Hands-On with Two More of Paul Newman's Rolex Daytonas at Sotheby's Auctions

If there’s any single person who has the ability to set the auction scene on fire, it’s the late Paul Newman and his many Daytonas (he was a bit of a collector himself). Historically, his watches have sold at record highs for the watch industry. At one point, his Daytona sold for a mind-blowing $17,750,000 USD when the gavel was finally slammed. If there’s ever major excitement in the auction circuit, it’s when a Paul Newman Daytona shows up. Recently two more of Newman’s own Daytona’s (Oh yes, there’s more than the Daytona) were unveiled in the hands of Sotheby’s Auctions. The watches have been on a bit of a tour, and recently landed in New York City where we had a chance to go hands-on with them in a real way.

Paul Newman has a rich history with Rolex and his association with the brand. Dating back to the 1960’s, Newman has owned a number of Daytonas, but the classic Ref. 6239 is the most recognized - Given to him by his wife on the set of his 1969 film “Winning”. Inscribed with “Drive Safely - Me” on the back of the case, the watch had a similar tour as these two Sotheby’s Daytonas, before it was inevitable auctioned off for the $17.8 Million by Phillips. I should note, this model was quickly dubbed the “Newman Daytona” - Which is very different than a Newman Owned Daytona. I’ve seen a lot of confusion already, the two Daytona’s offered up by Sotheby’s were actually owned by the man himself, and not just “Newman Daytonas”.

Sotheby’s has two completely different era Daytonas from Paul’s personal collection that’ll be auctioned off on June 9th as part of the “Important Watches” Auction in New York City - A sort of part of the “Life & Legacy of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman” Auction that’s taking place over the course of the last week of May into June.

The first is a 1993 ‘Zenith’ stainless steel Daytona that Paul was gifted after he became the oldest winner of the 24-hour GT-1 Daytona Race at 70 years old. Rolex had become an official sponsor of the race in 1991, and therefore gifted it to Paul as part of their “Man of the Year” awards. The Ref. 16520 has ‘Rolex at Daytona 24 Paul Newman Rolex Motorsports Man of the Year 1995' inscribed on the caseback, which, Paul wore proudly.

Although Newman, being a philanthropist first and foremost, offered the watch up for a charity auction in 1999, where it made $39,000 USD for his Hole in the Wall Gang charity. Interestingly, a few years later, the watch was back on his wrist. Many stories from family and friends suggest that knowing how precious the watch was to Newman, his wife Joanne purchased it back from the previous owner to give back to him - Making it a uniquely special timepiece for fans of Newman and his background in philanthropy and family.

The second Daytona is actually unique for a number of reasons, both in terms of Newman association, and material. The Ref. 116519 with black dial has been confirmed to be the only precious model Daytona that Newman has ever owned in white gold. It’s also the third Daytona that features an inscription from Joanne on the back. It says “Drive very Slowly -Joanne”. Joanne had later said that the watches should act as a hug for his wrist, to remind him to be careful while on and off the track.

Newman wore this watch during his iconic Last Racing Laps at Lime Rock Park in 2008 - It was the last race Paul participated in, which is fitting because this was the last Daytona gifted to him from Joanne.

Overall, Paul Newman was known for his incredible generosity and optimistic spirit - Which is why his watches have resonated for many in the industry. The racing spirit has always been front and center of the Rolex Daytona, so the fact that we’ve seen a number of them on his wrist, all gifts from Joanne, isn’t surprising. The Actor / Racer had a well-known love for motorsports so naturally, his watch collection would be well-suited to that.

We don’t necessarily want to speculate, but we wouldn’t be surprised if these two models fetch high dollar amounts, though probably less than the Ref. 6239 in 2017. While I don’t necessarily think the charm has run it’s course with Paul Newman, but second rounds of prominent collectors often fetch a smaller sum because many collectors want to have “The First”. Also, again, we won’t speculate, but there’s a lot of growing suspicion that Rolex, or someone affiliated with Rolex, purchased the Ref. 6239 for the $17 Million. So it’ll be very interesting to see what these go for. Be watching the Auction block on June 9th, we certainly will be. You can learn more about the auction from Sotheby’s website.