Monday, November 11, 2013

Stainless Paul Newman Daytona Shatters Auction Record


...Rolex Super Coolness...

The World's First 
Million Dollar Rolex Daytona

Stainless Paul Newman Daytona 
Shatters Auction Record
Christies Auction House Sells For $1,089,186
37.5MM 1969 Reference 6263/6239: Case Number 2,197,870

It is awe inspiring, and I imagine it was bound to finally happen. An extremely rare stainless steel Paul Newman Daytona, with an exotic dial sold last night for over One Million Dollars in Geneva, Switzerland at the Christies Rolex Daytona Auction. This watch is considered to be one-of-a-kind, and it is the only authentic Daytona with a a black exotic "Paul Newman" dial, with screw down pushers. This represents the first time in history a Rolex Daytona has sold for more than a million dollars! 


The Wold's First Million Dollar Rolex Daytona


That's pretty amazing, if you think about it, that a Rolex watch that sold for under $500 forty four years ago, increased in value and sold for more than 2000 times its original retail cost. Think about that for a second, over a Million dollars for a stainless steel watch! Wow!!! Pretty mind-blowing!!! I think it goes to show the value vintage Rolex collectors place on aesthetic beauty coupled with superb condition and magnificent timeless design. I mean if you look at the Daytona, it is stunningly good looking...

Pictured below is a photo of Paul Newman sporting his "Exotic Dial" Rolex Daytona, which today is considered mythical among vintage Rolex collectors. Just to be clear, the watch that sold, which is pictured above, is really kind of a 'reverse' Paul Newman, in the sense that its dial colors are inverted from the one Paul Newman wore, which is pictured below on a FatStrap. 

Also, Paul Newman's exotic dial Daytona did not have screw down pushers. The term "Paul Newman Daytona" really connotes an "exotic" dial, with the outer track that is the same color as the subdials.


Eric Ku, vintage Rolex dealer and collector extraordinaire, and owner of the Vintage Rolex Forum took the photo seen below as the Exotic Dial Daytona rocketed-up quickly in price last night in Geneva, Switzerland to blast past the million dollar mark at Christie's Auction last evening.