Evidence Mounting Rolex Bought Paul Newman's Daytona

Paul Newman’s Daytona, aka the most expensive Rolex ever sold, is being exhibited in Los Angeles. This is the first time this watch has appeared in public view since being auctioned off for $17.75 million USD in 2017.

Collectors will surely know that the Rolex Cosmograph “Paul Newman” Daytona (Ref. 6239) that once belonged to actor Paul Newman, became iconic, to the point where many similar (and also extremely valuable) vintage Daytonas are simply referred to as Newman Daytonas.

The piece is currently being displayed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened in Los Angeles this week. Apparently, Rolex is a “Founding Supporter” of the museum and has arranged for the watch to be displayed.

This begs the question everyone has been asking since 2017: who bought Paul Newman’s Daytona? There has been a lot of conjecture that Rolex bought the watch and there is reason to believe this could be the case. If you remember, the starting bid for Newman’s Daytona was $1 million USD, with a bid for $10 million following mere seconds later. It is in Rolex’s interest for this piece to shatter auction records like it did. Why would a private collector increase the price tenfold immediately?

Will we every truly know if Rolex bought the Newman Daytona in 2017? Probably not. There have been rumors of a certain private collector buying the piece and then selling it back to Rolex. While we may never know the truth, Rolex “arranging” for Newman’s Daytona to go on display just gives further possible evidence that they bought the watch in 2017, or at least own it now.

What do you think? Does Rolex own Paul Newman’s Daytona? You can also learn more about the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened today, September 30th, here.