Why the Paul Newman Daytona Sold for $17,752,500

What Are the Technical Specifications of the Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239?

• Reference: 6239, Cosmograph Daytona, introduced in 1963
• Production: 1963 to 1969, about 14,000 examples according to Phillips
• Calibre: Manual-winding chronograph from the Valjoux 72 family, documented as cal. 722-1 with 17 jewels on a 1966 example
• Case: 37mm diameter
• Case Material: Stainless steel; about 300 examples in 18k yellow gold
• Pushers: Pump-style; screw-down pushers arrived with refs. 6240, 6263 and 6265
• Bezel: Metal, with tachymeter scale
• Newman’s Example: Case No. 2’005’325, caseback engraved “DRIVE CAREFULLY ME”
• Retail Price: Around $200 in 1969
• Auction Benchmarks: CHF 203,200 for a steel Paul Newman example (Phillips, May 2024); CHF 1.2 million for a yellow gold example (Sotheby’s, May 2026)

How Did the Cosmograph Begin, and How Did Newman’s Watch Reach Him?

Rolex launched the Cosmograph in 1963 with the ref. 6239, a manual-winding chronograph with three registers and a tachymeter bezel. About 14,000 examples were produced until 1969, according to Phillips, before the ref. 6262 took its place. The full Daytona line, from the 6239 to the current Cerachrom references, is covered in the Rolex collector’s guide, and every Daytona reference in our Daytona reference guide.

Joanne Woodward bought Newman’s watch around the filming of Winning, the 1969 motor racing film, most likely at Tiffany and Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York. Phillips points to the hand-engraved inventory numbers on the back of a lug as evidence of that retailer. The watch cost around $200. Woodward had the caseback engraved “DRIVE CAREFULLY ME”.

Newman wore the watch for about 15 years. In the summer of 1984 he handed it to James Cox, then dating his daughter Nell, with a line Nell later quoted in her letter: “If you can remember to wind this each day, it tells pretty good time.” Cox kept the watch in its original condition until he and Nell Newman decided to sell it in 2017.

What Are the Key Dates in the Paul Newman Daytona Story?

• 1963: Rolex launches the Cosmograph ref. 6239.
• 1968: Newman’s example, case No. 2’005’325, is manufactured.
• 1969: Winning is filmed, and Joanne Woodward buys the watch for Newman around that time.
• 1969: Production of the 6239 ends; the ref. 6262 with calibre 727 follows.
• Summer 1984: Newman gives the watch to James Cox.
• 6 October 2017: Phillips announces the watch for its Winning Icons sale.
• 26 October 2017: The watch sells in New York for $17,752,500.
• 12 May 2018: The gold “Golden Pagoda” 6239 sells at Phillips in Geneva for CHF 948,500.
• 11 May 2024: A steel Paul Newman 6239 of about 1966 sells at Phillips in Geneva for CHF 203,200.
• May 2026: A yellow gold Paul Newman 6239 sells for CHF 1.2 million, a record for the gold version, according to Sotheby’s.

What Makes a Paul Newman Dial Different From a Standard 6239 Dial?

Rolex offered the 6239 with an alternative dial, known among collectors as the “exotic” dial. Phillips describes the registers with numerals in an Art Deco font and square markers, set against a contrasting dial surface. The dial was later nicknamed after Newman, because his own watch carried one and appeared with him in photographs and archival racing footage.

Newman’s watch has a cream dial with a warm patina, red “DAYTONA” text above the hour register and red markers for the chronograph seconds. Phillips states that the dial is original and has never been restored, and that the hands are original too. The same tri-colour arrangement is often seen on the 6239 and on its sister reference, the 6241.

Gold examples carry their own versions of the dial. The 18k yellow gold “Golden Pagoda” has a champagne Paul Newman dial with registers detailed in gold, which Phillips describes as warmer in tone than the off-white dials of most examples. With about 300 gold examples against roughly 14,000 in total, the gold Paul Newman 6239 is one of the scarcest combinations in the reference.

Which Calibre Powers the 6239, and What Changed After It?

The 6239 uses a manual-winding chronograph calibre from the Valjoux 72 family, finished for Rolex. A steel example of about 1966, sold by Phillips in May 2024, is catalogued with calibre 722-1 and 17 jewels in a 37mm case. The movement has no automatic winding, so the owner winds it by hand, as Newman’s remark about remembering to wind it each day suggests.

Around 1969 the ref. 6262 replaced the 6239, with calibre 727 taking over from the 722-1, according to Phillips. The 6262 was the last Rolex chronograph fitted with pump pushers, while refs. 6240, 6263 and 6265 moved to screw-down pushers. Its lugs are slightly more elongated than those of the 6239, a detail that helps tell the two references apart.

For a buyer, the calibre is a check rather than a value driver. The movement must match the period and the reference, and the caseback reference stamp must match the case. Some early 6262 cases carry a 6239 stamp inside the caseback, as on a lot Phillips sold in Geneva in May 2019.

What Do Paul Newman 6239 Examples Sell For Today?

No market index tracks the Paul Newman 6239, so public auction results are the reference point. A steel Paul Newman example of about 1966 sold at Phillips in Geneva on 11 May 2024 for CHF 203,200, against an estimate of CHF 120,000 to 240,000. In May 2026 a yellow gold example of about 1967 sold for CHF 1.2 million, which Sotheby’s records as a world record for a yellow gold Paul Newman 6239.

The gap between those two figures is the gap between steel and gold, and both remain far below Newman’s own watch. Rolex index values by collection over one, three and five years are tracked in our value retention data. Delivered to Riyadh, Saudi customs duty and import VAT add about 20.75 percent of the CIF value to any purchase price.

How Did the 2017 Sale Unfold, and Which Results Followed?

Phillips, in association with Bacs and Russo, offered the watch as lot 8 of “Winning Icons: Legendary Watches of the 20th Century” in New York on 26 October 2017, with Aurel Bacs as auctioneer. Bidding opened at $1 million, and an anonymous telephone bidder moved it straight to $10 million. Two bidders then contested the lot for about 12 minutes before the hammer fell at $15.5 million, or $17,752,500 with the buyer’s premium.

The lot came with a signed letter from Nell Newman recounting the watch’s history. A portion of the proceeds went to the Nell Newman Foundation and to Newman’s Own Foundation. The result passed the Patek Philippe ref. 1518 sold for $11.1 million in November 2016 as the most expensive wristwatch at auction, while the Henry Graves Supercomplication pocket watch remained the most expensive timepiece overall.

Other Paul Newman examples have reached seven figures since, all of them in gold. The “Golden Pagoda”, an 18k yellow gold 6239 of about 1967, sold at Phillips’ Daytona Ultimatum sale in Geneva on 12 May 2018 for CHF 948,500, more than three times its low estimate. The wider record context, from this sale to the overall wristwatch record, is in our auction records.

Which Versions of the 6239 Should a Collector Know?

The 6239 was made with a standard dial and with the dial now called Paul Newman, in stainless steel and in 18k yellow gold. Steel accounts for the great majority of the roughly 14,000 examples, with about 300 cased in gold. The sister ref. 6241 shares the tri-colour Paul Newman dial, and the ref. 6262 that followed carried it into the next generation.

Within each version, the dial colour and its condition separate one example from another. Light dials with contrasting registers are the best known, while gold examples can carry champagne dials such as the one on the “Golden Pagoda”.

What Does the Paul Newman Daytona Mean for Collectors Today?

Newman’s own watch is a category of one. Its price reflects a named owner, a personal engraving and a dial and hands that Phillips confirms as original, a combination no other 6239 can offer. Other Paul Newman examples trade on their own merits, which is why a steel example sold for CHF 203,200 in 2024.

For a Gulf collector who already owns a modern Daytona, the 6239 is a different purchase altogether. It is a manual-winding watch of almost sixty years, where the originality of the dial decides most of the value. Service history, case condition and the match between case, caseback and movement come next.

Every check starts before payment, with the dial, the hands and the case examined by an independent vintage Rolex specialist. Platform selection is covered in the pre-owned guide, and the full verification process in the authentication guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Paul Newman Daytona sell for $17,752,500?

The watch combined Paul Newman’s personal ownership, the “DRIVE CAREFULLY ME” engraving from Joanne Woodward and an original dial and hands, according to Phillips. It came with a signed letter from Nell Newman recounting its history. At the sale in New York on 26 October 2017, two bidders contested it for about 12 minutes before the hammer fell at $15.5 million, or $17,752,500 with the buyer’s premium.

What have Paul Newman Daytona ref. 6239 examples sold for recently?

A steel Paul Newman 6239 of about 1966 sold at Phillips in Geneva on 11 May 2024 for CHF 203,200, against an estimate of CHF 120,000 to 240,000. In May 2026 a yellow gold example of about 1967 sold for CHF 1.2 million, a world record for the gold version according to Sotheby’s. Dial originality, case condition and documentation move individual results above or below these benchmarks.

Which calibre does the Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 use?

The 6239 uses a manual-winding chronograph calibre from the Valjoux 72 family. A 1966 example sold by Phillips is catalogued with calibre 722-1 and 17 jewels. Around 1969 the ref. 6262 replaced the 6239 with calibre 727.

Why is it called the Paul Newman Daytona?

Rolex offered the 6239 with an alternative dial, known among collectors as the “exotic” dial, which was later nicknamed after Paul Newman because he wore one. His own example was a gift from Joanne Woodward around the filming of Winning in 1969. The name now covers every Daytona of the period with that dial, not only Newman’s watch.

What was the retail price of the Daytona ref. 6239?

Newman’s 6239 cost around $200 in 1969, according to Phillips. His example sold for $17,752,500 in 2017. Its current-generation descendant, the Cosmograph Daytona ref. 126500LN, is listed on The Luxury Closet at about USD 33,600 as of November 2026.

How many Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 were made?

About 14,000 examples of the ref. 6239 were produced between 1963 and 1969, according to Phillips. Only about 300 of them were cased in yellow gold. Phillips does not give a separate figure for examples with the Paul Newman dial.

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