Christie’s roundel
Lot 147

Rolex. A rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, made for the Peruvian Airforce

SIGNED ROLEX, OYSTER COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA, REF. 6263, CASE NO. 4'017'220, MANUFACTURED IN 1975

Closed16 November 2009

Price Realised

CHF 43,750

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Rolex. A rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, made for the Peruvian Airforce
Signed Rolex, Oyster Cosmograph Daytona, ref. 6263, case no. 4'017'220, manufactured in 1975
Cal. 727 nickel-finished lever movement, 17 jewels, black matte dial, applied baton numerals with luminous accents, luminous hands, three engine-turned silvered subsidiary dials for constant seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours registers, tonneau-shaped water-resistant-type case, black bezel calibrated for 200 units, screw back, screw down crown, two round screw down chronograph buttons in the band, stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, case, dial and movement signed
38 mm. diam.

Specialist note

Fuerza Aérea del Perú
Rolex sports watches, particularly the Submariner model, have always been the watch of choice of diver's organisations and several armed forces; the most renowned certainly COMEX and the British Royal Navy (see the preceding lots 145 and 146), highly coveted collectors items in today's market.

It is however much less known that small series of watches were also supplied to forces such as Fuerza Aérea del Perú, consequently rendering the few models appearing in public extremely rare.

It is thought that as of the early 1960s, the Peruvian Air Force commissioned Rolex with the supply of watches for their personnel, mainly different Cosmograph Daytona models but also references 6238, the celebrated Pre-Daytona, and 1680, the Submariner with date, which were issued to the superior Officers. The case backs were engraved with the inscription Fuerza Aérea del Perú to the outside, the serial number was repeated to the inside - the numbers in the case back of the present watch read 6263 and 4017220.

Reference 6263 was introduced into the market in 1971. Different versions of the model are described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 328-335.