Daytona Ultimatum: Turning Up The Heat For The Hottest Daytonas

It was hot this weekend in Geneva, very hot. Not so much the actual temperature in the city, but the atmosphere at the at the Daytona Ultimatum auction organized by Phillips. Some of the rarest Rolex Daytonas were up for grabs, and many bidders, worldwide, bid up against each other in order to add them to their collection. The results where conclusive: the Rolex Daytona is one of the hottest models in the vintage market!

Ref. 6265 “The Unicorn”
All eyes were of course on “The Unicorn”, a Ref. 6265 Daytona in white gold, with an unusual white gold bracelet with bark finish. This watch is the only known of its kind in the world, making it highly desirable! The bidding was therefor fierce, and it was eventually sold for CHF 5,937,500,- making it the second most expensive Rolex Daytona ever sold at auction, right after Paul Newman‘s.

Ref. 6241 “John Player Special”
While officially a “Paul Newman” due to its dial, this Daytona got the nickname “John Player Special” after the cigarette brand that used to sponsor the Lotus Formula One cars. The watch shares the gold and black livery of these world champions and is therefore even a more appropriate for the watch. While rare by itself, this particular watch is also in an exceptionally good condition which explains its price of CHF 912,500,-

Ref. 6263 “The Arabian Knight”
It doesn’t come as a surprise that some of Rolex most loyal clients can be found in the Middle East, and the brand often created special watches to meet their demands. This Ref. 6263 is an example of that with an unusual dial with Arabic-Indic numerals. It was a custom order, which makes the watch even more desirable, and it was sold for CHF 1,932,500,-

Ref. 6269 “Le Hibou Grand-Duc”
Diamonds and sapphires dominate this Ref. 6269 Daytona and are also what makes it so desirable. It was originally made for the French market, and Rolex didn’t make more than 30 of them. That makes them highly desirable, especially because Rolex set the gemstones on the watch in such a fashion that the functionality it not compromised. The watch sold for CHF 606,500,-

Ref. 6263 “The Red Sultan”
Some watches have all the right names on the dial! This Daytona combines its Rolex crown with that of Asprey, which retailed this watch to the Sultan of Oman. This because evident from the “Khanjar” logo, which represents the Sultanate of Oman, and is printed prominently in red on the dial. It makes an already desirable vintage Daytona even more desirable, which also becomes evident from its sales price of CHF 1,212,500,-