
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Rolex wristwatch, ref. 6263, Cosmograph Daytona Manual Winding, circa 1984
- Maker / attribution
- Rolex (brand / maker)
- Date
- c. 1984
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- steel
- Auction house
- Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
- Lot
- Lot 352-35
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: LOT 35, Forte dei Marmi
- Catalogue title (original)
- ROLEX REF.6263, COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA, MANUAL WINDING, BIG RED, NEVER POLISHED AND NEVER SERVICED, STEEL (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 352-35), this is a wristwatch by Rolex, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1984. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Antiquorum catalogue description
Very fine and rare, manual winding, chronograph with 3 subdials, steel, wristwatch.
Lot specifications (Antiquorum)
Model: Daytona; Reference: 6263; Movement No.: 15113; Case No.: 8780157; Bracelet: Original Rolex oyster bracelet ref 78350/19, end links 571, length circa 170mm; Caliber: 727; Dimensions: 37 mm; Signature: Case, dial, bracelet signed
Inscriptions & marks
Case, dial, bracelet signed
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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