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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” Ref. 6263, Stainless Steel, Silver Tritium Dial, 1983, Unpolished, Box and Papers, 1983

Before the Daytona became the most wanted watch in the world, it was a hand-wound racing chronograph that hardly anyone wanted. That changed decades later, and today the manual Daytonas of the 1960s to 1980s are among the most collected Rolex watches of all. The reference 6263 was the last of them. With its screw-down pushers, it was the first Daytona truly built as an Oyster, and the “Big Red” version marks the final chapter of that story.

The iconic 37 mm Oyster case is made of stainless steel and has the slim, compact proportions that collectors love about the vintage Daytona. The screw-down pushers and the screw-down crown made it water resistant, a real innovation for a chronograph at the time. The original black acrylic bezel insert carries the tachymeter scale. This example has never been polished, so the case still shows its original sharp edges and lug lines. For a vintage Daytona, that is one of the most important factors for collectors.

The silver dial with black subdials is a classic Daytona look. Its nickname comes from the word “Daytona” printed in large red letters above the counter at 6 o’clock, which is why collectors call this dial the “Big Red”. The tritium markers and hands have still in great shape and have beautifully aged.

Inside the 6263 works the manually wound Rolex caliber 727, based on the legendary Valjoux 72. Rolex refined it to its own standards, and it is regarded as one of the finest chronograph movements of its era. Winding it by hand every day is part of the experience.

The watch is worn on its Oyster steel bracelet - G number also from 1982.

The watch dates from 1983 and is in excellent, unpolished condition. It comes with box and papers (Svizzerland, 1983). Coming from an awesome munich collection.

We just servcied this piece through our watch lab.

A complete set like this is quite rare nowadaysfor a manual Daytona.

"The legendar Big Red with box, papers plus the unpolished case, this sums up to a watch serious collectors have been searching for for years!"