A closer look at the Holy Grail of vintage watches, Paul Newman’s Paul Newman Daytona
In an unprecedented 12-minute bidding war at the legendary New York auction house Phillips, Lot 8 — Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” Daytona ref. 6239 — set the luxury watch market ablaze selling for an astonishing $17,752,500. One of the most legendary timepieces of the 20th Century, Rolex’s Cosmograph Paul Newman Daytona has turned karma into cash. One thing is for certain, October 26, 2017 is a date that will live in haute horological infamy.
Having delivered on such wonderfully iconic chronographs as the Submariner, the GMT-Master and the Explorer, Rolex’s early-’60s foray into sports watches was met with more muted responses. It was not until the mid-1960s that the Daytona series began to gain traction among high-performance racing enthusiasts. Much to Rolex’s chagrin, however, the timeless sophistication of its tri-coloured, tri-dimensional, Singer-designed “exotic” dials got lost in translation. Despite what was then considered to be a monumental failure, the legendary series made a roaring comeback in the 1980s — thanks, no less to the 1988 Habsburg Feldman catalogue.
Worn and owned by the legendary thespian himself on the set of his 1969 film Winning, the 6239 is the most authentic of the eponymous collection. At 37mm in diameter, the original Paul Newman is fitted with push-down chronograph buttons, steel bezel, black dial with white sub-registers, and a Rolex Valjoux 722 calibre, beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Newman’s Rolex Cosmograph has “Daytona” exactly above the register at 6 o’clock.
The watch has an interesting story. Newman’s wife, the actress Joanne Woodward bought him the Daytona as a gift as his interest in racing took off. “Drive Carefully” signed by “Me” is engraved on the back. He wore it for years, and even used the watch to time the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Newman’s daughter Nell was dating James Cox in the mid-’80s, and one day while they were building a tree house, Newman asked Cox the time. The latter replied that he didn’t own a watch. As Nell relates: “Pop handed James his Rolex and said, ‘If you can remember to wind this each day, it tells pretty good time.’”
“If you can remember to wind this each day, it tells pretty good time.”
Cox held onto the watch, long believed lost. Last spring he contacted legendary auctioneer Aurel Bacs about selling the Holy Grail of vintage watches. The rest, as they say, is history. Ref. 6239 rewrote record books.
With the press coverage this timepiece has received over the past six months, it’s easy to forget the Paul Newman “Paul Newman is one of a family of Paul Newmans. Ref. 6241, for instance, is identical to ref. 6239. It has the same Valjoux 722 calibre, white dial and black sub-registers, and push-down chronograph buttons with one addition: a black acrylic bezel. While ref. 6262 is identical to the 6239, ref. 6262 comes with an upgraded Valjoux 727 clocking 21,600 vibrations per hour. Quintessentially vintage, the 6241 is one of the most talked about assets in the collection.
However, it is the 6263 and 6265 that have proven most valuable in the Daytona series — at least until now. The specialness of the Rolex Cosmograph Oyster ref. 6265 and ref. 6263 is attributed to their rarity. Here’s the deal, though: there is no 6265 Paul Newman Daytona, as such; the 6265 is fitted with a graduated stainless steel bezel, a thicker “Oyster” casing and “traditional” Panda dial and screw-down rather than pump pushers; and “Daytona” doesn’t appear above 6 o’clock.
The belle of the ball, the Rolex Cosmograph ref. 6263 with white dial and black sub-registers, is the (now second-) most coveted, expensive of Paul Newman Daytonas; and although the 6263 is identical to the 6265 — Vljoux 727 and screw-downs, you’d be hard pressed to find a 6263 black dial Paul Newman with “ROC” signature.
Unabashedly transcendent, Paul Newman’s Paul Newman “Daytona” Rolex has proven to be just as priceless as the legacy of the man himself. What’s more, Cox has vowed to donate “the lion’s share” of the proceeds to Nell’s foundation, which carries on her father’s philanthropy efforts.
So, the Paul Newman legacy lives on.
Specifications
Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds, 30-minute recorder, 12-hour recorder, small seconds recorder, chronograph
Case:
Diameter 36mm; height 14mm
Price:
$17,752,500
27 years after A. Lange & Sohne was revived following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Glashutte firm has released a series in his honour.
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