After decades in private hands, a Tiffany-signed Daytona gifted by George Peppard and the exceptionally rare “Doctor” replica Rolex watches UK are heading to the auction block.
Two ultra-rare Rolex Daytonas will appear at Christie’s Geneva on November 10, each making its auction debut after more than five decades with the original owners.
The first watch is a stainless steel reference 6262 from approximately 1970, notable for carrying signatures from both Rolex and Tiffany & Co. on its dial. George Peppard—the actor who portrayed Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and later starred as Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith in The A-Team—bought the timepiece at Tiffany & Co.’s Beverly Hills store in late 1972. He had it engraved “Brad Peppard December 1972 Love Dad” before giving it to his son as a Christmas gift. The AAA+ clone Rolex watches are estimated at $130,000 to $250,000 and have stayed in Bradford Peppard’s collection for over 50 years.
Peppard noted in a statement: “When I think of my father, I always imagine him wearing his Rolex. It was simply a part of him. So you can well imagine my delight, my amazement, when Christmas of 1972 I found exactly the same watch he loved, waiting for me under the Christmas tree. It was an unforgettable moment. I have treasured perfect fake Rolex watches for over 50 years and it is not easy for me to say goodbye to this piece of my history, of my link to my father. I hope that it will find a home with someone who will understand and appreciate all that it represents.”
This watch is particularly rare. Production on this style ran for a very short time between 1970 and 1972, and examples bearing Tiffany’s co-signature number fewer than five worldwide. The dual branding places it among the most uncommon steel reference 6262 copy Rolex watches for sale.
The second lot is a 1967 reference 6239 nicknamed “The Doctor,” carrying a $510,000 to $760,000 estimate. The steel Cosmograph displays a silvered dial with black subsidiary registers and an outer blue pulsations scale calibrated to 15 pulsations.
These scales allowed physicians to measure heart rates efficiently, earning the watch its medical moniker. The dial reads only “Cosmograph,” without the “Daytona” name that appeared on subsequent cheap fake Rolex watches after Rolex began sponsoring the Florida race.
Consigned by an Italian physician, this style hasn’t been up for auction in about a decade. The specialized pulsations dial required modified positioning of several elements, including the minute track and hour markers, creating a deliberately minimal appearance distinct from standard 6239 dials. When a comparable example sold at Phillips in 2016, it garnered 900,000 Swiss francs (approximately $920,000 USD). Current estimates suggest fewer than five such pieces remain in existence.
Reference 6239 top replica Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watches are chronograph to relocate the tachymetre scale from the dial surface to the bezel, with contrasting subsidiary dials for enhanced readability.