Rolex. A fine, rare and attractive stainless steel triple calendar chronograph wristwatch with two-tone silvered dial
Lot 130

Rolex. A fine, rare and attractive stainless steel triple calendar chronograph wristwatch with two-tone silvered dial

SIGNED ROLEX, OYSTER CHRONOGRAPHE, ANTIMAGNETIC, REF. 6236, CASE NO. 576'456, CIRCA 1960

Closed13 May 2013

Price Realised

CHF 303,750

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Rolex. A fine, rare and attractive stainless steel triple calendar chronograph wristwatch with two-tone silvered dial
Signed Rolex, Oyster Chronographe, Antimagnetic, ref. 6236, case no. 576'456, circa 1960
Cal 72B mechanical movement, 17 jewels, two-tone silvered dial, raised facetted square and baton numerals with luminous accents, luminous hands, outer date ring with blue Arabic numerals, central blued steel arrow date hand, two windows for day and month, three engine-turned subsidiary dials for constant seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours registers, tonneau-shaped water-resistant-type case, screw back, screw down crown, two round chronograph buttons in the band, case, dial and movement signed
36 mm. diam.

Specialist note

The present watch is an excellent example of the much sought-after Rolex reference 6236 with its charismatic dial, featuring the date ring with blue Arabic numerals and stylish blued steel arrow date hand. Whether viewed head on or from an angle, the superb face of the watch reveals its attractive two-tone silvered shine at once to the connoisseur's gaze.

The highly collectible Rolex Oyster triple calendar chronograph watches, which are also known as Dato Compax models, consist of four different series. Famed French Olympic skiing legend and Rolex enthusiast Jean-Claude Killy has sported a Dato Compax in the past and the model hence has been dubbed by watch enthusiasts the "Jean-Claude Killy".

Reference 6236, like this watch, is the final version of the model. It was in production between 1958 and 1962 and is easily identifiable by the larger bezel compared to its predecessors. In fact, the case of reference 6236 is made of three elements, the bezel no longer carved from the same block as the centre piece of the case. Moreover, the "six" and "nine" on the blue date ring are no longer "open" as was the case in previous generations.

The three earlier series of the Dato Compax model carry the reference numbers 4767, 5036 and 6036.

The model is described and illustrated in I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda, Pucci Papaleo Editore, pp. 402-409, as well as in 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, pp. 156-157.