Prologue
The Daytona 6263 once owned by Paul Newman will be auctioned at Phillips on December 12th, local time in New York, and this is a hot topic and something to look forward to recently. This is the first historic auction in about three years since 2017, when the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch was recorded.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239 “Big Red”
The watch put up for auction in 2017 is a Daytona with a first-generation exotic dial, known as the "Paul Newman dial" because Paul loved it, and is a model that was given to Paul by his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, in 1968. When his daughter Nell Newman launched the foundation, the watch was put up for auction at the "WINNING ICONS Legendary Watches of The 20th Century" auction held by Phillips, where it was sold for $17,752,500 (approximately 2.03 billion yen), the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch at the time.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239: The Genuine "Paul Newman Model"
The back cover is engraved with the words "DRIVE CAREFULLY ME," a message from a wife expressing concern for her husband who is a racer.
The watch being auctioned this time is the third generation Daytona Ref. 6263, equipped with a "Big Daytona" dial with a large "DAYTONA" inscription located near the center of the dial. This model was given to Paul by Joanne in 1983 to commemorate their 25th wedding anniversary, and the message "Drive Slowly Joanne" is engraved on the back cover for Paul, who was injured in a motorcycle accident during a shoot in 1965. The watch was passed down to his daughter Clea Olivia Newman in 2008 when Paul passed away, and according to Clea, Paul wore it almost every day for about 20 years. The auction price is expected to exceed $1 million, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the charities "SeriousFun Children's Network" and "Safe Water Network."
