What you’re looking at technically isn’t the first Daytona ad… That would come the following year, in 1965, formally announcing the model as the “Daytona” in the copy. This magazine ad, from 1964, is well-known for it naming the new chronograph from Rolex the “Le Mans.” Although it doesn’t show the first iteration of what today we call the Daytona, with signature details such as an underline marking on the dial, it is likely the very-first magazine ad to show the legendary Rolex chronograph, which is a Grail for many (including me!).

This ad provides evidence that back in late 1963, or early 1964, when this advertisement was probably being conceived, other variations of the Ref. 6239 were being produced. Today, with the collective knowledge we have, we expect the first ad for the “Daytona” to show the earliest execution. But that’s just not how ads were done back in the day. In the mid-1960s no one collected watches and therefore no one cared about the nuances we “value” today. The main point was to just show the model - what it generally looks like. That also may explain why the watch is photographed upside down… Perhaps it was intentional to catch the eye of the reader or how the person “in charge” thought the watch was best viewed... Or, like how showing the very-first execution of the model in the ad wasn’t necessarily important, how it was shown was also not that important… This is the mystery and charm of vintage ads, which makes many of them fascinating and special.

It’s worth mentioning that the universe of “Daytona” ads is very small... In fact, I’ve only encountered 4 magazine ads that show a steel, 4-digit “Daytona” featured by itself and from Rolex. That is, paired with no other models and having no jeweler or retailer name in the ad. For this reason, all are special. But of those 4 “Daytona” ads, from ‘64, ‘65, ‘66, and ‘67, this “first” ad is the hardest to come by. That’s part of the reason it’s priced much (much) higher than most, which I’m happy to explain more (just send me an email).

Given the love for the “Daytona” including the “Paul Newman” versions, this particular ad is arguably the most-important piece of history tied to the model. If you collect and are super-passionate about the “Daytona” this is your Picasso to treasure!