1969 Rolex Daytona (Ref. 6239) "Blue Daytona"

Rolex first introduced the ref. 6239 Cosmograph in 1963 in steel, 14k and 18k yellow gold with a design that was solely focused on automobile racing. The Units Per Hour bezel allowed for the tracking and measuring of average speed and lap times making for a truly useful tool for racing drivers in the 20th century. Rolex, being the same marketing powerful house back then as they are today, knew the American market would be their most effective demographic as racing in America was on the rise in the 60s-70s. Effectively, in 1964 the Rolex Cosmograph was branded “Daytona” after the famous race The 24hrs of Daytona. Over the duration of the ref. 6239 and later the 6241, the dial featured numerous small changes and variants with the most notable being the exotic or “Paul Newman” dial until the references end in 1969.

Said to be the very last dial variant produced for the 6239 reference in 1969, the blue Daytona is certainly a rarity and one of the more unique dials to come from Rolex in this era. Named the “Blue Daytona” because of the light but very visible blue hue of the Daytona text above the 6 o’clock sub-dial while the rest of the text is printed in silver. As one of the most understated dials produced for the Cosmograph line, the blue Daytona captures the essence of the earlier dial variants and blends it perfectly with the later variants seen in the mid-70s while standing on its own as a truly special and collectible option within the vintage Daytona lineup.