Produced during the early 1960s, the Rolex ref. 6238 represents the final generation of chronographs before the arrival of the Cosmograph ref. 6239 and what would ultimately become the Daytona. Often referred to today as the "Pre-Daytona", the 6238 introduced several design elements that would carry into its successor, most notably its baton hands and clean three-register layout. Crucially, however, its tachymeter scale remained printed on the dial rather than migrating to the bezel, giving the watch a restrained appearance quite distinct from the Daytona that followed.

While the overwhelming majority of ref. 6238s were fitted with silver dials, this circa 1963 example features an exceptionally rare black galvanic dial without luminous plots. The dial was produced using a galvanic process, whereby the underlying brass plate forms the gilt text and scales, but unlike earlier Rolex gilt dials, the surface was not finished with lacquer. These early black galvanic dials are further distinguished by the characteristic “T-SWISS-T” signature, with hyphens, at six o’clock; later black dials instead carry the “T SWISS T” designation. Black-dial 6238s were produced in extremely small numbers and today rank among the most coveted executions of Rolex’s pre-Cosmograph chronographs.