The "Pan Am" Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

The “Pan Am” Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

The “Pan Am” Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Today I like to introduce my dear RPR followers, the “Pan Am Daytona”. Not often we come across a total new discovery in the vintage Rolex world. I’ve been traveling around the world for my vintage Rolex passion quest many years now and probably most of the rarest Rolex i’ve inspected up close but I couldn’t believe my eyes the first time I saw the “Pan Am”. Specially after the Rolex Daytona has reached more then cult status, everything has been written and studied about it, specialist books have come to the market and last year Christie’s dedicated a special sale to the Daytona, it’s even hard to imagine that there would be something else out there nobody has seen before! We are not talking here about a known configuration in a different metal or a small dial difference in printing, neither is it a prototype. No, the “Pan Am” Cosmograph is rewriting history by it’s own as being the first ‘special order’ delivered on request by Rolex to the US and therefor of extreme importance for Rolex heritage!

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For those that are not so common with all the Daytona versions, you can study in John Goldberger’s or Pucci Papaleo’s Rolex books, I’ll explain you the important details of the “Pan Am Daytona”. At first we notice of course the blue “Pan Am” logo immediately. To get the “Pan Am” logo printed prominently in the middle of the upper half, the “Rolex” & “Oyster” had to move up higher to make place for the logo. Therefor Rolex didn’t use a existing dial to add this special order logo but had to make a total new print cliché for this Pan Am, adding the model name: “Cosmograph” now around the 6 o’clock register…

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Until now, we knew this type of special Rolex dial lay out only from the “Oman” & “Qaboos” Daytona’s, where the sultans Khanjar or signature emblem got printed clearly visible on the dial. Everybody in the collecting Rolex world thought that the special orders Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said had made throughout the UK Rolex represantant “Asprey” where the only ones known ever made by Rolex. But in fact, the “Pan Am” Daytona was Rolex inspiration for the later Arabic Daytona’s and where not made out of the blue but after Rolex made the Pan Am! How do I know this you wonder? Simple, the “Pan Am” Cosmograph has a 3.5xx.xxx serial, there where the Arabic’s start with 3.65x.xxx, thus later in Rolex production. The serial number of the “Pan Am” is as usual engraved between the lugs & as we see with “special orders” also in the case back, both matching.

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To accent the blue “Pan Am” logo I swapped the black bakelite bezel, which you see below as the “Pan Am” was found, with a unique blue faded Rolex bakelite.

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Below you see the 3.5xx.xxx serial number that was engraved in the case back..

RPR-PAB-Daytona Rolex has so far always been connected with Pan Am as official delivery of the GMT Master to their pilots. We come across many advertisements where the both companies show their collaboration proudly..

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Ref 6263 “Pan Am” as it was found in all original condition with black bakelite. Most probably specially made by Rolex for the Pan Am CEO in 1973 to celebrate their successful collaboration for many years by then. I’m still working on official documents through Pan Am & Rolex to state the provenance. Once I know more, I’ll update you all.

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