Daytona 126540 fake

This year marks the 61st anniversary of the birth of Rolex Daytona (1963-2023). Rolex will release an important new Daytona watch at the upcoming Watches and Wonders Fair in Geneva on March 27.

Looking back 10 years, on the 50th anniversary of Daytona in 2013, Rolex launched the Daytona 116506 with a platinum brown ceramic bezel. As we approach the release of the Daytona‘s 60th-anniversary new watch, let’s review some of the most important Daytonas in the history of Rolex to help you understand the upcoming new watch.

Rolex launched the Daytona for the first time in 1963. The Ref. 6239 was the first Daytona in Rolex history, produced from 1963 to 1969. This was the first time the name “DAYTONA” appeared on the watch dial.

The Rolex Daytona 6239 has a 37 mm size. Its most notable feature is its stainless steel bezel, and there is no lock on the chronograph button; it is just a standard button. Additionally, under the crown on the watch dial, only the words “ROLEX COSMOGRAPH” are written. Besides the standard dial, the Daytona 6239 also comes with a “Paul Newman” dial.

The “Paul Newman” dial features small chronograph sub-dials with square markers, and the time scale and chronograph scale are on the outer ring of the dial. It typically has a black-and-white contrast dial (though there are also gold dials). It is named after actor Paul Newman, who wore it.

The 6239 is a manual chronograph, using the Valjoux 72 series manual chronograph movement. Rolex purchased this chronograph movement from the Valjoux movement factory, which was later acquired by ETA. It is a column-wheel, horizontal clutch, and manual-winding chronograph movement.

The Daytona 6263 is the next-generation follow-up model to the 6239. Produced from 1971 to 1987, the Daytona 6263 has a similar appearance to the 6239, but with upgraded features.