Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Alberto Galassi spotted wearing 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.