Lot 326

Rolex "Chronograph", Case No. 964601, Ref. 6238, Cal. 72B, 36 mm, circa 1963
A gentleman's sporty wristwatch with chronograph, 30 min. and 12h counter, telemeter and tachy scale, so called "Pre-Daytona"
Case: steel, screw back ref. 6239, "Twinlock" winding crown, round non-screwed down push chronograph buttons. Dial: silvered. Movm.: 2/3 plate movement, Glucydur screw balance.
Unfortunately the case has not been smoothed professionally and ripples are clearly visible on the flanks.
Rolex produced a total of 3600 watches with the reference 6238 - compared to today's production of a model with a similar significance this was a rather small edition. Most watches of this edition have a steel case, while very few were produced in gold; this was then done in 14K gold for the American market or in 18K gold for the European distribution. Most collectors refer to this reference as the "pre-Daytona".
Described and illustrated in detail in "Rolex Chronographen - Faszination durch Präzision", Paolo Gobby, Edition Callwey, p. 290