Entrepreneur Alberto Galassi spotted wearing a Rolex

Alberto Galassi, the chief executive who has steered Ferretti Group to the top of the global luxury yacht market, was recently spotted wearing a vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6263 in yellow gold — a watch that needs no introduction in serious collector circles but rarely appears on the wrist rather than in a saleroom catalogue.

The ref. 6263 was produced by Rolex from approximately 1969 to 1987, representing the pinnacle of the manual-wind Daytona lineage. Its defining features — screw-down pushers, an Oyster case, and a Bakelite or acrylic bezel insert — set it apart from its sister reference, the 6265, which used a smooth bezel. Galassi's example presents in yellow gold (ref. 6263 was offered in both stainless steel and 18k gold), with a black dial and yellow gold chronograph counters. The movement inside is the Valjoux 727, a hand-wound column-wheel caliber that Rolex had modified and regulated in-house, offering a 45-minute counter, 12-hour register, and running seconds subdial.

From a collector standpoint, a yellow gold ref. 6263 with an original black dial and intact Bakelite bezel is among the most desirable configurations in the vintage Rolex universe. Condition of the Bakelite is everything — it chips, fades, and shrinks, and finding an example with an uncracked, well-preserved bezel drives values dramatically higher. The gold subdial registers on a black dial create what collectors call the "gold on black" aesthetic, one of the cleanest and most legible dial executions of the era.

Galassi's choice carries a certain internal logic. As CEO of Ferretti Group — whose portfolio includes Riva, Pershing, Itama, and CRN — he operates in a world where heritage craftsmanship, performance engineering, and high-end materials converge. A vintage gold Daytona ref. 6263 speaks exactly that language: purpose-built, mechanically serious, and uncompromising in execution.

On the current market, a yellow gold Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 with a black dial and Bakelite bezel in collector-grade condition commands significant sums at auction, with top examples routinely exceeding six figures. Retail pricing is, of course, not applicable for a watch last produced in 1987 — this is purely a secondary market instrument, and the grey market reflects its status accordingly.