VIDEO: Rolex Chronograph “Pre-Daytona”
One Minute Watch with John Carter
Pre-Owned Rolex Chronograph “Pre-Daytona”
Now referred to as the “Pre-Daytona”, the Ref. 6238 was the last generation of Rolex Chronographs before the Daytona was introduced in 1963. It represents a turning point in design, where Rolex’s chronograph first started to capture elements that would become part of the Daytona’s iconic form. The clean design features a tachymetre scale on the dial, as opposed to on the bezel with the Daytona models.
Dating to 1966, this Rolex Chronograph 6238 is in very good vintage condition and was just fully serviced. Sorry, no boxes or papers.
When thinking of a Rolex chronograph, you likely think of the Cosmograph Daytona, however Rolex produced several chronographs before the model was introduced. As the immediate precursor to the Daytona, the Ref. 6238 is often referred to as the “Pre-Daytona” as it was the last generation of Rolex Chronographs before the Daytona was released in 1963.
It represents a turning point in design, where Rolex’s chronograph design first started to capture elements that would become part of the Daytona’s iconic form. Rolex eliminated the telemeter track which allowed the dial to be less cluttered, and added baton hands and faceted hour markers for a clean and modern look. Although the Ref. 6238 doesn’t feature the contrasted sub-dials of the Daytona, the monochromatic silver dial has a clean and contemporary aesthetic.
It is estimated that Rolex only produced roughly 2,000 of these models during the 1960’s, making this quite a rare find in such good vintage condition.
See more details on this pre-owned 1966 Rolex Chronograph “Pre-Daytona” (Ref. 6238)
