Rolex. A rare and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with expandable bracelet

The present watch is an extremely attractive and original example of a Rolex Cosmograph reference 6240. The value of the present watch for a collector is enhanced by the fact that it is a Paul Newman model, featuring the tell-tale square-shaped indices inside the subsidiary dials. Moreover, the dial on this watch with its white centre and black subsidiary dials is also known as a "Panda" dial, an allusion to the animal's characteristic fur pattern.

It is not only the all-original dial that will delight the collector. The intact and correct bezel together with the original and well-preserved pushers, as well as the sharp milling on the back and sharp lugs, all add to the overall appeal of this "Panda Paul Newman".
The chronograph buttons or pushers on this watch are correct and original to reference 6240, with the milling on the buttons consisting of small fine grooves and referred to as "mille righe". Later chronograph buttons, often replacing the "mille righe" during a servicing, display much deeper grooves from the milling, allowing for improved grip.

In production from about 1965 to 1969, reference 6240 was the first "Oyster Cosmograph" produced by Rolex. In comparison to past models, reference 6240 was characterized by the novelty of screw down chronograph buttons. These chronograph buttons with their grooved middles were no longer sunk into the profile of the case as is true for its predecessors with simple rounded chronograph buttons. The reference was made exclusively in stainless steel and had a metal bezel with black plastic insert.

Reference 6240 is described and illustrated in Rolex Daytona - A Legend is Born by Carlo Pergola, Stefano Mazzariol and Giovanni Dosso, pp. 76-92, in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda by Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 304-311, as well as in 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, p. 239.