Rolex

The Rolex Daytona does not need an introduction as it is possibly the world’s most popular sports watch of all time. The legendary collection originated way back in 1963 when Rolex released reference 6239 as a replacement for reference 6238. Bold and yet groundbreaking, the tachymeter scale was moved to the bezel instead of the dial, to which the design has remained until this day.

As an attempt to test out the reaction of the market, Rolex released a few dial configurations at the time. There were standard silvered and black dials, and there were rare “exotic” dials. These “exotic” dials are distinguished by the three dimensional construction, with sunken subsidiary dials and sunken outer chapter ring which unfortunately back then did not get a lot of love from collectors. Based on the bitter response, it was estimated that every 20 standard dial Daytonas sold, an “exotic” dial Daytona was sold. However, it wasn't until seeing the watch on legendary car racer and actor Paul Newman's wrist that the market finally realized how uncommon and collectible the dial was, which set off a frenzy of one of the most sought-after Rolex watches to date.

In superb and honest condition, the current watch sported a reverse panda configuration with a nice and attractive red chapter ring, the contrast is impeccable yet further enhances the sportiness of the watch. The present dial goes one step further and is known as the 'Musketeer' variation. Usually Paul Newman dials have a concentric circular pattern on the subsidiary dials, however, on a Musketeer dial, this pattern only covers two third of the surface. The remaining portion is not only smooth, it is also sloped, giving the dial a different and very sought after look.