Black, white, and red all over
Known as the hardest working man in Hollywood, Ryan Seacrest is also one of the best-dressed men within the star-studded industry. Whether hosting the hit TV show American Idol, broadcasting his radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest, or bringing us the best in celebrity fashion with E! Live from the Red Carpet, he’s always dressed perfectly for the occasion. To top off his style, Ryan recently replaced his usual Panerai with a very special vintage Rolex watch.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263
A closer look at Ryan’s wrist reveals that he is the proud owner of a vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” ref. 6263. “Cosmograph” is Rolex-speak for a chronograph, and the brand adopted that name to differentiate itself from other luxury chronographs available in the market at that time.
The Daytona 6263 was, along with its sibling the Daytona 6265, in production from 1971 until 1987. The 6263 is outfitted with a black acrylic bezel insert, while the 6265 is equipped with a metal bezel engraved with the tachymeter scale. Other than the bezel, they are identical watches.
The Daytona 6263 and 6265 feature screw-down pushers rather than the push-down ones of older Daytonas. In addition to improved water resistance to 100m, they give the chronograph a more masculine look. The screw-down pushers also reduces the risk of accidental triggering of the chronograph function. Driving the Rolex Daytona 6263 is the hand-wound Valjoux 727 movement. The 6263 and the 6265 were the last Daytona models to have manual calibers.
Big Red
The Daytona 6263 that Ryan wears is particularly special because it sports the “Big Red” dial. The “Big Red” nickname is derived from the large red “DAYTONA” label above the 6 o’clock register. A rare variant of the Daytona ref. 6263, the “Big Red” can be found on both white and black dials. Ryan’s Rolex features the white dial, black contrasting sub-dials, a black bezel, and the red Daytona, which combine to make a beautifully balanced sports watch. Completing the look of the dial are the silver stick hour markers accented with small lume plots, silver luminescent hour and minute hands, and the silver Rolex coronet at 12 o’clock.
The “Big Red” dial of the ref. 6263 is housed within the Rolex Oyster case. During its era, 37mm was considered a large and sporty size, but according to today’s standards, 37mm for a men’s watch is quite restrained. Therefore, the vintage Daytona can go from casual daytime wear to formal tuxedo evening wear seamlessly. In fact, Ryan wore his Daytona 6263 during all the award shows earlier this year and the iconic timepiece looked fantastic with his black-tie getups.
Sitting right at the heart of Hollywood and offering us a gateway into celebrity culture, Ryan Seacrest’s persona is casually cool — much like the vintage Rolex chronograph he opts to wear.
