Expert Opinions Please!

[crystalcranium]

http://perfect-clones.com/rldv10014-dayton...7750-p-524.html

It's beautiful and I don't know a thing about originals. Is it close???

[HighDef]

This can be the pre Daytona 4537 or the 6034 but wrong hands. Other than that it look great.

Edited July 16, 2006 by HighDef

[By-Tor]

The best resource to compare vintage models to gens is here:

http://catalog.antiquorum.com/catalog.html

Put "Rolex chronograph" to the search string and try to find this model.

[robertk]

I can tell you this one is VERY Accurate.

[dec]

The pre-Daytona is a lovely watch, but on this one there are many flaws. All the hands are wrong. The dial markers should be shaped like arrow heads. There should be another ring of little minute numbers... and so on. Most importantly, on the genuine article the chrono pushers are asymmetric.

[alligoat]

This is the 6234 Pre-Daytona chronograph and as Dec points out there are a few flaws. Thanks to By-tor, I was able to go thru Antiquorum and look at all of the models which have sold recently. The dial is OK, but the red is a little strong because it hasn't faded w/ time, otherwise, it's OK. I've seen this dial w/ a blue telemeter ring and it probably wouldn't be so loud. Typically the 6234 had alpha hands and triangular shaped hour markers, but rectangular stick markers were also seen and the later hands were rectangular and rectangular w/ pointed ends (similar to the 6694 hands). This watch was produced from the 40's to the middle 60's, which is a pretty long run and we all know that Rolex did change things thru the years. The pushers are assymertical, but it's not something I'd be all that concerned about. The later movement was the Cal. 72 and the four o'clock pusher is slightly lower, below the 4 o'clock marker. The 2 o'clock pusher seems to be centered on the hour marker.

I think it's a good looking watch and like the 6238 which I have, it's not one that you're likely to get called down on because few people are going to know anything about it other than it is a Rolex. Even my watchmaker looked at my 6238 and started to get excited, until he took off the caseback. The only negative that I can see is the asian 7750, you just have to hope it holds up OK.

[crystalcranium]

This is the 6234 Pre-Daytona chronograph and as Dec points out there are a few flaws. Thanks to By-tor, I was able to go thru Antiquorum and look at all of the models which have sold recently. The dial is OK, but the red is a little strong because it hasn't faded w/ time, otherwise, it's OK. I've seen this dial w/ a blue telemeter ring and it probably wouldn't be so loud. Typically the 6234 had alpha hands and triangular shaped hour markers, but rectangular stick markers were also seen and the later hands were rectangular and rectangular w/ pointed ends (similar to the 6694 hands). This watch was produced from the 40's to the middle 60's, which is a pretty long run and we all know that Rolex did change things thru the years. The pushers are assymertical, but it's not something I'd be all that concerned about. The later movement was the Cal. 72 and the four o'clock pusher is slightly lower, below the 4 o'clock marker. The 2 o'clock pusher seems to be centered on the hour marker.

I think it's a good looking watch and like the 6238 which I have, it's not one that you're likely to get called down on because few people are going to know anything about it other than it is a Rolex. Even my watchmaker looked at my 6238 and started to get excited, until he took off the caseback. The only negative that I can see is the asian 7750, you just have to hope it holds up OK.

Thanks to By-Tor for a great resource.

I agree the watch looks different from the closest match in this list but I would doubt anyone other than a Rolex vintage chronograph expert, given the 20 year production run and variants, would question its' authenticity. It is just visually stunning and yells vintage with its' no nonsense bezel and pushers. The bracelet is quite beautiful as well.

[alligoat]

Looked at a 6034 at my watchmakers yesterday. Had the red inner track, alpha hands and the triangular hour markers. Very similar to the 6234 and it also has the Valjoux 72 movt. Now days to get one repaired, you have to bring in your own donor movt. for parts, since v.72 parts are almost a thing of the past. The red was a shade lighter than Josh's 6234 and of course, the dial did show some age. Still, I would guess that it's a $10-15,000.00 watch, even with the non-Rolex donor parts. He also had a gold 6263 that the owner was doing the same thing to- repairing with donor parts.