Rolex 6263 big red sigma possibly rarer than newman dials?

[Pingparme]

Dear members, I have been reading a lot recently on 6263 big red sigma and many members have pointed out that this transitional dial is very rare, possibly only 1 year’s production run.

Does anyone know the approximate numbers produced by Singer for the silver and black dials for big red sigma?

Also, would the big red sigma be possibly rarer than the Newman exotic dials?

I have searched the forums and on the wider Internet but don’t seem to find discussions on these specific questions.

Thank you and have a good week!

[TuRo]

Hi Yes they are rare (I'll let someone else give the numbers if they have them), but this is the usual 'up-marketing' of a nuance by a few who have them, rather than the 37/37.5mm cognoscenti being particularly keen on them.

We know the sigma (non printed Daytona - I prefer this btw) and Daytona red are about the same value so a combination of the two is not really that gripping to most, especially when you add in all the other up-marketing vagaries of Small Eye and Large Eye and Floating and Non Floating Daytona both of which do not rev up collectors anywhere near as much as the stepped dial 2 and 3 colour Exotic or Deco dial as we called it in the 70s and 80s - before the Italian magazine christened it the PNDial.

[Dan S]

You can often make something rare (or unique) by slapping enough sub-category qualifiers on it. But I guess my reaction is "so what." If a variant gets popular and the price takes off, it's not necessarily because it's rare.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by TuRo

Hi Yes they are rare (I'll let someone else give the numbers if they have them), but this is the usual 'up-marketing' of a nuance by a few who have them, rather than the 37/37.5mm cognoscenti being particularly keen on them.

Exactly. Sigma dials always seemed like an insignificant feature on a vintage Rolex, IMHO, compared to all the other considerations, with condition being the most important.

Rarity is often confused with value and desirability, which is a very different discussion.

[springer]

In the collector world, rarity does not always equate with perceived value, no matter what the collectable is.

[springer]

Originally Posted by Dan S

You can often make something rare (or unique) by slapping enough sub-category qualifiers on it. But I guess my reaction is "so what." If a variant gets popular and the price takes off, it's not necessarily because it's rare.

The latest example for me is the nonsense regarding the perceived "added value" for the APH dial found on some Daytonas. I kept seeing Daytonas advertised with the APH dial and finally had to call a friend of mine and ask him what the hell was an APH dial. I thought it had something to do with the chronograph ring or the wording on the chrongraph but I was wrong.

For those unfamiliar with the "APH" dial, google it and you might agree with me that it is utter nonsense.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by springer

The latest example for me is the nonsense regarding the perceived "added value" for the APH dial found on some Daytonas. I kept seeing Daytonas advertised with the APH dial and finally had to call a friend of mine and ask him what the hell was an APH dial. I thought it had something to do with the chronograph ring or the wording on the chrongraph but I was wrong.

For those unfamiliar with the "APH" dial, google it and you might agree with me that it is utter nonsense.

Bizarre that they try to market it as an "error dial."

[Pingparme]

Thank you all, I think you guys sum it all, rarity does not equate to value and desirability and I agree.

But since the vintage circle seems to take interest in all these so called variants such as rail dial, floating prints, mk red or red over white etc etc etc… I was just wondering if someone may just have the stats on how rare the sigma big red dials in quantity produced and compared to the most produced PN dial.