THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 6265/8
YEAR: 1977
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES
CASE DIAMETER: 37mm
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND
On 31st October 1986, a gentleman walked into the Rolex Watch Company in Johannesburg, South Africa. The General Manager, Mr. R. McIntosh, welcomed him in and introduced him to the array of watches they had in stock — from a classic Explorer 1016 and a Submariner 5513 to the brand's new generation of models like the Sea-Dweller 16660 or the Day-Date 18038.
He had his eye on something else, however — a chronograph in 18K yellow gold, sitting quietly in a display cabinet. As he pointed to the watch, Mr. McIntosh’s heart rate went up. Some back-and-forth and a glass of champagne later, a deal was concluded, and the gentleman happily paid for his new watch.
Just as he was ready to put it on and walk out of the shop, Mr. McIntosh made a rather strange request: “Sir, would you mind if we service your (new) watch for you first?...” Little did he know, the Daytona Ref. 6265/8 he had just purchased had been waiting patiently—nearly a decade—for its first owner. So long, in fact, that the Cal. 727 movement inside needed to be revised before leaving the store. The watch was finally delivered a couple of weeks later, along with a letter stating its replacement value of R21,686.00 at the time.
Manual-wind Daytonas were primarily made as tool watches. Over an 18-year production run, only around 1,500 units of the 6263/6265 were produced in gold. Fast-forward four decades, however, four-digit Daytonas have exploded in both popularity and collectibility, often serving as the poster child for major auctions.
What we have here is a true time capsule of this glorious model. The watch has barely been worn, and the original full-link 18K gold rivet bracelet has never been sized. The champagne “reverse-panda” dial is spotless — all lume plots are intact and have aged to a beautiful creamy hue. Only faint hairlines are visible on the bezel, case, and bracelet. The original pushers and crown are all in perfect condition.
The watch comes complete with its original outer box, inner leather box, leather notebook, Cosmograph booklet, wallet, translation papers, original guarantee, and a letter from the good old Mr. McIntosh. The movement benefits from a recent service and runs at an exceptional +3 s/d, with 295 degrees of amplitude and a beat error of just 0.3 ms.
Without a doubt, this is the best example of its kind on the market. We are proud to share it with the world.