When we talk about Daytona, we are definitely talking about the most famous Rolex in the world.
Beloved and sought after by all collectors, the Daytona, from its inception to the present day, has known several versions that have always been inspired by the model’s first reference, namely 6239.
Nowadays, we can classify the crowned house’s chronograph into three broad categories according to the type of caliber mounted in them: the era of hand-wound Daytonas (4-digit references), the era of Zenith-derived automatic movements (5-digit references), and the era of Rolex automatic movements (6-digit references).
But what if we took a small step back and asked what came before? More importantly, what was the very first Daytona 6239 inspired by? What would we get to?
The answer lies within an appellation coined by the collecting world, namely, “Pre-Daytona.” So far nothing strange I would say, except for the fact that, among the various currents of thought on the subject, there is nothing absolutely definite as to what can really be classified as Pre-Daytona.
In thinking of this term, many believe that we are not referring to one watch but to that entire series of Rolex chronographs that preceded the introduction of the first Daytona ref. 6239.
To remove any doubt, I could only ask Stefano Mazziarol, one of the world’s leading Rolex Daytona experts and author of several publications on the subject.
According to Stefano, who confirmed the idea I have always had since I got into the vintage world of Rolex, the Pre-Daytona is only one watch, the Rolex Chronograph ref. 6238.
So once we understand what can really be considered Pre-Daytona (then for goodness sake, the vintage world of Rolex is also nice because you never have the same opinion on a subject) I think it is interesting to briefly mention what led to the progenitor of the Daytona, namely ref. 6238.
I also feel it is my duty and interest to bring to the attention of our dear readers this topic on the Pre Daytona since, for as long as watch collecting has existed, countless pages and books have always been written about the Daytona forgetting about one of the most interesting and underrated references of the crowned house and without which the myth of the highly sought-after Daytona would not exist.
Rolex Chronographs preceding the 6238
Before we get to ref. 6238, better known as the Pre-Daytona, we need to take a few steps back through the years and consider the two previous references from which the 6238 was inspired.
I am talking about refs. 6034 and 6234 which, according to many, should be considered as Pre-Daytona along with 6238.
For goodness sake, using the word “Pre-Daytona” to refer to a period and not a model would inevitably lead them to be included in the classification.
But at this point, then, we would have to consider Pre-Daytona all the chronographs of the maison before the Daytona and it would become quite a long list and, in some ways and to my way of looking at it, inaccurate.
According to proponents of the term Pre-Daytona used to refer to a period of multiple models, these should all be those with the following characteristics: any Rolex chronograph produced before the release of 6239, with an Oyster case, round pump pushers, three opposed and reference number “6000.”
Classification that by the way would include the two references mentioned just above which, although not the first to designate Rolex chronographs with Oyster cases, show a combination of components that mark the slow and gradual development of Rolex chronographs that led to the first Daytona.
Starting with the first, ref. 6034, this indicates Rolex chronographs produced in the 1950s, in very few examples, in either steel or gold. Featuring different dial combinations, this watch was most commonly made with a silver dial.
At the level of design we begin to find in Ref. 6034 those forms that would later be taken up by the Daytona’s ancestor, Ref. 6238 but, at the level of the dial, we can still notice graphics from the old chronographs.
Further approaching the first Daytona comes with ref. 6234, which goes before 6238.
This chronograph, produced from 1955 to 1961, in both steel and gold in a few thousand total, while still far from the first Daytona model as we know it, represents a kind of progenitor that laid the foundation for the later reference and which, in its first series (I refer to the 6238), featured a purportedly similar dial design and font.
Indeed, on this reference we find some features in common with the first Daytona: three-counter dial; matching case, crown, and pushers; and, finally, a hand-wound Valjoux caliber.
We then come to ref. 6238, i.e., the watch that I believe deserves the true appellation of “Pre-Daytona.” Reason supported by top experts, such as the aforementioned just above Stefano Mazzariol, as well as by a number of features of the watch that we will go into in the course of the article.
The ref. 6238: Rolex Pre-Daytona
Here we are talking about the actual reference that was the progenitor of one of the greatest legends of the watchmaking world. Ref. 6238, introduced in the early 1960s and produced until 1967, was made in steel, 14kt gold, and 18kt gold.
An interesting fact to dwell on is that the first Daytona, with ref. 6239, began to be produced in 1963, right around the time the Pre-Daytona was produced (a detail to keep in mind for a feature of the 6238 that we will go into below).
On a related note, moreover, Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant in the watch sector of the famous Phillips auction house and an internationally recognized specialist in the watch market, argues that precisely because it was produced at the same time as the first Daytona, Ref. 6238 cannot deserve the Pre-Daytona appellation all by itself.
At this point, while I stand by my idea, I leave it to you readers to interpret the various currents of thought on the Pre-Daytona name and I would like to reiterate, as I have repeatedly argued when talking about the vintage world of Rolex, that the world of collecting from the crowned house is wonderful precisely because of the fact that we never agree with each other on the same issue leaving us for hours and hours of friendly discussion…discussions that a true enthusiast would never want to end.
After this short aside, let us return to focus on the reference under consideration.
The main features of this chronograph with ref. 6238 from the crowned house are: oyster case, 600 series pump pushers, Oyster Twinlock crown, smooth bezel in the metal of the case, domed plexi crystal, and graduated scale printed on the dial.
These are all features that, unlike the dial scale that will be shown on the bezel, we later find in the later reference 6239, i.e., the first Daytona.
Regarding the inscriptions on the dial we find the inscription “Rolex Chronograph” although, in some very rare models, there is only the inscription “Rolex” and that is why they are specimens called “Rolex only.” Analyzing the number of examples produced, it is assumed that about 3,590 were made in steel, 150 in 18-karat yellow gold and 225 in 14-karat yellow gold.
The collecting world then divided the chronograph production into three different series classified by the serial number engraved on each watch, between the lugs, at 6 o’clock.
According to Stefano Mazzariol, the first series, also called pre-series, was produced with serial numbers up to about 800,000. As for the second series, the rarest, this was produced up to serial number 950,000. We finish the classification with the third series, also called the definitive series, which saw the beginning of its production around serial number 1,000,000.
Looking at a specimen of the first series shown above, we can see that the early models were not at all similar to the model of 6238 that we usually imagine and could also be confused with earlier references.
On the Pre-Daytona of the first series, in fact, dials similar to the earlier series (refs. 6034 and 6234) were mounted.
And it is precisely for this reason that many call the dial of the first series a “transitional dial” in that it was a transition from 6234 to 6238.
These were made with or without a tachymeter scale, with or without “Oyster” inscription and leaf indices (as in earlier models).
Other details that were taken from previous references are the inscriptions such as the signature “Oyster Chronograph” below the “Rolex” inscription and the and the signature “anti-magnetic” above the dial at six o’clock.
Inscriptions that then disappear and hands that begin to change shape with the introduction of what is classified as the second series of 6238 by collectors and where we have the adoption of straight hands, faceted baton hour markers (which will also be found in later Daytona references) and a single tachymeter scale on the dial.
This series, considered the rarest, was made with a two-tone dial, similar in style to that of the later Ref. 6239 that would be named Daytona.
Moving on to the third series, the final one, it was made with a monochrome dial that can be silver (most common version of 6238) or black. As for silver this can be found in two versions: light or dark tending to gray (the second variant is rarer).
Turning instead to the black dial, this can be found both matte and glossy and with either white or silver graphics. Most black dials were made with a matte finish thus making the glossy black ones rarer.
Among the latter, rarity of rarity, is the shiny black dial with gold lettering. However, if we were to rank the most sought-after models (leaving out the almost unique ones that we will see a little later) there would definitely be the Holy Grail of the 6238, that is, the 14 kt yellow gold version with a black dial.
Further curiosity, according to Edmond Saran, of “Le Monde Edmond” is the fact that as many as 14 different dial variants would exist.
Turning now to the details of the dial we can note the presence of the inscription “T SWISS MADE T” located at 6 o’clock where the “T’s” indicate the presence of Tritium as a luminescent material used for the hour markers.
Having called this detail into question, it is worth pointing out that specimens without the letters “T” also exist. This indicates the probable use of either radium or strontium.
Further detail of the dials of the third series of ref. 6238 lies in the inscriptions above them, which allows these dials to be divided into three categories: first production, second second production, and post-production dials (mounted as a result of service).
The second series is recognizable by the Rolex “R” on the dial as having little “graceful” graphics and a tachymeter scale further away from the chronograph counters.
One item that has always been a source of discussion in the world of collectibles are the hands affixed above the dial of the second and third series (straight hands that would later be mounted on later Daytonas as well).
Indeed, there has always been no single answer on the question of the length of the minute hand, which seems to be different in some specimens.
Popular opinion is that the shorter minute hand that does not extend beyond the outer scale markers is the first and original hand intended for this model.
However, there are some models in circulation that have a longer minute hand, which looks very much like the minute hand used on 6239.
This can be explained through two hypotheses.
First of all, as mentioned above, production of the Daytona 6239 overlapped with that of the Pre-Daytona 6238, and therefore (I speculate), Rolex, wanting to mount longer hands on the later 6239 and perhaps having ceased production of the shorter baton hands, decided to mount for the late-production dials of the 6238 the hands of the 6239.
A second hypothesis may be that the specimens today equipped with longer hands were born with short hands but, as a result of service at the parent company, were later replaced with longer supply hands, the same as those of 6239.
As is always the case in the Rolex world, since there is no official archive to draw on, there are many doubts, so I leave it up to you to interpret.
Turning instead to the counter hands, another subject close to the hearts of collectors of the reference, on the Pre-Daytona 6238 they are thinner than on the later Daytona 6239.
Turning instead to the watch movement we find the Valjoux caliber 72 B used until about 1965 and then posing to the caliber 722, based on Valjoux 72, also used for the later Daytona with refs. 6239, 6240 and 6242.
After analyzing all these elements that go to make up the reference 6238 we can even more support the fact that 6238 represents the one and only Pre-Daytona, that is, a watch that with all its features certainly influenced the later Daytona.
Then again, if you think about it for a moment, to get a 6239 out of a 6238, all you would need to do is change the dial (in the case of a two-tone “Rolex only” dial not even that) and the bezel of a 6238 to the next model and that’s it, there’s the Daytona.
This is to make it clear how close the correlation between the two models is and, more importantly, to understand why I believe, like many others, that the 6238 is the only Pre-Daytona.
Special versions of Rolex Pre-Daytona 6238
In addition to the rarity given in itself by the combination of dials with the different materials from which the 6238 was made, there is the rarity of some models of the reference given by certain details.
A first model that I would call “special” and very rare indeed, is the 6238 signed Tiffany & Co.
Chased and loved by all collectors, double-signature dials have always fascinated and increased the rarity dose of any type of watch, Rolex 6238 included.
Another extremely rare model is one that has been documented by noted expert and collector John Goldberger within his book “100 Superlative Rolex Watches.”
This is a 6238 which, in addition to the classic tachymeter scale, has within it a medical scale for measuring pulse rates.
One last very rare but discreet model is the Pre-Daytona assigned to the Peruvian army, more specifically the FAP (Fuerza Aerea del Peru) department. I say very discreet in that without observing the case back, you would not be able to grasp its uniqueness.
James Bond’s Pre-Daytona 6238.
I would like to conclude the article on this Rolex house chronograph with one of our favorite activities at IWS, namely “Watch Spotting.”
In fact, a 6238 was worn by one of the most famous characters in the history of action cinema, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary: we are obviously talking about 007.
Indeed, on the wrist of George Lazenby, the actor who played the world’s most famous secret agent in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” appears a Rolex Pre-Daytona 6238.
Also confirming this is the original receipt for the sale of the watch for 790 Swiss francs (about 800 euros) issued by the Bucherer dealer to the EON productions company in 1968, i.e., the British film company established to produce the 007 films.
An advertisement that opens up further doubts
I wanted to leave this image for last because according to what has been written and known in the collecting world to date, this advertisement could “dismantle” some certainties. The first detail I would like to draw your attention to is the watch: let us assume that it is a 6238 (given the absence of the bezel with tachymeter scale).
Some may rightly think, however, that we cannot speak of ref. 6238 because it lacks the tachymetric scale placed on the dial, but, if you remember well, a little further on we ascertained that there are ref. 6238 defined as “only” which have only the Rolex inscription and the absence of the scale on the two-tone dial.
So far so good I would be inclined to say because, at this point, I could argue it is a 6238 second series (given the two-tone dial) with the addition of “Chronograph” to a “Rolex only” dial.
But the real doubt that arises is the fact that in the advertisement the watch is called Daytona and that, more importantly, the description mentions the tachymeter scale on the bezel, which, however, in the image does not camp.
So, is this a 6238 mistakenly entered as a Daytona, or (I hypothesize), given the inspiration we have seen of the 6239 to the 6238, a very early Daytona 6239 model that perhaps initially took up the same scale-free bezel as the 6238?
With these doubts you can surely begin your next discussion of the vintage Rolex world with your friends.
Final remarks
It is strange to think that a watch full of all these details and curiosities that would make it highly “collectible” has not yet fully succeeded in breaking through to the hearts of enthusiasts.
What needs to be said is that undoubtedly, unlike the Daytona, the Pre-Daytona cannot boast of having been born for drivers who sped around motor racing circuits at 200 mph or of having been a faithful companion of the actor thanks to whom the Daytona’s dose of sophistication was increased, Paul Newman.
An additional factor that, in my opinion, also makes the 6238 less sought after is, absurdly, the small number of examples produced thus making the Pre-Daytona a little-known watch.
I would like to point out , without any arrogance, that even the Daytona was not considered for years and only later did the collecting of this watch explode.
However, I do not want to be misunderstood. It is true that the 6238 is not as sought after, but it is also true that the figures realized in some cases are definitely high even if not yet representative of the actual rarity of the watch.
What I want to try to say is that the Pre-Daytona, either because of my personal taste or because of my passion about the vintage world of Rolex of those years, has a great collecting potential that has not yet fully manifested itself.
It certainly has nothing to envy a Daytona especially if (and here you will say I like to win easy), we consider a 6238 in gold with a black dial.
Could this be the year of Pre-Daytona payback as we approach the long-awaited 60th anniversary of the Daytona?
Only time and the market will give us these answers.
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Sources:
“Rolex Daytona dalla nascita al mito. Un viaggio tra tecnica e stile.” – Stefano Mazzariol, Carlo Pergola, Giovanni Dosso.
Rolex Chronograph ref. 6238 – Mazzariol Stefano Library
“In-depth review Rolex 6238 Pre-Daytona” – Le Monde Edmond
“IS THE ROLEX PRE-DAYTONA A FORGOTTEN CLASSIC?” – A Collected Man
“100 Superlative Rolex Watches” – John Goldberger
