Rolex

The Rolex manual wind Dayonta was first introduced in 1963 and has evolved and transformed into arguably the most collectable wristwatch in the world. The vintage examples continue to climb to new record values and the current production models are still increasingly harder to get year after year. The present example however is so rare and unusual it requires further explination. At first glance it looks like a standard reference 6263, however when you look at the dial directly you are greeted with something quiet magical. There is no Daytona signature anywhere on the dial and instead of the two tone effect given by the registers usually rendered in black, the subsidiary registers are completely white giving the watch a very monochrome configuration giving it the nickname, “The Albino”

There are only a handful of known “Albino” examples with the present lot never having appeared on the market. The example is also beautifully illustrated and described in Fero, 150 Steel Chronographs, by Pucci Papaleo, pages 236 and 237. The King of Daytona, Mr. Papaleo also confirms that the present example is one of the nicest correct examples he has had the pleasure of handling. The watch overall has been beautifully preserved with very crisp case, period correct insert and lovely Millerighe pump pushers. The lumes on the dial have also aged in a very attractive way.

The last “Albino” Daytona ref. 6263 on the market was at Phillips Geneva in their inaugural sale back in 2015. The watch made then the world record price of 1.3m Swiss Francs and has a 2.8m serial number, not that far apart from this example being 2.6m. That very Albino Daytona was first discovered at Christie’s in 2003 when it was part of the ground breaking sale of the collection of Sir Eric Clapton. The origins of the “Albino” dial are unknown and it was never part of regular commercial production. The overall look however is striking and given the present state of preservation of this example it should excite the collector of vintage wristwatches.