The Vintage Gold Rolex Oyster Daytona ref. 6265
Among all the variations of the legendary Rolex Daytona, the “Oyster” Daytona ref. 6265 might be one of the most interesting ones for collectors… This chronograph was presented in 1971 along with the ref. 6263 as the evolution of ref. 6262 and 6264 with new screw-down pushers and a larger winding crown with other improvements. As a result, this reference was the pinnacle of Rolex Oyster Chronographs designs, but also the culmination of all the best parts from earlier models !
Characteristics
The 6265 was made between 1971 and 1987, and was produced in Stainless steel, 14kt and 18kt gold.
Interesting fact : The watch is the last Daytona reference to bear a 37mm Oyster case before the massive design update from 1988 that brought the Daytona Zenith with the ref 16520 !
It is estimated that over this period, only 24,000 pieces were made and twelve times less ones in gold, with approximately 2000 pieces.
The design of the gold 6265
The ref. 6265, along with its “sister” reference, the 6263, were also known as “Oyster Daytonas” as they came with screwed pushers and a screwed winding crown. Early versions featured “Twinlock” crowns, while later wersions came with a Triplock illustrated with 3 dots on the crown, which you can see on our watch below. As a consequence, water resistance was improved and it is said later examples can go up to 100 meters (330 feet).
When lots of Oyster Daytona references were exclusively made in steel, the 6265 was made in both 14kt and 18kt gold, and steel.
The 18kt yellow gold version can be noticeable with a 750 stamp inside the caseback :
... and a “18k” stamp on the bracelet :
Overall, gold versions have always been desirable because they featured very specific details. From the late 70’s, gold examples had a movement number engraved behind the balance wheel, which is due to the Chronometer Certification of the movement. This treatment was only done to gold watches, as they were sent to Bienne for their certification.
Around that time, Rolex will also specifically change the dial design for gold versions by printing the mention “Officially Certified Chronometer” on the dial.
Overall, the gold 6265 might be the quirkiest watch of all the 6265 variations, with a very specific design and lots of details that make this watch grail-like for any collector. Finding one on the current market is incredibly hard, especially with this dial design as most of them came with Champagne dial and lemon subcounters.
The watch shown in this article is for sale, in perfect condition with box and papers, and is available here.