How many times has someone asked you what is your favorite watch?
This is one of those questions that every watch enthusiast is asked during is adventure inside the world of horology.
Thinking about it, however, this is a question that is not at all easy to answer. Indeed, most of the times, any enthusiast or collector will answer you by mentioning more watches and not just one.
However, If you were to ask me what my favorite watch is, I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to mention just one, that is, the Rolex Daytona.
At this point you are surely thinking about how trivial my answer can be but be careful, I have omitted a “small” detail on purpose. I’m not talking about any Daytona, I’m talking about the wonderful reference 6270, one of the rarest Rolex of all time.
In the eyes of many it may seem a watch like the others, but I believe it is one of those watches that I would look at for hours without even knowing what time it is.
There has always been discussion about the history of this masterpiece and, above all, about the quality of the watches produced with this reference.
Let’s say that, even nowadays, we cannot have 100% clarity on what is the definitive history of this model since, as many of you know, collectors have always been involved in reconstructing Rolexes’ stories since it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get information directly from the Geneva Maison.
Despite this, thanks to a lot of research and, above all, to the discovery of some documents, I was able to put together the various pieces of what could be the definitive history on what represents one of the most beautiful watches ever produced.
In this article I will take you with me to discover the history of the Rolex Daytona 6270 trying to clarify all the doubts that have been set on this watch.
The history of the Daytona 6270
We are in the 80s, between 1984 and 1986, a period in which the crowned Maison of Geneva decided to create two variants of a watch that, to date, represents an icon of watchmaking: the Rolex Daytona.
In those years, the world of the Daytona was dominated by the various models with 4-digits references that we talked about in two different articles, a guide divided into part 1 and part 2.
The two variants that were created in those years were the references 6269 and 6270, two models made of yellow gold and embellished with diamonds and sapphires.
In addition to being the first two Rolex Daytona with stones and diamonds, they also represent the first Rolexes to be completed, in their beauty, by precious stones.
The Daytona we will talk about today is the very rare 6270, a watch that was created starting from one of the most famous references: the reference 6263.
Indeed, the Daytona 6270 features the same movement, dimensions, buttons and case as the Rolex Daytona 6263. The distinctive character of the 6270, compared to the 6263, is given by the stones and diamonds present on the bezel and dial.
Regarding the birth of this watchmaking masterpiece, there have always been different narratives. Reading the various magazines and blogs in the world of watchmaking, what I have always noticed, is that there has never been clarity, first of all, regarding the total quantity produced of the Rolex Daytona 6270 ( however, most have always mentioned 8 total specimens).
Moving on to what I consider the certainties about this Rolex Daytona, also shared by many collectors, we can first of all say that this reference was commissioned in the 1980s to Rolex by the Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said.
Another certainty is that 7 specimens were donated by the Sultan to important dignitaries; it would also seem that an eighth model was made for the sultan with a detail also known on other Rolex Oman engraved on the caseback: the logo with the swords (most likely, it should be the only one with a personalized logo). Similarly to what happened for the other Rolexes that were made for the Royals, these Rolex Daytona were also sold by the well-known Asprey dealer in London.
The most controversial issue regarding this watch, as mentioned above, is undoubtedly the total number of pieces produced. This is no small feature in the world of watchmaking since we measure the rarity of a watch precisely thanks to this parameter.
In this regard, an official Rolex document intervenes thanks to which all doubts that were believed to exist regarding the total number of pieces produced can be resolved. This is a fax from Rolex, in German, dated January 12, 1994 and addressed to an auction house located in Germany.
Following the translation of this document, I was able to read what Rolex Geneve wrote, in all truth a detailed description of a watch corresponding to the Daytona ref. 6270. Inside the document you can read that it is a watch presented in 1984 at the Basel fair, some of which were made for the Sultan of Oman.
However, the thing that will interest all of you, at this point, is that inside the fax you can read that this watch was produced in a total of 20 copies and not all with the same dial.
From this letter we can therefore understand that the Rolex Daytona 6270 was created in two different configurations. Inside the letter you can also read the list price of the time: 70,000 CHF.
Thanks to this document, in my opinion, it can be understood that not all the specimens were purchased by the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos Bin Said. In fact, if we consider the eight copies destined for the latter, there are twelve left that were certainly sold to “normal” customers.
In support of this hypothesis, we can have confirmation from a specimen of 6270 that went up for auction on November 13, 2021 at the Dr. Crott auction house.
This specimen was accompanied by all its original equipment of the time including the card of a recent service performed at the parent company.
This Rolex Daytona, confirming that the 6270s were also sold to other people, outside the Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, was delivered to the auction house by the very first owner who bought it directly from a Rolex dealer in Germany in 1992.
This detail, therefore, can make us understand that this reference was also intended for other dealers outside Asprey.
I want to clarify that this is not the first 6270 put on the market as, over the years, another 3 have been sold with certainty by auction houses and all belonged to the royal family.
The total number of watches that appeared on the market, of which there is no certainty, however, would seem to be 12 watches.
The features and versions of the Rolex 6270
Starting from the case, this is made of 18 kt gold with a diameter of 37 mm; the caseback is screw-down and is branded on the inside with the reference “6263”.
At 12 o’clock, between the lugs, we find the reference “6270” engraved and between the lugs at 6 o’clock we find the serial number.
The riveted bracelet, with reference 7205, is also made of yellow gold.
Moving on to the protagonists of this watch, we find a dial composed of 240 brilliant-cut diamonds and 9 sapphires that take place as hour markers. Another element that stands out are the counters of an incredible purple that darkens on the outside.
The second main character of the watch is the bezel made up of 28 baguette-cut diamonds (3.26ct).
An interesting thing to note, thanks to the retrieval of the fax mentioned above, is the second variant of this watch mentioned in the document.
It is a Daytona 6270 with the exact same bezel but with the “classic” champagne dial from Rolex. This version, in my opinion, is to be considered even rarer than the “normal” 6270 as it is a watch unknown to most people and of which very few pictures are available.
Finally, moving on to the movement, inside this Rolex Daytona we find the famous Valjoux 727 with manual winding.
Price history of the Rolex Daytona 6270
As mentioned, over the years some examples of this very rare reference have been sold. One of them was sold in 2009, by the auction house Antiquorum, for the sum of EUR 330,000.
Subsequently, in May 2014, Christie’s sold one for EUR 753,000. In May 2017, however, the auction house Dr. Crott sold one for EUR 870,000.
The last specimen sold, again by Dr. Crott, last November 2021, made a record amount of EUR 2,065,000.
Final remarks
Always covered by a shadow of mystery, this Rolex Daytona is certainly one of the most fascinating models of the Crown House of Geneva.
Desired and sought after by most of the most important collectors in the world, this Rolex represents, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful watches ever made within the world of watchmaking.
If you ever get the chance to see one live, I’m sure you can’t help but get lost for hours admiring it and being amazed.
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