An Ultra-Rare Rolex Ref. 6062 Just Sold for a Record $6.2M at Auction

The list of the most expensive Rolexes ever sold at auction, as you’d expect, quite impressive. And now the exquisite lineup has a new member.

A yellow-gold Ref. 6062 just hammered down for a whopping $6.2 million, making it the third-priciest piece from the Crown to sell on the block. The rarity was a part of the offerings at Monaco Legend Auctions’s Exclusive Timepieces event last weekend—and it sure left its mark.

Ref. 6062 is a rare collector’s item, thought to have been produced in just 350 examples before Rolex discontinued it. The piece touts a 36 mm Oyster case and a Perpetual automatic movement. Most notably, it offers up a triple-date moonphase, a feature that’s rather hard to come by with the Crown’s creations and is one of just two vintage models to include it, according to GQ. The other stand-out of the reference is its black dial, marked with six diamonds at the odd-numbered positions, a.k.a. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 o’clock. This Ref. 6062 last appeared in the public eye almost 20 years ago, when it appeared in Antiquorum’s Mondani Collection sale. Now, the piece has emerged from the treasure trove of a private collector, and the new owner has yet to be identified.

The crown for the most expensive Rollie ever sold at auction is worn (rather fittingly) by Paul Newman’s very own “Paul Newman” timepiece, which was given to the actor by his wife. Ref. 6239 hammered down for a whopping $17.75 million in 2017 during a Phillips auction. Then, an ultra-rare 18-karat-white gold iteration of the Cosmograph Daytona—aptly nicknamed “Unicorn”—sits in the second-place spot; famed collector John Goldberger donated the timepiece to Philips, where it fetched around $6.5 million in 2018.

And formerly rounding out the top three was Ref. 6062 “Bao Dai,” another precious Rolex that was owned by the final emperor of Vietnam, which sold for $5.06 million in 2017—now, of course, that watch has been ousted by this latest Ref. 6062 sale. What sets the Bao Dai and the newcomer in the rankings apart is that the emperor’s version sports its diamonds on even numbers instead of odd.

If you missed out on the Monaco Legend Auction’s event, don’t fret. Another pair of ultra-rare Rolex Daytonas is heading to auction next month via Christies, giving you the chance to snag your own coveted timepiece. Happy bidding.