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The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6241 is a hand-wound chronograph built from about 1965 to 1969. The case is 37 mm steel. The bezel is black acrylic, not steel. The pushers are pump pushers with no screw threads. Genuine steel examples sell at auction for six figures. Replica 6241 watches are common and sell from about $120 to $600.

Reference facts

  • Production: about 1965 to 1969.
  • Case: stainless steel, 37 mm across, acrylic crystal.
  • Bezel: black acrylic insert with a printed tachymeter scale.
  • Pushers: pump style, no screw-down collars. Water resistance is low.
  • Movement: Rolex cal. 722, based on the Valjoux 72. Hand-wound, column wheel, subdials at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock.
  • Dial: Rolex above Cosmograph. The word Daytona appears on later dials. Exotic Paul Newman dials carry contrasting subdials and a squared minute track.

Rolex made fewer 6241 examples than the 6239 or the later 6263. Production totals are not published. Auction results for Paul Newman dial 6241 watches have passed $500,000 at Christie's and Sotheby's sales. A steel 6241 with a standard dial sells for less.

Replica movements

Most replica 6241 watches use a Seagull ST19. That is a Chinese hand-wound chronograph with a column wheel and a 3-6-9 subdial layout, so the dial layout matches the original. Some cheap replicas use quartz. A small number use a clone of the Valjoux 72. The ST19 runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The Valjoux 72 runs at 18,000. A watchmaker with a timing machine can tell the two apart in seconds.

What differs on replicas

  • Case size. Many replicas measure 39 mm or 40 mm, not 37 mm.
  • Crystal. Most replicas ship sapphire. The original used acrylic.
  • Bezel. Replicas often ship a steel bezel with an insert. The 6241 bezel is one molded piece.
  • Pusher shape. Replica pushers are wider at the base.
  • Dial print. Font weight and spacing differ. Subdial rings sit closer to the center on many replicas.
  • Caseback. Engraving depth and font differ. Some replicas carry no reference number.

Price and service

Replica 6241 prices run from about $120 for a quartz model to $600 for a hand-wound model with a sapphire crystal. Rolex service centers do not work on replicas. Independent watchmakers can service an ST19 for $80 to $150 in most US cities. Parts for the ST19 are sold online.

Legal note

A replica 6241 copies Rolex trademarks. US Customs can seize shipments. Selling a replica as a genuine watch is fraud. Resale values for replicas are low.