Back in January, British auction house Phillips announced it will be hosting a sale in May dedicated entirely to the iconic Rolex Daytona collection of wristwatches, titled “Daytona Ultimatum”. This came as a surprise to no one in the luxury watch industry, as a Rolex Daytona owned by Hollywood icon Paul Newman was sold for a world record price at a Phillips’ auction a couple of months previous.
As the Rolex Ultimatum sale draws ever closer, Phillips has now unveiled what will undoubtedly be the star of the show, this unique white gold Rolex Daytona reference 6265. The Daytona reference 6265 was first manufactured by the Swiss watchmaker in 1970, and it shared the same oyster case and screw-down pushers as the 6263 – although it was now presented with a metal bezel as opposed to an acrylic one. The unique example was likely commissioned for a special order, as it was produced in 1970 and then sold through a German retailer the year after.
The white gold motif of the case continues on to the Sigma dial with the hour markers, although you may notice that the crown is stainless steel instead of white gold. Furthermore, the unusual bark-finished bracelet was added on to the Daytona at a later date, and although it is not the original, it is still a genuine Rolex piece.
The white gold Daytona reference 6265 currently belongs to esteemed luxury watch collector, John Goldberger, and pre-auction estimates suggest that it is expected to be sold in excess £2.27 million (CHF 3 million). It is also important to note is that all proceeds raised by this watch at Daytona Ultimatum will be going to Children Action, a Geneva-based charity.
The Daytona Ultimatum auction will take place on May 12, 2018, in Geneva, and it will be hosted by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo.
