Rolex “The Priest” Daytona Reference 6239

The Rolex Daytona reference 6239 is the original and earliest reference of the Daytona. This is an early example without the “DAYTONA” text on the dial and has been nicknamed “The Priest” in an auction in 2018 as it it is just white print and silvery-white registers on a black dial. That aforementioned example sold for 131,250 CHF at auction.

This example also has the original early “300” Mark 2 reference 6239 bezel, which differs from later examples by having 300 on the tachymeter bezel and “UNITS PER HOUR” between 12 and 2 o’clock, whereas later bezels have it by 3 o’clock. This is the second version of the steel bezel found on the reference 6239 and the earliest Mark 1 examples have a 275 and dashes rather than dots next to the numbers.

The dial and hands are original to this watch and it comes from the family of the original owner. The register hands are all original and have the flared minute and hour hands plus a thin subsidiary or running seconds hand. The bracelet is a Rolex Oyster rivet reference 7205 and slightly newer than the watch.

The case features a 1.4 million serial number dating it to circa 1966. The watch does not come with box and papers. The watch features a new TrueDome D21 crystal.

PRICE: $65,000 (Item SBUXYT2335)