Rolex Vault › All references › Daytona
Daytona · 1963 to 1969 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Paul Newman”
Not ranked: too few recorded sales
Market range: 16 public auction results (Christie's, Phillips) from the last 3 years, buyer's premium included.
Median public auction result (Christie's, Phillips) for each year with 2 or more sales, buyer's premium included. Dashed line marks the 1966 retail price.
The grail. Paul Newman's own 6239 sold for $17.8M in 2017 and lifted interest in exotic-dial Daytonas generally. Original retail in the 1960s was around $210.
Authentication is everything here: redials and franken-watches are common at this price.
Paul Newman wore his because Joanne Woodward bought it for him, engraved 'Drive Carefully Me', after he took up racing filming the 1969 movie Winning. He gave it in 1984 to James Cox, his daughter Nell's boyfriend, who wore it for years before moving it to a safe deposit box as vintage prices rose.
At Phillips New York in October 2017 the opening $1 million bid was immediately topped at $10 million, and the watch sold for $17.8 million including fees, then the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction.
Our verdict: Museum-grade asset. Buy only through major auction houses or top-tier vintage dealers with full provenance.
| Sizes | 37mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Steel tachymeter (engraved) |
| Notable dials | Exotic 'Paul Newman' Art Deco; Standard |
| Caliber | Valjoux 722 |
| Production | 1963 to 1969 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2026 | Phillips auction · New York Watch Auction: XIV ↗︎ Paul Newman | $1,079,500 |
| May 11, 2026 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Paul Newman steel · sold for CHF 139,700 | $178,234 |
| May 11, 2026 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Paul Newman steel · sold for CHF 203,200 | $259,250 |
| Dec 4, 2025 | Christie's auction · Online sale ↗︎ Paul Newman steel | $127,000 |
| Nov 10, 2025 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ Paul Newman steel, tropical registers · sold for CHF 444,500 | $553,136 |
| Jun 7, 2025 | Phillips auction · New York Watch Auction: XII ↗︎ Paul Newman | $419,100 |
| May 10, 2025 | Phillips auction · Geneva Watch Auction: XXI ↗︎ Paul Newman · sold for CHF 177,800 | $214,320 |
| Dec 9, 2024 | Christie's auction · New York live sale ↗︎ Paul Newman steel | $151,200 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.