Newly discovered and completely fresh to the market, the present reference 6262 Paul Newman has been consigned by the family of its first owner.
This watch will greatly impress even the most fastidious of collectors with its superb overall condition and crystal clear provenance. Furthermore, it still retains the original Guarantee from 1971, the original Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet ref. 6635 stamped 1.70 for the first quarter of 1970 and 1970 Cosmograph product brochure.
Already at the top of the wish list of Rolex enthusiasts, when a manually wound Daytona comes with the instantly recognizable Paul Newman dial it soars to the peaks of vintage watch collecting. The present example is indeed not only a Paul Newman 6262, but moreover it is preserved in stunning condition: not a spot can be observed on the black background of the dial, the red Daytona designation as vibrant as ever and the luminous accents are all present and intact. The hands are original and match the luminous accents of the dial. The case retains its original Mark 1 bezel, original chronograph pushers and winding crown.
The reference 6262 was in production for only a very short time between 1970 and 1972. It could be purchased with the choice of a white background with black registers dial, or the opposite. The so-called ‘exotic’ or ‘tropical’ dial, later nicknamed ‘Paul Newman’, was available in either two-coloured white/cream and black or three-coloured, such as the present watch, with the addition of the red seconds scales.
The new generation of Daytonas with round push buttons, ref. 6262 with metal bezel graduated to 200 and ref. 6264 with black plastic bezel, was the point that Rolex moved away from its earlier technical and stylistic experimental phase. This process generated many variations, which are now undisputed trophies in the most important collections around the world.
The new models' heart is the final evolution of the 727 caliber, a modified version of the Valjoux movement used on all Rolex's manually wound production until 1987, when it was replaced by the Zenith El Primero caliber.
Reference 6262 is illustrated and described in: Rolex Daytona - a legend is born by Carlo Pergola, Stefano Mazzariol, Giovanni Dosso, pp. 110-130.