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Daytona · 1971 to 1988
“Manual 6265”
Grade A · 87/100Today's call: Buy
A: strong buy-and-hold. Ranked #11 of 129 references in The Crown Index vault.
| Original retail (1978) | $450 |
|---|---|
| Market today | $80,000 – $120,000 |
| Vs original retail | +22122% |
| 1-year trend | +4% |
The 6263's twin with a polished steel tachymeter bezel instead of black acrylic, made side by side for 17 years. Collectors split on which is prettier; the market prices them nearly identically.
It's the last of the manual-wind Daytonas, screw-down pushers, Valjoux 727, and the direct ancestor of every six-figure Daytona result at auction.
Seventeen years in the catalog and routinely discounted at dealers, the manual Daytonas were the slow sellers of their day. The people who bought them anyway, because they liked them, made the best accidental investment in watch history.
The 6265's metal bezel version polarizes against the 6263's black acrylic, and collectors flip between them like Beatles-or-Stones. Big Red dials, screw-down pushers, Valjoux 727: the full vintage chronograph liturgy.
Our verdict: A: blue-chip vintage with decades of auction history behind it. Buy on originality: pushers, bezel and dial must match the serial era.
| Sizes | 37mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet material | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Steel tachymeter (metal, where the 6263 wears black acrylic) |
| Notable dials | Silver; Black; Big Red DAYTONA; Exotic Paul Newman (six figures) |
| Caliber | Valjoux 727 |
| Production | 1971 to 1988 (discontinued) |
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