White tip or not?

[dieselpower]

Hello all,

I am currently undergoing a 6263 Daytona improvement exercise and have a question for all you vintage 'tona experts in our wonderful community. The question is simply this - should the triangular tip of the large chrono second hand be white or not?

I have seen (gen) photos of the tip being white and photos of the hand being the same colour all the way to the tip. I am guessing that as usual it was a Rolex lottery and both are equally correct and if so which is your favourite?

Thanks.

[freddy333]

Generally, the entire chrono seconds hand is painted a contrasting color from the dial. So, if your dial is black, the hand should be painted white. If your dial is silver, the hand should be painted black. On some watches (mostly black dials), only the tip is painted (white), but that is the exception rather than the rule.

[Nanuq]

Well said. In my case I'm the exception... my black dial has a black hand, very hard to see, with a white painted tip.

[dieselpower]

Cheers chaps.

Funny that when you google image 6263 daytona the very first image is one with a white tip and I have seen quite a few photos here and there also most of the images Martin Skeet created for the toolwatches book have white tips so that just made me think they were more common than they actually are.

I haven't decided which way to go yet but your input is most appreciated.

[vlaletom]

it really depends of your model (screw down or not) and dial

This is my reference compilation for the 6263/6565 steel:

all the silver dial (sigma non daytona or sigma + daytona) : plain balck

black dial (daytona or not) : silver with white tip

newman white dial (black subdial & black suround) : black with white tip

newman blackdial (white subdial & red on white suround) : silver with black tip

newman blackdial (white subdial & red on black suround) : silver with white tip

for the other rarest dial like full red/ full brown red etc ... i have no clue, i am not even shure they where available for the the screwdown pusher ..

this is only a general guidline as rolex is know for having asembled those daytona with whatever part where availaible (like the usual case / caseback mismatch)

and that even worse for serviced watch.

One little common diferrence you can olso come across is the color of the black daytona dial, subdial hands

somtime they are all black (like dw's)

or somtime silver whit the tip painted black (like dw' s silver dial hands but painted black)

that variation may be linked to the Mark I or Mark II daytona dial (variation on the daytona marking)

but i think the most common for genuine is the silver+black hands

[dieselpower]

Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

Plain black it is.