Rolex Vault › All references › Daytona
Daytona · 1971 to 1988 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Manual-Wind Daytona”
Not ranked: too few recorded sales
Market range: 22 public auction results (Phillips, Christie's) from the last 3 years, buyer's premium included.
Median public auction result (Phillips, Christie's) for each year with 2 or more sales, buyer's premium included. Dashed line marks the 1973 retail price.
The last manual-wind Daytona, with screw-down pushers and the famous 'Big Red' dial signature. It retailed for $386 in 1973 and was hard to sell at the time; six figures today.
Every component matters: pushers, bezel, dial, and bracelet are all checked against production-year correctness.
The last and best-loved manual Daytona: screw-down pushers, black acrylic bezel, 17 years of production that nobody wanted at the time. They were slow sellers in their day.
'Big Red' dials with the red DAYTONA signature are the canonical spec, and exotic 'Paul Newman' versions of this reference reach seven figures. The whole vintage Daytona pyramid rests on this watch and its 6265 twin.
Our verdict: Blue-chip vintage. Buy from a specialist with full documentation or not at all.
| Sizes | 37mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Black acrylic tachymeter |
| Notable dials | Silver; Black; 'Big Red' DAYTONA signature; Exotic Paul Newman (six figures) |
| Caliber | Valjoux 727 |
| Production | 1971 to 1988 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2026 | Christie's auction · Online sale ↗︎ steel, Sigma dial · sold for HKD 576,000 | $73,439 |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Christie's auction · New York live sale ↗︎ Big Red steel | $114,300 |
| May 30, 2026 | Phillips auction · Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXII ↗︎ Big Red · sold for HK$685,800 | $87,553 |
| May 11, 2026 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ steel · sold for CHF 57,150 | $72,914 |
| Nov 21, 2025 | Phillips auction · Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXI ↗︎ Big Red · sold for HK$1,016,000 | $130,650 |
| Nov 10, 2025 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Big Red steel · sold for CHF 73,660 | $91,663 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | Christie's auction · New York live sale ↗︎ Big Red steel | $69,300 |
| May 12, 2025 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Big Red steel · sold for CHF 81,900 | $98,722 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.