase. The 6263 is the ultimate evolution of the manual-wind Daytona, and in 18k yellow gold with a black dial it becomes one of the most quietly striking chronographs Rolex ever produced. The black dial against solid gold is a far rarer and more dramatic pairing than the champagne dials that dominated gold production, and the contrast has aged into something no modern reference can replicate. This example dates to 1971, an early gold 6263 from the first years of the reference, and it presents completely original throughout: original dial, original hands, original bezel, matching gold Oyster bracelet. Condition is excellent across the board.
The gold 6263 carries a distinction beyond its looks. It was among the first serially produced chronographs to be officially COSC certified, which is why the dial reads “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified,” a line absent from the steel examples of the era. Under the caseback runs the Valjoux-based Caliber 727, the manual-wind column-wheel chronograph that powered the final and most refined manual Daytonas, beating at 21,600 vph with running seconds and a 12-hour chronograph. The screw-down pushers and black acrylic bezel are the defining 6263 signatures, the pushers adding water resistance the earlier pump-pusher references lacked. Original vintage gold Daytonas in this condition with matching bracelets rarely surface, and a black dial example from 1971 sits at the very top of the manual-wind Daytona hierarchy.