4537 Rolex Chronograph

Meet the Daytona’s rather handsome grandfather. Before the Daytona were series of chronograph references called Pre-Daytona: 6032, 6034, 6232, 6234, and 6238. Before the Pre-Daytona things get really complicated. This is from just before the 6032, the very end of Pre-Pre-Daytona. Did that make any sense? What you’re looking at is a ref. 4537, the very first tri-register Oyster chronograph from Rolex. To the extent that you consider all Daytona and Pre-Daytona a design success (it would be difficult to argue that this bloodline is not the most successful chronograph ever), this was really the very, very first of the breed.

The 4537 debuted in 1946, with a case far more similar to what would become the Daytona than anything prior at 36mm (beforehand it was monobloc or Calatrava-like case, square pushers, etc). However, in true mid-century Rolex fashion, it was only produced for a year. Probably not even the entire year. It was available in both golds and steel, but fewer than 100 examples are thought to have ever been made across all metals. It’s from a bit of a no-man’s-land in Rolex terms, not from wartime with all the stories of the POW 3525 ‘Monoblocco’ and yet still well ahead of the evolution of chronographs categorized as ‘Pre-Daytona’. And still, it blends the charm of mid-century design cues like syringe hands with something that looks very similar to 1960s 6238 cases.

Pre-Daytona and Pre-Pre-Daytona Chronographs have found a new wave of interest in the last few years, but the 4537 so uncommon that there just aren’t many to benchmark. The high-water mark was 2018 where a near-perfect steel example hit 197K USD. Prior to that, most results (there are but four I could find) hovered around 100-120K. It’s amazing the range of Rolex chronographs the Valjoux 72 has powered, but much of the truly early stuff can tug the heartstrings and bank balance like nothing else. These references are far less loud, far less recognizable, and way more tricky to get right. But just look at that blued steel. In the metal as on the wrist, I promise, they are astoundingly alluring.

This example is lovely. The case is only very very lightly touched, which is not the case for watches this old often. Its dial is showing no signs of damage, only graceful original age. The handset radium is perfectly yellowed, with just a hint of burn around the 12. It is, in short, how I’d want to buy it.